Dear Mayor Moncrief,

The recent story in the Star-Telegram about proposed drilling for gas in Tandy Hills Natural Area and other east side parks has me worried. I live on View Street just across from Tandy Hills. I have been hiking and studying this incredible place since I was 17 years old. I find it an ideal place to go for sanctuary and solitude. My love and appreciation for this little patch of land was the sole reason my wife and I left Arlington Heights after 20 years to buy and remodel our home here, spending nearly $200,000. so far.

Dear Editor,

Back in 1999 the manager of Fort Worth Nature Center said of Tandy Hills Natural Area, "Tandy Hills is essentially a historical museum." A member of the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association remarked, "We have a living textbook on this hill." Biology professors from Texas Wesleyan University and Nolan High School bring their students to Tandy Hills to study one of the most biodiverse sites in the state. The Star-Telegram wrote this about the park in 1992, "Time has almost forgotten Tandy Hills." Unfortunately, in 2004 gas drilling companies have found it. This richly diverse and yet highly sensitive prairie preserve must now be protected from those looking to squeeze another dollar out of the Barnett Shale.