Comment EI-24859
Received or sent (printed as 7/14/2016)
Note this is long so a word.doc is attached containing the full text. I am writing to ask that you deny the Great Lake Basin railroad project and seek alternatives to building the proposed line so close to Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See in Manteno. It is essential to preserve the quality of the camp and the surrounding environment for our children and children of generations to come. No doubt others have written about the wonderful outdoor experiences that their children have benefitted from at camp. While these experiences may not seem like an investment in the future, they truly are. Many parents and educators worry that on a daily basis, children do not go outside and play as often as they should, and may be losing their appreciation of nature. Camp helps to assure that this appreciation is well –instilled in the future generation and that our children welcome opportunities to play and learn outside. Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See, is very special to many children, including my 12 year old daughter. For my daughter, Emily, it is not only because it is a beautiful and exciting place to be, but more importantly because it has been a place of healing and confidence building for her. Emily started attending Camp Shaw just before her 8th birthday. The year before her older sister had been diagnosed with cancer and we as a family had gone through a horrific year of surgeries and treatments. Emily, like many siblings of children with serious illnesses, was caring and supportive, putting her sister’s needs before her own, without asking for much. But as her sister got through treatment and started to learn about a camp program for young cancer survivors, the only thing Emily asked for was to have a camp to go to too. Emily’s school helped us find out about Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See, and Greg LaPlante, the camp director, was very kind in helping us navigate her application. In her first year, and the years that followed, she explored in Rock Creek and eventually “ziplined” over it, slept out under the stars on the camp- out nights, learned to take care of baby farm animals, which had a lasting impact on her dietary choices, and most of all, laughed and played without having to think about her sister’s challenges in the pediatric cancer world. For one week each year, Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See has her place, where she could just be Emily.. Throughout the year, she tells stories about Camp Shaw and when some of the other kids her age shy away from trying new things, Emily’s sense of adventure, inspired by Camp Shaw, comes through. Emily dreams of becoming a counselor for Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See and she will make a good one some day, assuming the camp can continue to function in such a clean and peaceful environment. She will perhaps help another child who is going through something traumatic (and far too many children do these days) to appreciate nature and to learn how how nature can help heal. We understand that the railroad transportation of materials is important, but we ask that you build it in a place that does not so negatively impact the environment around Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See and in turn diminish the quality of the camp. We ask that you deny the GLB proposal so that “Emily’s place” can be a part of childhood for many years to come.
Submitted by: Marcia Buell · Skokie, Illinois
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-24859
File docketyard.org/document/12998fb82d36daa871ccecf807e6054ef99546b8eb2720ae71e096e9f64ae2c0.bin · back to the docket sheet