The Editor,
Re. "Planned academy at Colony Farm advances" (www.tricitynews.com).
Coquitlam council recently received a presentation from Metro Vancouver staff regarding the establishment of a sustainability plan for Colony Farm Regional Park. This plan outlines options for some commercial activities, including farming, on the site. The plan has been developed by Metro Vancouver over the past two years but to date there has been no open public consultation.
Are public parks expected to be revenue sources? Since when?
Whatever happened to the idea that parks are places for re-creation? Places to decrease urban stresses, for children to run freely and for people of all ages to enjoy freedom from noise and traffic? Places to look at a natural world that is increasingly rare?
Colony Farm, on the border of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, is such a park. From the air, it is a tiny green patch surrounded on three sides by highways, dense housing and industrial estates. Our family are just some of the thousands of people who enjoy the park for its open spaces, great trails for walking or bicycling and its excellent bird watching at all times of year. We have introduced many groups of children and adults to the park, many of them from other, more densely crowded parts of the planet, and they have been awed at the wealth of nature so close to a large urban area.
It is doubtful that most of them would enjoy looking at commercial farming activities as much. There are numerous excellent tours of farms in the Fraser Valley for those who are interested in farm operations or who wish to pick their own fruit.
Colony Farm Regional Park also currently supports a large and popular community garden, lovingly cared for by local residents and community groups. There is a long waiting list for plots in which to grow vegetables and flowers. Expansion of the community gardens would seem a better fit if public parkland is to be used for food production.
How many people are aware that Colony Farm represents one of the last old field habitats, critical for many species of internationally protected species of songbirds, waterfowl and birds of prey? Recent bird banding projects have indicated that the park is of vital importance for many of these species, not only for nesting and rearing young but also for preparing for migrations that may take them as far as Central and South America. Birds require specific and varied habitats of good size, with a lack of disturbance, if they are to complete their life cycles. Migratory birds are decreasing in numbers world wide because of habitat loss.
It seems incredibly short-sighted to turn parks, which can be used by people and wildlife in perpetuity, into commercial farm operations. Colony Farm park is also far from other agricultural areas, farm supply sources and the possibility for sharing farming equipment.
We sincerely hope that people in the area will let Metro Vancouver know of their feelings; to date, there has been no public consultation about the parks-for-revenue plans.
Meanwhile, we shall continue to enjoy the delight of our grandchildren and others as they get a chance to experience the thrill of seeing great blue herons flying low overhead, beavers playing at dusk and hawks hunting over the fields.
Elizabeth Thunstrom, Doug Charles
