Friends Of Bonita Lakes
Mission Statement: To preserve and protect Bonita Lakes and the surrounding watershed as a natural public green space to be used for low-impact recreational and environmental education activities that are compatible with maintaining the area’s scenic beauty and natural landscape as it currently exists.
We as concerned citizens and “Friends of Bonita Lakes” are writing to seek your support in our efforts to protect and preserve Meridian’s last public greenspace. It has often been called “Meridians Crown Jewel”, words that perfectly reflect the value we place on the beautiful 1700 acres of lakes and forested watershed that make up what has become a premier destination for adults and children to explore the great outdoors.
Though originally constructed to serve as a water supply for the city, Bonita Lakes (BL) now provides citizens and visitors alike opportunities for low-impact activities such as hiking, biking, horse-back riding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, picnicking, fitness training, and geocaching. Because it is home to over 100 different species of plants and numerous bird, mammal and aquatic species, it provides excellent opportunities for environmental observation and education, a growing focus of schools and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition, many local clubs and organizations use BL as a venue for competitive events and fund raising. The large number of visitors who are drawn to BL each year to participate in these activities contribute greatly to Meridians’ economic development.
Unfortunately, the qualities that attract so many people to BL today are the same qualities that draw the attention of private and government entities in pursuit of property for special projects such as ball fields, museums, and golf courses, to name a few. If all the projects that had been proposed over the last 20 years had come to fruition, two thirds of our shoreline would be a graded treeless landscape. Thankfully, through the work of a number of dedicated citizens (and a lot of luck) we have been able to head off most of these efforts. However, recent failures to protect BL from proposed development suggest there is a need for a more organized approach if we are to be effective in preserving this unique greenspace for future generations.
As reflected in our mission statement we feel that BL is valuable to the community as is, and any proposed activity that results in the grading or destruction of the natural landscape should be rejected. If you are interested in participating in this effort, want to be added as a concerned citizen, or just want more information please click on the contact us link.
Sincerely,
Friends of Bonita Lakes Steering Committee
Duffee Williams, Greg Swanson, Nell Covington, Nancy Donald, Doug Ishee,
Peg Wahrendorff, Suzie Poole, Tim Irvine, Gail Barton, Stephen Covington
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