BCIT Evicts WIldlife

They are paving paradise.

It seems that everywhere you go they are tearing down blackberry bushes in order to pave back alleys, replacing grass with neat and orderly sidewalks, and removing whole forests to build suburban subdivisions. And here at BCIT they are paving the pathway that runs alongside Guichon Creek. The path will form part of the Burnaby trail system for cyclists and pedestrians. Perhaps more importantly they are dredging the creek itself which will destroy the bird habitat, and this has upset some of the BCIT community.

Guichon Creek is home to swallows, red winged black-birds, and ducks which nest and raise their young amongst the grasses and rushes in the pond. Although the pond is not a natural habitat, it has slowly been transformed into a wetland comparable to any other.

Garry McCracken, Manager, Facilities Development, argues that the “pond should be dredged regularly to ensure that debris does not dam the stream and cause flooding throughout the campus and contribute to significant environmental problems downstream.”

But Librarian Judy Moroso says that it is ironic that “we teach fish and wildlife conservation [at BCIT] and then propose destroying a natural wetland that exists right on our own campus.”

One wonders if dredging the Creek and destroying a natural habitat is the only solution or if it is simply the least expensive solution.Surely an Institute of Technology can find other ways “to ensure that debris does not dam the stream and cause flooding throughout the campus.”

Robert Roy, a concerned BCIT community member, feels that the dredging is an unnecessary step that could be solved if measures are taken to clean away the debris – the branches, leaves and garbage – further up the creek.

Roy also worries that dredging could release toxic sediment that would find its way to Burnaby Lake, a wetland with its own problems. “It seems contradictory that Burnaby is trying to upgrade Burnaby Lake while at the same time they are downgrading a stream that runs into it. I think they need to realize it’s all interconnected.”

And given the state of the environment in Canada, the fact that Environment Canada has been fully consulted is not particularly consoling. And speaking of consultation – why was it that the BCIT community (a contradiction in terms it seems) was not consulted in any substantive fashion? Once again, some faceless and unaccountable bureaucrat has decided that “this project will provide a comfortable and relaxing refuge for the human animal on campus.” Speak for yourself. What provided a relaxing refuge for many of us in this too often cold and sterile Institute of Technology was the baby ducklings and their families swimming in the Creek.

It is not good enough that BCIT will wait until “the birds currently nesting there are mature enough to survive away from the pond” before dredging. Where are they to go next year?

Perhaps the real problem is that too many of BCIT’s administration adhere to the Ronald Reagan school of environmentalism – “if you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.” We’ve all seen ducks, and hell, some of us have even eaten them.Or perhaps they are adherents to the Bill Vander Zalm school of technology – “let’s cut down the trees and create jobs.” Whatever the case, it seems apparent that in this particular instance they are not committed to the environment.

It is important that the BCIT Administration recognize the regressive nature of the Guichon Creek “upgrade” and stop the project immediately. Furthermore, it is important that they affirm that technology and the environment must work together if our planet is to survive.

The Link contacted Garry McCracken, Manager, Facilities Management, but he wanted nothing to do with our publication which he said had no credibility and suffered from “minor paranoia run amuck.”