Preservationists Rally for Pierce Farmland

There was a whole lot of honking going on Sunday as more than three dozen demonstrators tried to rally support for the embattled Pierce College farm.

Waving signs that read, “Honk to Save Our Farm” and “Honk for Geese,” protesters at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and De Soto Avenue elicited an enthusiastic response from passing motorists. Some pulled over to sign a petition aimed at preserving the farmland in the face of plans that could convert it to commercial uses.

Several sections of the original property have already been sold to private developers. At issue now are three parcels on the remaining 240 acres, one of which is being considered for use as a golf driving range. The Pierce College Council, a group of students, faculty and other employees who advise President E. Bing Inocencio on educational and fiscal issues, voted in August to revive the driving-range plans and seek proposals from contractors.

Farm supporters also fear that with the college facing tough budget cuts, reductions could hit the agriculture department especially hard.

For their part, administrators have denied targeting the department or the farm. Nonetheless, farm supporters launched a campaign this fall to enlist community and political backing, raise money and have the area declared an agricultural preserve.

Marla Scripter, a student who helped organize the rally, said Sunday’s action was intended to demonstrate to college administrators how much the community supports the farm.

“This notion of parceling off public land for commercial use has got to be put to rest,” Scripter said. “What administrators should be focusing their attention on is learning to balance a budget, which is a long-standing problem on the part of the community college district.”

The rally attracted students, faculty and even concerned neighbors such as Winnetka resident Bob Rain, who said he wants the university to establish an endowment or seek corporate sponsors to protect the farm from future development threats.

“We worked so hard to obtain open land and open space and now they want to give away what we already have,” Rain said. “This is a valuable community resource.”

Pierce College was founded as an agricultural school in 1947 to train returning GIs for jobs in farming. More than 2,000 students were enrolled in the program in the mid-1970s, but the number has since dwindled to a few hundred each semester.

Scripter contends that most agricultural classes are over-enrolled and many have waiting lists. She said supporters will continue their fight to save the farmland.

“We intend to keep the pressure up,” she added.