Many years ago I visited Ocracoke island in the Outer Banks, longing to see the famed “ wild horses “ it was known for. I imagined walking right up to one of them and if possible, making contact. I soon learned that the horses in fact have protections with penned in areas that keep the overzealous at bay.

While it put a twist in my expectation, I gave it some thought and realized that there are some things in nature that need protection from the masses.

The legacy that Josephine Del Deo worked so hard for with the national seashore did not include monetizing the dune shacks of Provincetown to the highest bidder. Had it been so, she would have rented hers out for the fifty-odd summers and made a handsome profit.

And now, after her passing, we have a government that does not represent the longtime guardians of these shacks, making a power move to oust Josephine’s husband Sal, along with the rest of his family. All in the interest of skimming more money from them.

When I learned that in fact property taxes were paid on the dune shacks, I was very surprised. If anyone is hardy enough to withstand the winds of the dunes to maintain one of the shacks, which have no running water or septic systems, as far as I am concerned, they have earned the right to live there, gratis.

How greedy is our government that it would seek to vacate a 94-year-old historical resident of his dune shack, in order that a bidder with deep pockets can further line its already deep pockets. This is not right. Leave Frenchie’s shack to it’s rightful owner, Sal Del Deo and his family.

Noelle Rilleau

Lakeville