Noted conservationist memory should be honored
To the editor:
It’s with great sadness that Roger Clark has passed away rather prematurely. Roger was one of the great conservationists in Lee County. He was one of the primer architects of the 20/20 program. He organized the people to support the great program to buy environmentally sensitive lands in Lee County and get it passed. In honor of Roger Clark the people should resoundingly vote the hugely successful 20/20 program in the 2016 election back in if the commissioners chose to put it on the ballot. He worked tirelessly in Lee County government to preserve and protect Lee County 20/20 lands and all county lands.
Roger did many many other things for the environment. He served outstandingly as the Audubon President at the time of his death and worked hard for many productive years in Lee County government in all conservation efforts beside just county lands. He headed the Calusa Nature Center for some years raising it to great heights.
He led many bird walks for the local Audubon Club not only focusing on the birds but advocating to protect all the environments the birds live in He was currently employed with the Florida Fish and Game Department protecting the plovers and black skimmers on our beaches.
Roger fought without much success to reopen the Ruttenberg Park Conservation Building. I am proposing that the Lee County Commissioners reopen this fine building in honor of Roger Clark and call it the Roger Clark Memorial Conservation Building. As Roger often said this building needed to be heated and cooled even when not in use so there really was not any momentary value in closing it. It is centrally located and easy to get to. The Bass Road facility is so far out and hard to get to on dangerous roads. Revive the Mangrove Cafe at Ruttenberg. Now is the time to open this fine building that was dedicated to conservation and honor a great environmentalist, Roger Clark. Readers please support this by contacting the Commissioners in Roger’s name.
This is a monumental loss to Lee County conservationists. Come out and honor Roger Clark on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Calusa Nature Center’s Iona House at 1 p.m.
Carl Veaux
Cape Coral