Natural Beauty Parley Draws 250 Participants

More than 250 AnnArbor citizens met in a day-long conference yesterday at the North Campus Commons building to I discuss the opportunities for natural beauty in Ann Arbor. The conference, called by I Mayor Wendell E. Hulcher, focused attention on three major problem areas - the river valley, entrance corridors and rights-of-way, and parks and open spaces. After an opening statement by thre mayor, Dean Stephen Spurr of the University RackI ham School of Gradúate Studies was called upon for the keynote address. Spurr enumerated the numerous advantages of the city and the area, stating that it has an intelligent and reasonable citizenry with a high regard for intangible values. He called upon the conferees to make the cbanges necessary to keep Ann Arbor beautiful while it is still malleable - while its citizens still have time to control the development. "Ann Arbor is an ideal size," he stated, "big enough to have resources but only now becoming a true urban area." The conference then turned to three visual presentations on the major problem areas, and panelists showed the audience examples of good and bad in Ann Arbor and other areas, and isted ways of im pro ving and beautifying the city. Two roundtable discussions 'eatured the anemoon session, I in which citizens and 1 nity leaders brought forth 1 tion suggestions for the 1 mittee and the conferees. The summary and challenge I to the conference was given by II Roman Koenings, director of the I Lake Central División of thel Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. Koenings reiterated points that had been made throughout I the conference, stressiog thel need for both advance planning! and citizen action. "It is necessary that we know I where we are going," he said, "how long it will take us to get I there, and where does the basic I responsibility lie." "Ann Arbor is not a man-1 drawn line on a map based on legal description." he went on.l "lts influence and its 1 nity extends well beyond the of-l ficial boundary." "I sincerely hope that we will i avail ourselves of the opportunity to write across the facel of time in bold, clearly visible! letters that we have the intesti-1 nal. fortitude and the determi-1 nation to exercise our rights and 1 interest others in the right and I responsibility to créate the bestl possible environment of natural II Deauty for ourselves and thel future residents of this ■ nity," Koenings challenged thejl group. S The conference ended with theB announcement that all a c t i o n ■ jrograms suggested by the par-B icipants at the conference and B 'orwarded to the committee in U the next week would be re-B viewed and reported to the CityB Council within a short time.BJ and that the committee would ■ also stay in operation to keepH abreast of action taken on theB recommendations. I Cleanup Planned For River Area The first action recommendation by the Mayor's Conference on Opportunities for Natural Beauty in our Environment will be carried out this Sunday on W. Huron River Dr. The commiUee asked interested persons to participate in renovating a section of the river properties now used for recreation, and invited them to show up with "gunny sacks, gloves, and a willing spirit" to clean up the area between the river and the road. The City Parks Department will furnish a truck to piek up all trash collected from the area between the Main St. bridge at the start of W. Huron River Dr. and the water pumping station at the corner of Bird Rd. The project will start at 1 p.m.