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Face it two of the local papers each clearly favour seperately one of two councillors. Alumi roots I guess! But it's way too obvious & transparent. However both the Friday Times' article and even the front page picture seemed to this Editor to at minimum make Councillor Bateman look silly to say the least. Hmm, not the right alumni maybe? And why on earth is he kissing the pavement?
P.S. Do you all miss my comments on local political idiots yet? Well I'm back, look for much more again, software problems all finally corrected and I'm taking my tech hat off and putting back on my politico critic's hat!
Perhaps Jordan is kissing the pavement because Rich (who got him elected) just walked by.
No way - its because Kurt just walked by!
Your both wrong, he simply fell off his tricycle.
He was trying to look cool & youthfull despite being 30+ !
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Cathleen,
I’d love to get a copy of the naturalist’s report. I am a regular visitor to the property and have a strong desire to see the property restored so that it serves as a positive ecological feature. In particular my interest would be addressing the distressing lack of ecological diversity in the vicinity of the local pond (you call it firehall pond). As I wrote when you first posted about this topic earlier in the year, in its current condition I feel that the pond serves as a net drain on the local amphibian population due to the lack of protective cover and inadequate foliage.
At the outset let me make it clear that I am not familiar with the Township’s full plan for the site and would be deeply distressed were the entire site to be turned simply into playing fields. It is clear from the local topography that this area was once a major source of runoff to Anderson Creek and by looking at the local drainage map it is equally clear that the reduced flows from the south may be one reason why Anderson goes from a class A red to a class A orange in this part of its run. If DFO could be brought on board it would be great to link the pond (assuming it is free of exotics) to Anderson Creek to provide added flows in dry times. If the pond could be deepened, more structure added and some soils returned (the addition of some limited sediments for aquatic plants and large natural bodies like root balls etc..) it would serve as an excellent source of increased aquatic habitat in the area.
I would note that from your posting you may have limited your area search unduly and there may be some issues with your assessment. Specifically, the full site is a lot larger than is implied in your posting (for those of you interested in a good aerial view of the property go check out the Township web site as their geosource map is very good). The site is also very confusing in that it doesn’t have the typical shape one associates with lots in Langley. If you look to the west of the school you will see an open area with vehicle/foot tracks running through it. That is the other half of the property. It has been sadly neglected as has much of the area closest to the fire hall. I have photos from a visit that show how poor the ground conditions are especially immediately north of the firehall itself. From my visits to the site I would suggest that there are only three near-native habitats on the property: 1) the small strip of trees directly south of the school 2) the small patch of trees on the western edge of the property off 200th Street; and 3) the little triangle in the extreme northeast of the property which abuts the Anderson Creek protected area. The rest is mostly open and unrestored. Much of the light green in the south and west of the photo is blackberry and broom mixed with a smattering of native species struggling to grow in the gravel.
One thing the Township photo makes clear is how important it is to identify the polygons used in the assessment. Part of the property has strong positive features while other parts are sadly neglected. As well, the strange shape of the property means that some of the most appealing habitat is not part of the property itself but might easily be confused as part of an assessment plot. Similarly if you are standing in the northeast corner of the site you are literally overlooking Anderson Creek, so it is not surprising that the sounds of frogs can be heard, except it is entirely possible that these calls are coming from the healthier habitat in the nearby properties (and Anderson Creek) and not from the property itself.
As I said I would love to get a copy of the assessment as this really is a place that deserves to be restored. As a pragmatist I will also state that in this day and age it is unlikely that the entire property can be saved, but any restoration plan has to take into account the incredible potential this area has.
Regards,
Blair
kingbs@shaw.ca
I'm guessing that the report is not available? It's a pity because it would have been nice to let experts without a vested interest in either side of the development have a view of the data.
Of interest, this weekend I was chatting with a friend who is familiar with the mosquito counts/speciation work being done in the Township for the West Nile program. He indicated that the "firehouse pond" is well-known in the mosquito control community as it is one of the biggest sources of mosquitoes in the community. It seems that all that stagnant water (no natural inflow/outflow) without predators makes absolutely perfect habitat for mosquito larvae.
Reader Blair King submitted 2 additional pictures of Firehall Lake area pictured under this posting;
http://www.kimrichter.com/Blog/2...-2007-
dump.html
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