To the editor,

President Glidden once again is failing to keep his promises to protect the Ridges, a state treasure of natural beauty in Athens with old forests, prairies and hilltops with grand vistas.

The OU Ecology Committee spent two years and dozens of meetings drafting land-use plants for the Ridges and found that the entire area should be protected from all types of development.

Since then, OU built a ropes course, in violation of this promise to protect. And now, far worse, OU wants to build an upper-income retirement facility on Dairy Lane. Dairly Lane cuts through the middle of the 700-acre Ridges, and is one of the few areas of open space left near Athens.

Already, 900 apartments are proposed on the private land abutting the Ridges -- Ralph Daines former forest and Native American burial mounds. The Ridges is the last large natural sanctuary in easy walk distance for students and residents in an over-developing city.

Residents and students need to rise up, as we did 10 years ago to stop this development and keep the Ridges natural. Only this time let's continue until we have a resolution by the OU Board of Trustees declaring the entire Ridges a nature preserve, for hiking only.

Please, come to an organizing meeting July 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the Athens Public Library to renew the Coalition to Save The Ridges.