Biodiversity, wetlands and a massacre…Help! (Lots of posts on Twitter so check our Fern Ridge Landscaping Facebook page as well) I live in a lovely area of Milton, Ontario. My favorite thing about my property was the intermittent creek (one which often dries up in the summer) which runs along the east side of my house. When I moved in, everyone mowed ‘their’ section of the creek. When I stopped mowing, everyone, one by one, stopped and it became a beautiful wildlife corridor with chimney crayfish, mink, coyote, rabbits and many species of birds and insects. It was a biodiversity dream. (You all know that it’s the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity, right?) It was home to red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows, merlin, red-tailed hawk, thrush, and so much more. Thanks to the constant complaining of one particular neighbour (as near as I can figure since Town staff never talked to me about the proposed ‘clean up’) and in spite of the fact that I wrote a lovely letter to our mayor praising the fact that the Town had been allowing this to naturalize, a crew was contracted to come and clear the ditch. Everything smaller than 3” in diameter, all shrubs and all the cat tails and perennials were cut to the ground, much of it being left sitting (so not much of a cleanup really if that was the goal). Most of the folk I’ve talked to in the neighbourhood, and everyone who visited, loved this natural area and is devastated by the cleanup. Next year, there will be no habitat for the blackbirds and song sparrows. Water will flow faster through the area leading to potential flooding downstream in Milton and Oakville. The water will not be cleaned by the plants so the runoff from roads, rooftops and parking lots will pollute fish habitats downstream and contribute to erosion of nearby 16 Mile Creek. All bad things. Our society, in general, is becoming more and more aware of biodiversity and runoff and steps are being taken (almost) everywhere to deal with these issues. Helping water to stay where it falls increases baseflow (the water that seeps through the soil to keep rivers flowing when it hasn’t rained for a while), recharges groundwater, cleans and cools runoff and creates habitat. The Town has replied to my tweeting about the issue saying “This area conveys flows during storms. Given recent flooding in Burlington, maintenance was required as preventative measure.” This solution is only going to make matters worse downstream. In a town where building has been allowed to progress at a breakneck speed, turning farmland into impermeable surfaces, I can’t possibly see how Milton considers our little ditch to be a potential part of the problem. It seems like more of an excuse to appease one complainer. No steps are taken locally to promote rain gardens or use LID (Low Impact Development). In fact, if I understand the by-law, rain gardens are prohibited in Milton. Basically, it’s no standing water allowed at any time, whereas rain gardens should infiltrate over 24 hours after a rainfall, and so are prohibited. We’ll be creating a petition for local residents and we’ll certainly not be giving up on this. Councillors have relinquished their responsibilities to Town Staff. Consultations are not done with local residents and modern ways of thinking and dealing with nature are ignored. ‘Forward Thinking’, or even current thinking, are not words which can be used to accurately describe this town. I’m an expert in native flora, LID, habitat creation and, of course, landscaping…and am a Master Gardener and Niagara Parks Graduate. We’ve been hired in Ottawa, Ajax, Mississauga and Oakville to consult, design and educate about these issues. Milton? Never. If I make the effort to sit down with a councillor, such as Colin Best, to discuss issues, nothing happens. The promise of Town staff reaching out to me never comes to fruition. Why bother?!? Because these issues matter, that’s why! Any help and spreading of the word would be great. Advice is welcome. Stay tuned! Thanks. Sean James NPD President of Fern Ridge Landscaping & Eco-consulting
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 17:39:53 +0000
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