How To Live A Serendipitous Life

Paul Porter and Michael Hooper meet at Gage Park to examine tree loss.

By Michael Hooper

It is possible to live a life filled with charming encounters that come together like magic. 

The seekers of serendipity may experience a new insight, a new way of thinking, or develop an entirely new direction in life.

Serendipity is defined as the occurrence and development of events that are happy or beneficial. I believe serendipity happens more often to certain kinds of people who have an awareness and willingness to experience something new. People stuck in a rut are out of luck.

The serendipitous lifestyle is achievable if a person sets a goal upon meeting likes of a similar kind.

Two exploratory minds may expand their universe as they generate larger, more complex, detailed and even mystic dimensions of thought. This occurs more profoundly as the conversationalists enter deeper levels of understanding and trust. They carry conversations to new places and sometimes have a bender in their brain as a never-before-thought-of concept becomes clear. This mind-bender is actually kind of a scary place to go but has rewards.

Probably my most profound serendipity was a night when I was lost in Barcelona. I was looking for a Gaudi-designed park. I was wandering on a darkened hillside. A lady came up to me, she suddenly appeared. I looked to my right at her. Her head was covered. She asked me if I was lost. Yes I said. She said Gaudi Park is closed but there's a small park up there. She showed me the way and disappeared. 

I went to the park and met some young men from the Czech Republic, they were art students who had just spent their days in museums like The Prado. We shared our images and postcards of all these famous works of art on whiteboard held up in the night sky.

We drew pictures in each other's Diaries. I still have a picture by Pavel Noga. There are cats roaming around and people eating pizza, in this little plaza, where we seem to enjoy the ambiance of art and the night together in Barcelona. Our conversations were so intense. We seemed to float into the Stars, excited by the expanding possibilities of art in our lives, as if contemplating Goya and Picasso and Rubens were going to change the way we think.

We found an abandoned mattress in the trash. Pavel  and  I slept on it with our sleeping bags and woke up in the morning and ate breakfast together and shared hot tea. The moment was so magical we knew we would cherish it forever. We bid each other farewell. 

Serendipity is being open to the idea of connecting with other people. These people could be family, friends, strangers, even people who may appear as angels like the woman who guided me in the dark of the night through Barcelona. 

Serendipity is when you are thinking of someone and they are also thinking of you at the same time. You might actually contact each other at exactly the same time, either by phone or text or something. And you may suggest doing something together that you both were thinking about doing. Let's go out for coffee. Or let's climb Electric Peak at Yellowstone National Park. Or let's look at the trees that were cut down at Gage Park as Paul Porter and I spontaneously agreed to do recently.

Serendipity is when your soul connects with another soul. 

A soulful connection takes vulnerability, trust and generosity.

Trust is hard to come by in a world of violence and abuse. Trust until given a reason not to. Pay attention to red flags. Maybe hitchhiking is not a good idea at this time. Better call an Uber.

Serendipity is the opportunity to learn something new, with someone you admire. To do something unique, inspiring and meaningful.

Serendipity is an inner phenomena that works in the mind and soul of humankind. Out of this, we may see huge numbers of paintings, books, the start-up of businesses, the investment in real estate, art studios, music, enterprise. When two like-minded souls get together they can do phenomenal things, and alter the direction of their lives.

Attributes of a Hyper-Conscious Mind & Enlightened Soul

Iliff Commons by Michael Hooper

When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that going for me.” -Bill Murray quoting the Dalai Lama in Caddyshack.

By Michael Hooper

I have been striving for hyper-consciousness for years. I was most awakened by reading “The Philosopher’s Stone” by Colin Wilson when I was 18 years old. I was in awe of the breadth of knowledge known by the author and the great philosophers in history.

My personal quest in achieving hyper-consciousness has involved participation in multiple religions and philosophies, solitude, reading, travel, careers, marriage and raising children. This article discusses my spiritual awakening and evolution. I list 20 attributes of the hyper-conscious mind and enlightened soul.

In the early 1980s, I was fresh out of high school and living in a small town in Nebraska attending a junior college. I was involved in the Way International and later an assembly group led George Gyftakis of Fullerton, Calif., fundamental Christians. This led me to study scriptures intently. I did some evangelism in a park but I never did that again. I felt that I was too intrusive trying to force my religion on to somebody else.

The assembly group wanted me to stay in Hastings, Neb., and live there and work there and build up their church. They didn’t want me going to Yellowstone National Park (which I did), they didn’t want me going to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (which I did). I felt tremendous pressure to join their group and stay with them but my dreams were much larger.

I wanted to see the world. I didn’t want to stay at the elementary principles of being born again, confined to the study and worship of Jesus Christ, while neglecting all the other poets, philosophers and prophets in history. I wanted to study deeper levels of behaviors and humanity. The notion that I’m a terrible sinner in need of redemption over and over again became tiring and guilt-ridden.

I was looking for freedom. I started reading books like “I’m Ok, You’re Ok” By Thomas Anthony Harris. I studied Sigmund Freud, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ursula K. Le Guin. At age 19, I read “The Left Hand of Darkness” about an ambisexual society where people were equal, more or less, at least on the basis of sex. Here I was reading books by Le Guin while living in this small town community college dorm with a bunch of hicks and rednecks and fundamentalist Christians all around me. Sometimes, all alone, I would get on my bicycle and ride 25 miles.

Yet early on I was fortunate to meet two very beautiful and intelligent and very different men who became lifelong friends. One was a high school dropout, who just earned a GED and said he was planning on becoming a doctor. I believed him, I could tell he was a genius. He became a PhD scientist who discovered a gene that causes deafness and blindness. The other man was a highly intelligent, creative and sensitive friend who became best man in my wedding. Both men are spiritual in their own way but are definitely not evangelical.

I think being a person of zeal and enthusiasm, I had to learn to restrain myself, humble myself, and spend a lot of my career asking questions and interviewing people and pouring my energies into the typewriter. I have to acknowledge that I don’t know everything and I’m here to learn.

What makes a hyper-conscious person?

Somebody who is sensitive, empathetic, able to gauge what people actually need.

The hyper-conscious man may be able to intellectually solve a problem but recognizes that, sometimes, the person with the problem really just needs a hug. He comforts, listens and offers emotional support.

The hyper-conscious man knows when to be a cheerleader, knows when to be silent and knows when to speak out.

He knows when to say, “I’m sorry” and really mean it. He will commit to never make that mistake again.

The hyper-conscious man recognizes the tremendous gift of woman. In a relationship he cherishes the pursuit of shared goals with his partner.

Partners who work together can achieve tremendous goals. I feel fortunate that my wife and I have shared common goals in our 31 years of marriage. I perhaps most cherish that she’s a book reader with an enlightened hyper-conscious personality.

Hyperconsciousness combats ignorance.

Hyperconsciousness is the ability to be aware of multiple things at once, with the wisdom to know which things are important.

Hyperconsciousness is the ability to use your mind to solve problems, to heal the body, to heal a friend, to bring peace, to uplift, to inspire.

Hyperconciousness is the ability, to reach into the divine, into the mystic. Leaving behind Good karma will benefit the world.

The hyper-conscious man is comfortable in his own skin. He accepts his feminine side and his masculine side. Rather than suppress either side of his life, he embraces his feminine and masculine. I always considered myself around 20% feminine and 80% masculine. I tend to talk with my hands and have a deep appreciation for literature, music and the arts. I enjoy some sports but I abhor violence, I’m not the back-slapping foul mouthed beer guzzling redneck type.

The hyper-conscious man does not concern himself with feeding his ego. He is self actualized, no longer guilt-ridden, using his creativity in new ways, able to stand firm in his conviction.

The hyper-conscious man is a visionary. He is able to research thousands of data bases, yet has the analytical power to gather the right information to assess the current situation and see into the future.

The hyper-conscious man uses science to know nature in a deeper way. He appreciates botany and plant life and animal life. He sees the damaged yet living tree as a metaphor of his own life. The tree has been hit by lightning but it still wants to survive, even with less bark on its trunk. Yet the tree grows another branch toward the southern sun.

My body is damaged but I carry on anyway. Like the tree I want to survive too. Like the tree, the deeper my roots are, the broader my span.

The hyper-conscious man is keenly aware of the magnitude of human life. He supports children and seeks to lift them up and to explore their talents rather than run his mouth in preachy sermons.

The hyper-conscious man prays without ceasing. He sees so much need in the world, there is so much pain, loneliness and despair. The hyper-conscious man prays in silence, alone in his sacred place.

The hyper-conscious man is a volunteer. He gives of this time to causes greater than himself. I have volunteered for 20 years for a nonprofit organization, The Villages in Kansas, which benefits abandoned and neglected children. I have received no financial reward for my efforts but rest in the knowledge that children are being offered a better life.

The hyper-conscious man is not a narcissist. He is not self-absorbed. He has found the light within himself and he is comfortable with that. He sees his life and talents as valuable resources for the benefit of the world, not just for his own pocketbook or for his own family.

The hyper-conscious person is able to say no with grace. Anything that may get in the way of his goal he avoids. Using a hyper focused work style, his production increases, he is able to accomplish more in four hours than some people in eight hours.

The hyper-conscious man is a man of his word. His integrity and credibility are of paramount importance in his own life. He lives with no lies. What you see is what you get.

The hyper-conscious man is a slave to no one. He spends less than he earns, he chases no thrill to financial ruin. The hyper-conscious man lives frugally, pays off his debts and lives free. With less financial obligations, he is able to spend more time on what really matters — family, friends, home, job, world, his passion.

The hyper-conscious man realizes that he must love himself first, he must take the time to rest and fill up his emotional bank account, so that he may offer loving emotion to others. By freeing himself from distractions, he is able to focus on the eyes of the hurting soul.

The hyper conscious mind and the enlightened soul work together. The enlightened soul wants to leave behind Karma of the Divine, The Good, The Mystic. The hyper-conscious mind looks for ways to deploy virtue with sincerity and precision.

Sometimes having gone through a difficult challenge, with extreme mental anguish and agonizing physical pain, the hyper-conscious person learns to change, adapt and evolve. Discovering new dimensions of thought and vocation during a trial, a person may come out stronger, more productive, with new powers of consciousness, sensitivity and thought.

The hyper-conscious mind begins to ask questions like, how can I improve myself, my home, my neighborhood? How can I help this person? Or how can I help suffering peoples?  How can I save these trees? How can I stop violence? How can I inspire and uplift? How can we save the oceans from pollution?

The man with the enlightened soul and the hyper-conscious mind is rare, indeed, but there are men who are devoted to this and believe that it is possible to change and evolve into this kind of person.

Updated Jan. 1, 2025

Flight To The Stars

A friend of mine is calling

Sometimes he is haunted

by toxic fears and sorrows

He visits the graveyard of regret
I should have done this

I should have done that

He digs up bones 
and old photographs
the fragments of a lost life
He finds no peace

I say don't go there

I'm all about creating for today

Not the graveyard of regret 

Let the dead bury the dead

The anxiety of

change

paralyzes you 

And decimates your will

If you want freedom,

Free your mind

focus on the living

the hyper truth 

the magnificence of this moment

Tired and in pain

the hiker still climbs higher

To achieve a greater view

Top of the mountain

The valley below

I would rather be

Hunting and gathering

For music that moves me

Poetry that lifts me

Art that inspires me

I'm about the Awakening

the rapture, 

the ecstasy 

the flight to the Stars

There is no limit

to our height

and depth

because I know we are

part of infinity

I am the transcendentalist

the idealist, the mystic

manner of delight

My spaceship is gathering speed

I'm going to a planet 11 million

light years away. 

In my mind,

the travel is but an instant

Transportation is transcendence

I'm the transcendentalist

My flight is to the stars.

Won't you come with me dear friend

There is no one living in the 
graveyard of regret.

-Michael Hooper
Dec. 8, 2018

Loss of Trees Reduces Shade at Gage Park

By Michael Hooper

Perhaps the saddest fact that I heard yesterday at a public meeting was Gage Park recently lost 30 trees in the widening of 6th Street and 10th Street.

Now the Topeka Zoo is planning to cut another 30 trees as part of a stormwater drainage system through Gage Park and the Topeka Zoo. The loss of a total of 60 trees will remove 50 acres of cooling shade from the park. The reduction in shade will make the park hotter, especially in the summer months, resulting in our own microcosm of global warming.

I know new trees have been planted and I'm grateful to see those planted. But old growth trees are precious. They have a "cooling effect" to the park, offering zones where there is plenty of shade, making it sometimes 5 to 10 degrees cooler.

The zoo director says this is a water quality issue to have storm water drain through bio-filters and a retention pond, but there's no test of existing stormwater whether it's polluted before going into the Kansas River.

The City of Lawrence has complained loudly about Topeka sewage being dumped in the Kansas River over the years. But I've never heard any complaints about pollution coming from Gage Park. And the park has been around since 1899. Wiley said the park has never had a storm drainage plan. Why is one needed now?

Yesterday at the public meeting at the zoo I appreciated hearing from the people involved in the project. I'm grateful to zoo director Brendan Wiley for holding the project meeting in the public space. 

A proposed retention cell is going to replace a grouping of old growth trees, where visitors like to park their cars during hot days. That location is directly west and south of Helen Hocker Theatre. The contractors for the project recently marked the entire location for the retention pond. The trees near the proposed pond are marked for death.

Wiley told me last week that the natural location for a retention cell is where the Helen Hocker Theatre is located. On Monday, Wiley said moving the Helen Hocker Theatre was not really an option they want to consider. Walking around the theatre, I can tell it is the low point of the area, and can understand why it floods during a rainstorm. The natural hydrology of the park suggests that the location for the pond should be where the theater is located or where the zoo's parking lot is located. So in essence, the zoo is putting a retention pond where it doesn't belong. This makes me think the entire project is flawed. I think a better location for a retention pond is the zoo parking lot. The zoo parking lot used to be the location of the swimming pool, so it's a natural place for a retention pond. Then they wouldn't have to cut down so many trees.

I don't want to see any change to the Helen Hocker Theatre or the trees. Build your Kay's Garden but don't take away our trees for an unnecessary trench and retention pond that will generate mosquitoes and reduce shade in the park.

I favor a public review of all of the options before any tree is cut down. I would like to see this go through the city council.

I think the stormwater drainage system is a waste of $1.5 million taxpayer dollars. When I look at the pros and cons of this, I just don't see that a dugout trench is going to be more valuable than 30 trees. Many of these trees have 20, 30, 40 years left in them, some of them are at the end of their life cycle and I understand that, but I still believe all these trees have provided so much life every single day of their lives. They're making a contribution to our world every day. The trees are striving to live. They have a survival instinct just like we do.

A couple of the marked trees have suffered from lightning strikes, where bark has been burned through the tree but somehow these trees are still alive. Among the trees scheduled to die is an evergreen tree of sorts that has taken many hits over the years but still somehow survives. This tree is a metaphor for the human body and life in general. We each have taken hits but somehow we continue to press on.

If it is true we lost already 30 trees to roadways and we are going to lose another 30 trees, that is 60 trees gone. The environmental impact of this is an increase in global warming right here, locally. I predict that the park will be hotter. When you remove 60 trees, the temperature goes up on hot days, you remove the cooling effect of the trees' shade. Literally 20 or 30 acres of land is now un-shaded.

When you go through the park on a hot summer day you want to park by a tree. The shade provides a cooling effect for your car.  This helps you tolerate the heat. A vital tree-lined parking area near an old red oak is being removed by this project.

There will be less habitat for birds, squirrels and bats and owls and Sparrow Hawks. I know there will be new tree plantings, but I think we should preserve what we have. Trees that are 80 years old are rare. I can hear the owls at night. As I live near Gage Park I can hear the Lion's roar from the zoo. The owls are the guardian of the night and the hawk is the guardian of the day. And they live in the trees at Gage Park.

A sparrow hawk that lives in the park visits my yard and eats the rabbits and mice. All of these animals and trees are very much a part of the ecosystem around here.

I see the old red oak scheduled for cutting. I've walked by this tree a hundred times at least. She is lovely in the fall with her red splendor. I once met a man from California sitting under this tree. He told me about a journey riding his bicycle up and down Highway 1 and how hilly it was. We rode for a while and shared a good time. The shade under the tree made it a spectacularly special and intimate setting for this encounter.

There are people who want this stormwater project and most of them work for the zoo and engineering firms and contractors who are getting paid to do this. Your blood is on this. You and the City -- and this includes the city council -- are responsible for the deaths of these trees. Don't blame anybody but yourselves for the demise of these trees. You can't blame the EPA.

Today Paul Porter and I walked and talked among the trees. I hugged the old red oak and we said prayers for the trees.

Save the trees, save the trees, save the trees.

If we can't save our trees and our wildlife what are we?

Mystic Realities, Achievable Dreams

By Michael Hooper

Mystics and scientists wrestle with life in different ways.

The scientist relies on evidence to support a theory or hypothesis.

A mystic is a person who is devoted to connecting with a deity. A self surrender of ego, an acknowledgement of a higher power, and a willingness to be loved by that higher power all play into the mystic's connection with God.

Scientists have discovered laws of the universe, from the structure of an atom, to the elements of things, to the complexity of chromosomes, genes, and human life.

A Chinese scientist recently said he edited the genes of twins. The scientist said he did the manipulation of the genes in order to prevent the children from getting the AIDS virus.

That is a laudable goal, to save a child from AIDS, but how far do we let gene editing dictate outcomes at birth?

Manipulation of the human body from conception forward is going on at all times, depending on how the mother is living and a host of environmental and nutritional and lifestyle factors. So then the question is if you could prevent a disease from happening would you do it? I probably would. We use vaccines all the time to stop the spread of disease.

The question is how valuable is human life and what can we do to improve it. I would say cut down on spending on weapons of mass destruction and spend more money on health care, let's find a way to beat the opioid crisis, our obesity epidemic, and gun violence. A leading cause of bankruptcy in America is medical debt. It seems to me we have the science and the technology and the know-how to beat these problems, but can we do it?

Collectively the human network can move mountains, we built the infrastructure of America from New York to San Francisco over the past 400 years.

These big problems like health care and gun violence need assistance from the government in order to make change.

But as my friend Chris Wright says, "the first person that needs to change is myself." I improve myself, I improve the world. If everyone said this and believed this we would change a lot of people and we would improve a lot of the world. 

Change is hard. People with habits of corrupting nature often feel powerless over their addictions. Whatever hurts them they keep doing it even though it causes pain, pain for themselves and pain for those around them. This is when the mystic inside that person might benefit from a connection to God. The divine in you wants to connect with the divine nature of God. A higher power. By surrendering our stubbornness and acknowledging our powerlessness over our addictions, it is possible for the human spirit to transcend suffering and connect to higher levels of living, above the violence and corruption, to something pure, creative and engaging with others, for the benefit of humankind and the world.

A mystic is sober, thoughtful, and alert. I met a Buddhist monk who said he remained sober, so he would be prepared for whatever trials and tribulations come his way. By being alert and strong he was able to handle the difficulties while still pursuing his mission.

I think Americans are lazy, spoiled and undisciplined, they are loud and obnoxious and greedy. It seems somebody is always grabbing something that doesn't belong to him or her -- money, sex, drugs. It's kind of like America has all these pirates and con men who do whatever they can to grab as much as they want. Many people are consumed with jealousy and envy of those who have more. This feeds into their desire for instant satisfaction, greed and entitlement. They think they deserve to become rich for doing nothing. They play the lottery. They believe they're going to win $500 million. For $2 they play the fantasy and dream about how they're going to win the prize, and how they will spend it on their friends and family. Yippee I'm rich.

That is just a fantasy. The cruel side of this gambling addiction is the loss of money, the loss of time, the loss of opportunity. I know someone who put $100,000 into lottery tickets over a 10-year period and had nothing to show for. The odds of winning the lottery never got any better with each game. The odds were always the same: Miserable. hopeless, broke.

This is where the scientist is needed to explain the mathematics of odds. If your odds are 1 in 10 million, get out. No chance of winning. At the roulette table, a decision for either black or red is a 50% odds. Still not very good odds.

If you were to take the same money that you put into lottery tickets and gambling devices and put the money into the S&P 500 you might be amazed at how much money you would have in a few years. The return of the S&P 500 historically is 10% annual return. That means your investment doubles every 7.2 years. The Rule of 72 is 72 divided by the interest rate equals the number of years to double your money. Play games where the odds are in your favor. 

Be a bad-ass. Take charge of every second of your life, be ruthless against anyone or anything trying to stop you from achieving your goal. Laser like Focus finds Fame and Fortune.

Science may save me from my failings, sometimes there is a pill for my pain, but most of the time the only person who can save me is myself. Me. 

All it takes is one good decision. A good decision will lead to another good decision. Good begets good. Love begets love. Prosperity in health, life and love is possible. We have to be willing to accept these possibilities and embrace the behaviors that lead to fulfillment of our dreams. The mystic in us will help us get there.

Topeka Zoo Cuts Trees For Kay's Garden

A century old Japanese Pagoda tree was cut down by the Topeka Zoo as part of an expansion project.

City of Topeka employees cut down a hackberry tree at Topeka Zoo.

Rick Knight, horticulturalist at the Topeka Zoo, talks about trees being cut down at Gage Park.


By Michael Hooper

The Topeka Zoo is cutting down 43 trees at Gage Park as part of an expansion project. Some of the trees are over 75 years old.
Brendan Wiley, director of the Topeka Zoo, says the zoo must build a "29-foot wide storm water conveyance channel 4 feet deep," or the zoo cannot move forward with Kay's Garden.
On Monday a City of Topeka truck was being used to cut down a hackberry tree that is over 50 years old.
Zoo officials cut down a Japanese Pagoda that was close to 100 years old.
More than 30 trees along the proposed storm water channel have red markings for cutting. Several pin oaks that are about 75 years old are scheduled for demolition.

Trees along the green path in the proposed plan are being removed.

Wiley said the need for the storm water channel came about after an audit by the Environmental Protection Agency in fall 2017. He said that the EPA came into Topeka and conducted an audit of the construction of the Camp Cowabunga. He said the EPA reviewed the project and determined the park lacked a storm water drainage system. The storm water is presumably to be cleaned through "a biofilter system and retention pond."
When asked, Wiley could not produce any correspondence from the EPA addressing this issue, but instead referred to the engineer who has worked on the project, Bob Koopman of Professional Engineering Consultants of Topeka. A phone call to Koopman has not been returned.
Wiley said Kay's Garden has been set back a year due to the challenges associating with accommodating the drainage system.
He said the storm drain system will cost $1.5 million. A total of $2.1 million is being spent to do the storm draining system, new parking and group entry.
The zoo is spending another $6.4 million on the construction of Kay's Garden. About 62% of the funding for the 7,000 square foot garden is coming from Kay McFarland and the balance from private donations, "in theory we are hoping it will all come from private donations," Wiley said.
The contractors KBS Contractors and Professional Engineering Consultants of Topeka are handling the construction projects.
Wiley said water drains into the bear facility in the southeast corner of the zoo, but the water has not been a threat to the animals. During high periods of rain, he said, the bear holding area may get 2 inches of water in it.
Wiley insisted this is a water quality project. The dogs in the dog park leave poop behind, he said. Cars leave oil behind, he said. The bio-filtration system, with wet land, will clean the water, he said.
I believe Hill's Dog Park Patrons clean up after their dogs and put baggies of poop in the trash cans. Very little poop is left on the ground.
When asked if there was any study proving there is a water quality problem, Wiley said he was unaware of any water tests.
Calls to the EPA's Kansas City office have not been returned.
Wiley said Bob Koopman of PEC is the engineer involved in the design of the storm water drainage system. Wiley said Koopman is leaning on standards established by the Mid America Regional Council on Stormwater Best Management Practices.
Wiley said he held a public meeting about the zoo expansion at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at the zoo, but only media showed up, no one from the neighborhood was there. He said he would be willing to hold another meeting Monday, Dec. 3, at noon in the education room at the zoo.
Rick Knight, horticulturalist with the zoo, said the pin oak trees being cut down are near the end of their lives. He said pin oaks live to be about 75 years old. A lot of pin oaks were planted in the park during its early years.
Bill Riphahn, park planner with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation, said the issues affecting Gage Park are complicated.
"There's some big oak trees I hate to see go," Riphahn said. "Nothing makes a park better than big shade trees."
I agree. Shade trees make the hot summer temperatures more bearable, providing cover for both humans and wildlife. Try having a picnic on a hot day without shade.
Wiley said the old growth trees are not really original to the park. He said tall grass prairie was its original landscape. He said the new drainage system will be above ground, not below ground. To make it below ground would have cost too much money, he said.
Why can't the drainage system go in and around the trees? I didn't really get an answer for this question.
The drainage plan calls for a retention pond to be located just east of Reinisch Rose Garden. Several trees are marked for cutting in that area, some are old trees.
Knight said it is true "we are taking out some trees but those trees will be replaced with new trees. In 20 years, he said you will see new species of trees, maybe sooner than that."
He said he plans to recycle the wood from the downed trees.
He said the three Champion Trees in Gage Park are not affected by the project.
Those Champion Trees are a White Ash and a Rubber Tree in the zoo, and a Willow Oak and a Sugerberry near Reinisch Rose Garden.
Riphahn said the trees are likely to be cut down before April 1, which is the deadline by which trees must be cut down to protect long-eared bats that inhabit the trees.

He said the eastern half of Gage Park is owned by the city of Topeka by a very restrictive deed. 

Attempts to find out what is going on from the EPA have not been successful. A call to the Kansas City EPA office has not been returned.

In 1899 Guilford Gage donated to the city 80 acres on the eastern half of Gage Park. His heirs donated the other 80 acres for a total of 160 acres. 

When the City and County Parks and Recreation departments merged the city tried to give the Gage Park deeds to the county but was unsuccessful in moving the eastern half of the park to the county because of restrictions on the deed. So the city actually still owns the the eastern half of the park, Riphahn said.
I plan on attending a meeting at noon Monday, Dec. 3, at the zoo. I want to find out more about this plan. I believe these trees deserve our respect and honor as they have served this community for a long time. There is an abundance of wildlife in the Gage Park ecosystem, which includes the nearby cemetery, and surrounding neighborhoods, like McFarland Farm subdivision south of the park, which was virgin pasture and forest before Kay McFarland sold it in 1999. The new owners leveled the trees, reshaped the drainage system and sold lots for new homes. Some of the McFarland estate is being used for Kay's Garden.
I asked if there was an environmental impact study on this project, and the zoo director said no. I asked for an accounting of all the trees impacted by the project, their species, their age, health, etc., but there was no study.
Until we know all these answers, I think it is inappropriate to move forward with killing these trees.
Our world is polluted. The oxygen in the air is damaged by car pollution. One way to fight pollution is to plant more trees. We should be planting more trees, not cutting them down.