Felling A Forest
Isn't it interesting how with all the good intentions in the world, owners of properties permitting others the wholesale use of those properties for however finite a period of time, run the risk of having those privileged users begin to consider that private property theirs by conquest of usage. Something like that old adage of "use it or lose it" turned on its head. Or "possession is nine-tenths of the law". Even, to coin a new phrase, "arrogance of entitlement trumps possession".
To bolster their case, people who have bonded over an issue that they feel has meaning to them, lose no time in inventing all manner of reasons why their will be done and that of the other, by comparison to their righteous indignation, has no reason. The passion of their argument, in fact, overrules reason. It's not hard to understand why people feel so possessive of the natural world. It is immensely vital to our well-being.
But this is the instance of a business, a construction enterprise which had ownership for 30 years of land which it intended at some future date to develop for housing in anticipation of population growth and city boundaries extending. In the interim, the property owners of the 40-hectare site in Kanata, gracefully permitted the residents of the area to enjoy free recreational use and enjoyment of the land.
"Over the years, the public has built trails. Had we not done that, nobody would have said a word (which is to say, had they built a tall fence around the property and denied people use of the land during that 30-year hiatus). We assumed we were doing something good for the public. Now we're finding that maybe we didn't do something so good, because people have a certain affection for this land." So said Lyon Sachs, president of Urbandale Construction.
And how perfectly correct that analysis is. People become attached to their proximity to untouched land comprised of forests and trails, where they are able to amble along in all seasons, with their children, their dogs, enjoying the pleasures that nature brings to people. When that privileged space is suddenly yanked out of their orbit of 'co-ownership' by default, the defensive reaction sets in.
On the part of Urbandale and its partner Richcraft, having decided that now represented the optimum time to proceed with their plan to build 400 townhomes and single-family homes, the realization has struck, that they should have foreseen these difficulties in public relations, as nearby residents are protesting their plans. Perfectly legitimate plans since, after all, they are the legal owners of the land.
The residents have the support of local environmental groups and have also enlisted the support of aboriginal groups, all of whom claim that to proceed with plans to eliminate Kanata's Beaver Pond Forest would be an unspeakable assault against nature, against a primeval forest, against a mother lode of aboriginal artefacts buried throughout the site.
A legend has arisen of old-growth trees present on the acreage, even though foresters hired by the owners concluded the trees range between 50 and 70 years. "There's no old growth in there at all", the owner stated. And in fact, the area was all once farmland, now reclaimed by nature. As for the archaeological artifacts claimed to be on the site, a 2003 archaeological assessment discovered to the contrary there were none.
Those findings were accepted by the province's Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in 2004. It seems clear that passion has overwhelmed reason. The additional argument was made that animals would be displaced with the clear-cutting of the forest and the construction to follow, and that is undeniably regrettable. But the same holds true for any area of the city that has been cleared to make way for housing.
It's a sad story to be sure. Sad that people who value their natural surroundings must face the reality that theirs is not the final say in the matter. The lawful owners of the property who had permitted its use for recreational purposes for a generation of nearby residents have now taken full possession of what is theirs.
Sometimes progress has a heavy cost and that of itself is lamentable. Reflective of our human priorities. Where nature comes second-best.
To bolster their case, people who have bonded over an issue that they feel has meaning to them, lose no time in inventing all manner of reasons why their will be done and that of the other, by comparison to their righteous indignation, has no reason. The passion of their argument, in fact, overrules reason. It's not hard to understand why people feel so possessive of the natural world. It is immensely vital to our well-being.
But this is the instance of a business, a construction enterprise which had ownership for 30 years of land which it intended at some future date to develop for housing in anticipation of population growth and city boundaries extending. In the interim, the property owners of the 40-hectare site in Kanata, gracefully permitted the residents of the area to enjoy free recreational use and enjoyment of the land.
"Over the years, the public has built trails. Had we not done that, nobody would have said a word (which is to say, had they built a tall fence around the property and denied people use of the land during that 30-year hiatus). We assumed we were doing something good for the public. Now we're finding that maybe we didn't do something so good, because people have a certain affection for this land." So said Lyon Sachs, president of Urbandale Construction.
And how perfectly correct that analysis is. People become attached to their proximity to untouched land comprised of forests and trails, where they are able to amble along in all seasons, with their children, their dogs, enjoying the pleasures that nature brings to people. When that privileged space is suddenly yanked out of their orbit of 'co-ownership' by default, the defensive reaction sets in.
On the part of Urbandale and its partner Richcraft, having decided that now represented the optimum time to proceed with their plan to build 400 townhomes and single-family homes, the realization has struck, that they should have foreseen these difficulties in public relations, as nearby residents are protesting their plans. Perfectly legitimate plans since, after all, they are the legal owners of the land.
The residents have the support of local environmental groups and have also enlisted the support of aboriginal groups, all of whom claim that to proceed with plans to eliminate Kanata's Beaver Pond Forest would be an unspeakable assault against nature, against a primeval forest, against a mother lode of aboriginal artefacts buried throughout the site.
A legend has arisen of old-growth trees present on the acreage, even though foresters hired by the owners concluded the trees range between 50 and 70 years. "There's no old growth in there at all", the owner stated. And in fact, the area was all once farmland, now reclaimed by nature. As for the archaeological artifacts claimed to be on the site, a 2003 archaeological assessment discovered to the contrary there were none.
Those findings were accepted by the province's Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in 2004. It seems clear that passion has overwhelmed reason. The additional argument was made that animals would be displaced with the clear-cutting of the forest and the construction to follow, and that is undeniably regrettable. But the same holds true for any area of the city that has been cleared to make way for housing.
It's a sad story to be sure. Sad that people who value their natural surroundings must face the reality that theirs is not the final say in the matter. The lawful owners of the property who had permitted its use for recreational purposes for a generation of nearby residents have now taken full possession of what is theirs.
Sometimes progress has a heavy cost and that of itself is lamentable. Reflective of our human priorities. Where nature comes second-best.
Labels: Environment, Nature, Ottawa
posted by Pieface @ 6:07 PM
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