To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Johnathan Myers and I have been a resident of Menlo Park for the past 21 years. I have loved my city and found the
community, environment, and neighborhood exceptional.
I live very close to Sharon Park and spent a lot of my childhood at the park. Recently, I have noticed a pattern at Sharon Park.
Turtles are migratory animals- they seek dry land to mate, lay eggs, and rest before re-entering the water. Unfortunately, they
are not at the ocean with an unoccupied beach nearby. In the past few years, I have picked up dozens of turtles attempting to
cross Klamath Drive or Sharon Park Avenue, and returned them to the Sharon Park pond, ensuring their longevity for our community.
Today, I passed a turtle which had been run over by a careless vehicle. This upset me. Not all members of our community can afford
to stop and preserve the environment. Some people are careless and this is the nature of our humanity. I cannot blame people for
doing something misshapen- I have forgotten important things, not taken action when I was asked to, and failed when I was expected
to perform.
I write to you today to consider the environment surrounding the turtles and our best course of action to support these animals. I
understand that this request may seem small, insignificant, and unimportant on the grand scale. We have budgets to meet,
communities to develop, and rents and zoning permits to figure out. But I am a citizen of Menlo Park, and I believe in the power
of local government, and I am passionate about this issue.
I unfortunately believe that the most effective way to preserve both the safety of the turtles and the security of our drivers is
by removing the entire turtle population from Sharon Park. While this may have an impact on our younger members who would
appreciate to see this kind of wildlife, we simply cannot afford to run migratory animals adjacent to a hectic road.
I am aware of the pedantic and perhaps overblown resolution to this issue. However, my goal is to ensure that all members of this
community, human or not, are safe, happy, and in their proper environments.
I can be reached at this email address (JTMyers586@gmail.com [JTMyers586@gmail.com]), and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Johnathan Myers
