Homeowner Fights Eviction From Nat'l Park (83 yr old widow)

[meganmonkey]

DENVER (AP) - At 83, Betty Dick faces eviction from her home of a quarter century by a landlord with a lot of clout: the Department of the Interior.


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Dick will have to find a new home unless Congress approves legislation specifically extending the agreement, allowing her to stay. The House Resources Committee has approved a bill by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., to do that. A similar bill by Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., is pending in the Senate.

The proposed legislation came about after community members wrote letters and e-mails urging government officials to allow Dick to stay put. Hers is the only known case of a homeowner being evicted from national parkland.



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In an out-of-court settlement, the Park Service acquired about two-thirds of the property. Betty Dick said her husband retained 23 acres and the cabin and paid the government $7,500. She said they were told they could stay there the rest of their lives, and then the land would go to the Park Service.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5071242,00.html