Most candidates for the Eden Prairie City Council strongly support preservation of Birch Island Woods.

All ten candidates for the two openings on the Eden Prairie City Council were sent a questionnaire on issues relating to the Birch Island Woods in late September. See the complete survey results on our detail page.

Respondents Sherry Butcher, Rob Barrett, Randy Foote, Jan Mosman, John Murray, Fred Seymour, Jim Thomsen and Jeff Thompson agree that the County should convey the woods for no cost and that the City, if necessary, should partner with others to acquire and protect the woods. All of the respondents but Jeff Thompson, agree that the City should acquire and protect the Birch Island Woods and that the City's revised Comprehensive Guide Plan should continue to identify the woods as an area it intends to acquire and reflect the preservation preferences of area residents.

The respondents also differed on other questions. Candidates Foote, Mosman, Butcher, Murray, Jeff Thompson and Seymour would support considering the creation of a special conservancy district for the woods and the adjacent Picha farms, Edenwood Center and Birch Island Park. Candidate Barrett disagrees and Candidate Jim Thomsen wants to know more before considering this option.

Candidates Seymour, Mosman, Foote and Butcher would support a bonding referendum to acquire the woods if other options fail. Jim Thomsen wants to know more while Jeff Thompson, Barrett and Murray would oppose a bonding referendum.

If the City and the County cannot reach an agreement by December 31, 2000 (the current County deadline), Foote, Butcher, Mosman, Murray, Seymour, Jim Thomsen and Jeff Thompson would support requesting an extension. Barrett would not.

Although two candidates did not return the questionnaire, the Eden Prairie News has reported that Tony Sisinni feels that the costs for protecting the Birch Island Woods should be shouldered at a regional not a city level and that Kevin J. Ryan feels that private funds could be generated to purchase the woods.

Please review the survey question by question and read the comments of each respondent. Call them up and read the papers to determine for yourself who will go the distance with us.

We greatly appreciate John Murray's passion and populism and Rob Barrett's ear for complex situations, but of the respondents who feel most strongly about the Birch Island Woods, the most process and issue savvy candidates are Jan Mosman, Randy Foote, Fred Seymour and Sherry Butcher.

Call Steve Yazgur at 952/893-9393 for more information.