The problem, Steve, is that the conservationists are allowed to burn the vegetation off on some periodic schedule. This will bring the true ultimate demise of the stones and in a more rapid manner. It is true that most native stone monuments will degrade over time. However, properly cared for and maintained stones can be conserved and their "life" is greatly extended for it. The cause of both the native plant conservationists and the cemetery preservationists doe not need to clash in this manner. The cemeteries are stationary (for the most part), but the native plants projects can be relocated to other lands not currently in use for any other purpose. A cemetery is a place for the permanent deposit of the dead, a place of sacred repose. A cemetery is not a laboratory and they were never intended for such use. I refer you also to my response to Howell Curtis. Sue Silver California ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Frevert" <rfrevert@megsinet.net> To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 1:25 PM Subject: [INPCRP] Cemeteries and nature > I have no doubt that this will generate some angry replies, but I have to say that the vitriolic language I've seen regarding whether or not native ecosystems should be maintained in pioneer cemeteries seems to be getting out of hand. Presumably all subscribers to this list are interested in preserving cemeteries; this common cause should serve to unite us, not divide us along lines of pro- or anti-ecology, etc. I have ancestors and relatives buried all over Indiana from one end of the state to the other, in well-kept municipal cemeteries and in completely overgrown family burial grounds close to 200 years old. While I have a strong interest in the stones themselves, I cherish the information found there, and I hate to see how they have weathered over the years due to purely natural causes, it is more important to me that the cemeteries themselves remain intact. A cemetery is not a collection of gravestones; the markers are cultural artifacts, and nothing will prevent th! > eir eventual decay. A cemetery is a burial place for human remains. I absolutely abhor cemetery vandalism, willful or not, but I think the first focus should be on the graves themselves. Surely those of us who support conservation causes are as concerned about preservation as those of us whose interests lie in local history. And surely a cemetery located on land that is permanently protected for its natural resources is safer than one located in the path of rampant and ill-considered development. Native plants don't destroy cemeteries, people do- whether with bovines, baseball bats, or bulldozers. Could a relatively low temperature, fast moving controlled burn damage stones? Possibly. But I'd rather walk through a family plot devoid of stones and covered with wild flowers and grasses ("weeds" are non-native, introduced species that crowd out native plants) than one covered with sod, or blacktop, for that matter. > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE, send message consisting only of > "UNSUBSCRIBE" to INPCRP-L-REQUEST@rootsweb.com > or to INPCRP-D-REQUEST@rootsweb.com (for DIGEST version) > >