INDIANAPOLIS -- The Department of Veterans Affairs conceded Friday it will keep all mature trees more than 40-inches in diameter on land it purchased at the Crown Hill Cemetery, a move that protesters say is a nice gesture, but not the answer they want to save the 14-acre forest on the proposed veterans burial site.
The VA has planned for some time to turn the land they bought into a cremated remains site for veterans.
Protestors led by the Indiana Forest Alliance have been vocal in their opposition for the plan, noting that some of the more than 40 species of native trees in the area are well over 100 years old and have been untouched by man.
Protestors spent time Friday outside the office of Rep. Andre Carson's (D-IN), calling for him and other political leaders to get more involved in the fight to save the city's landmark.
The VA made the concessions on the project to try and please those in opposition of their plan. The group also said Friday they would keep a large percentage of mature trees just under the 40-inch size.
A federal judge denied a request earlier in January that would have stopped the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from building the site.
The IFA argued Veterans Affairs failed to look for alternatives, and didn’t give enough notice for a public hearing. The IFA said it does not want any trees torn down at Crown Hill.
"The bottom line though is that we're trying to save a pre-settlement forest and the leaves, the saplings, the downed logs, the logs leaning on other trees, the dead trees, the grape vines, the understory; they are as important as the big trees. They are a part of this forest, " said Jeff Stant with the IFA.
The IFA has expressed their staunch support of veterans, but they feel there are other sites like Crown Hill's that could be better used for the new burial site so as to not jeopardize the forest.
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