Where have all the flowers gone?

Re: “Tie a yellow ribbon round the ol’ Playfair Park,” May 4. The Times Colonist (through a beautiful photo of restored Playfair Park), the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (which offered tours of endangered Garry oak meadows) and Fort Rod Hill with its Garry Oak Learning Meadow, are emphasizing the uniqueness of this rare ecosystem, of which less than five per cent remains. Yet the City of Langford continues to destroy these sensitive meadows and surrounding forest areas.

Most of the Provincial Capital Commission lands along the highway in Langford, disposed of by the B.C. Liberal government with no regard for conservation, have become devoid of trees, even after the Langford mayor was quoted as saying: “You can bet we will be protecting trees in the corridor along the road.”

It appears the last of the PCC lands plus some private lands between Langford Lake and the highway, with the most incredible stand of massive arbutus trees, forests of fir and dogwood, at least one designated Wildlife Tree and fields of flowers, are being levelled. This is a travesty to this endangered ecosystem, and all for what is always touted in this municipality — progress.

How is real progress for a diverse, healthy and sustainable community being made when this municipality has all but covered endangered ecosystems, forests, natural areas and farmland, except a few areas deemed “green space” (with some green space designation being artificial turf), with pavement and buildings? When will they ever learn? M.J. Goski Langford