Re:
Thank you to Rob O’Flanagan for writing in the Feb. 12 edition about the ongoing destruction of the natural habitats and ecosystems at the Hanlon Creek Business Park and the broken promises of our elected officials.
I have not been on the property since the No Trespassing signs appeared, but I have memories of the beauty of the land that I saw with the tours given by the occupiers — woodlands with hemlock and black cherry trees a metre in diameter towering over us.
On either side of a Hanlon Creek tributary I saw the stumps of more than 75 cedars, some close to 100 years old that had been providing shade for a tributary that is now enclosed in a pipe. How long will it remain a cold water stream and a habitat for trout?
This “natural place for business” is no longer natural. The 2,500 trees to be planted will never reach the majesty of those removed. Without the top soil and with all the disturbances of roads, these trees will be lucky to live 25 years.
I am saddened not only by the destruction of the land but also because the occupiers who showed us the beauty of the land and replanted some of the trees are still facing a lawsuit of millions of dollars for their non-violent protest.
The Hanlon Creek Business Park is also a financial drain on the city’s budget and one of the causes of our tax increase and our inability to pay for a new central library.
Cynthia Folzer
Guelph
I am studying this case, I am a landscape architect. I know what you lost…
I’ve some questions for you:
1.If the dead salamander was a unisexual instead of a hybrid, do you think the result will be different?
2. what do you think about the Endangered Species Act?