I am writing about the proposed and now approved development at Berkey’s Corner. My wife and I recently sent a letter to council in response to a request for public feedback to this development. In a nutshell, we stated that:
1. We need to protect green space within city limits for nature, from bugs to plants and beyond.
2. We need to slow down development, thereby ensuring that people have a place to rejuvenate in a natural setting without having to leave town.
3. We need to focus on supporting local, healthy businesses instead of promoting chain stores — we need education about what a healthy globally focused community business looks like, not more of the same.
4. We need to protect rare and endangered species and ecosystems. Not mentioned in the recent newspaper articles is the fact that the site at Berkey’s Corner contains the largest number of an endangered tree species within our region. The tree species is called Oregon Ash. Within B.C. its status is “critically imperilled”.
In other words it is on the decline and may disappear, or become extirpated.
There are many species within the Cowichan Valley that are now at risk of disappearing, some are already gone (many are found in the Garry oak ecosystems).
I ask council and citizens: is this a trajectory that we are happy with?
Please consider — it’s never too late.
Irvin J Banman
Dorothea Banman
Duncan