‘The secret is out'

Young writer warns of sprawl’s impact on Warwick Warwick - Elizabeth Stephan, who won the Warwick Conservancy’s townwide scholarship essay contest last month, writes with urgency about the pressures that uncontrolled development place on Warwick and elsewhere. Here are excepts from her award-winning work: • “If fall traffic is any indication, it is that Warwick is an incredible and beautiful place to visit and live. The scenery is postcard like, especially during peak season when the leaves are at their best. Breathtaking views are bolstered, if not completely dependent on, the large tracts of open space in our town - the cornfields, farmland, orchards, pumpkin patches and black dirt onion fields that compose the countryside.” • “But can anything gold stay? The secret is out, and the population growth rate is up. The 55 miles between our town and the bustling metropolis make Warwick incredibly vulnerable to the threatening juggernaut of urban sprawl, which has had no problem traversing the winding roads over two mountains to stake a claim in our valley. Growth is inevitable here and if not handled properly, potentially harmful.” • “Growth isn’t necessarily detrimental; it is the uncontrolled, ill-planned sprawling type of growth that is giving expansion an unfavorable reputation. Sprawl ... is a harsh reality that, if left unchecked, could transform our vibrant and diverse landscape into strip malls, traffic jams and cookie-cutter neighborhoods.” • “A strong offensive attack against sprawl will ultimately prove to be the best defense of our rural character. Sprawl consumes land, as well as the animal habitats, natural resources, and other environmental attributes that it contains. We have all witnessed first hand the conflict between development and the preservation of open space in Warwick, and now is the time to attempt to resolve it. In order to maintain our quality of life in Warwick, our community must be proactive and cooperative, and strive for balanced solutions that will guard our rural character while minimizing any detrimental costs. Educating people on the benefits of open space will win supporters, and by spreading awareness of the current situation and of the possibilities for reconciliation and improvement we can preserve the Warwick that we and the fall crowds love so much.”