To the editor:

Friends of the Eagan Core Greenway has established the Eagan Core Greenway Fund.

Last fall's well-attended Greenway Music Festival saw the debut of the fund, under the oversight of Friends' fiscal agent, the Eagan Foundation.

The music festival was Friends' second high profile event in 2005, the first occurring last spring when the group participated in the inauguration of the Eagan Open Space Coalition, an umbrella organization made up of seven local open space preservation groups.

These two activities represented our heightened involvement in campaigns to strengthen our educational outreach and our support for the protection of Eagan's increasingly precious green space.

In the last three years, Friends has established a successful track record in playing a significant role in the preservation of the Anderson parcel, Caponi Art Park, and a portion the McCarthy Farm under conservation easement. This largely fulfills our three-year plan.

Looking to the future, Friends established the Eagan Core Greenway Fund in order to responsibly protect the proceeds from the Greenway Music Festival, yet it remains a resource that is available to all Friends of the Eagan Core Greenway -- and all friends of Eagan's Open Space -- as a means of supporting future Greenway projects. It enables additional community outreach and education regarding the importance of the Greenway, and it permits a direct financial investment in order to leverage outside funds for the preservation of other key Greenway parcels.

The Eagan Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, and in cooperation with Friends, is responsible for securing and reporting all proceeds from the music festival and all future contributions to the fund. For those who were unable to attend the Greenway Music Festival or for those who would now like to consider starting the year by making a tax-deductible donation to the fund, we invite you to become a part of the future success of these initiatives. You can do so by sending your check to the Eagan Core Greenway Fund to: The Eagan Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 211192, Attention: Eagan Core Greenway Fund, Eagan, MN 55121.

Thank you for your sustained support of Eagan's invaluable open space.

Jack Conrad
on behalf of the Friends of the Eagan Core Greenway board
Eagan

Thisweek Newspapers
12190 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN 55337
Telephone: 952-894-1111 Fax: 952-846-2010