Goudie Creek Watershed in Jeopardy
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
The Goudie Creek watershed- a water source providing water to approximately 300 residents of Shirley is being threatened by a land sale. This stems from Western Forest Products, a Provincial land giveaway in 2007, and subsequent development plans. Not only the watershed, but over 132,000 hectares (that's over 326,000 acres and over half of Shirley's land mass) are now in jeopardy of becoming the ultimate in unplanned development and thoughtless urban sprawl.
This, the largest land use decision in the history of our area, is being made with virtually no involvement of the residents of the community. This decision will affect all aspects of life in Shirley: water and watersheds, septic systems, safety, traffic and roads and our quality of life. These changes are happening without so much as a phone call, letter, or any communication from WFP to the community.
Much of the forest land that was removed from the TFL land is in Shirley according to the Times Colonist, "The 132,000 hectares at issue -- part of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area - stretch from the Island's west coast to the Malahat and make up two-thirds of the Capital Regional District. Yet a draft bylaw governing the future development of the land was decided by a subcommittee of CRD directors, not the whole board."
And further, the Times Colonist reports, "For almost three years after, the Province allowed Western Forest Products to remove thousands of hectares of its private land from tree-farm licences in 2007, opening up the possibility of development.
What Can We Do?
Sign the petition, asking the Provincial Government to protect Goudie Creek and other watersheds in the Juan de Fuca.Go to the SEAS website: to www.seasbc.org and click on 'Take Action' to send a letter to Premier John Horgan.
