OH MY! a burr oak too! I must have missed that one when I walked the park. How sad. The city needs to write us and not ignore us.

Thank you for reporting this incident to the City of St. Charles. Our Parks Department has been notified about this request it has been scheduled to be reviewed. We appreciate your help in improving our City!

The area in question was originally identified and planted as a prairie-native flower area showing the diversity of native prairie plants. Adjacent to the prairie landscape was another area that was identified as a tree landscape. The idea was to be able to compare and contrast the two different ecosystems. Over time the prairie area was taken over by volunteer woody species that made it difficult to maintain the landscape as it was originally intended. In addition, the overgrowth caused a potential security issue for trail users by obstructing lines of site through the brush.

The plan is to remove the remaining trees from the identified prairie area and re-establish the landscape with new prairie grasses and flowers (as the original plan intended). Work will continue through the winter and spring as weather permits.

I have to say, as a daily walker in the park for years, what the vast majority of park users would rather have than a prairie is SHADE in the summer!

Since when are persimmon trees not a native plant? In fact, they are a great plant rarely seen unless you are out in the woods near Defiance. There is no good reason to cut it down. It was a lovely tree and it was destroyed without care or consideration to the way it enhanced the park setting or how it fed the animals after the first frost. This action makes me feel as though the person making the decisions regarding the park landscape is not qualified to do so.

Good Morning. I understand your frustration and have spoken with our Parks Director. She is aware of your concerns. For further communication please call City Hall at 636-949-3269. This is Mayor Faith's office and I have advised them of the situation. Thank you!