Regarding the proposed condo development at Cadboro Bay/Bowker, though many residents are disturbed by the inappropriateness of the proposed building, I would like to be heard regarding the destruction of the green oasis of Garry oak trees that surrounds this property.
Taking out the native trees will make the corner a wall of building only. Any remaining trees nearby will be damaged and lost too, not just the ones legally coming out. The sight line coming along Cadboro Bay, where the road turns and dips down to the corner, will be barren of the entire row of trees on the left hand side. The feel of the whole area will be completely changed.
When I took an architectural drawing course, the architect told the class the art of such things (submitting drawings of how the building will look) is to give an unreal perspective on how the building will actually look – to minimize the size of the building.
He said councils and the public never, in all his years of practice, questioned the accuracy of the drawings – they thought they were seeing a real picture. He showed how to use a photo of the area in question and slant it a number of different ways, depending on what effect you were trying to achieve.
Every time good tree cover comes down in our neighbourhood, our garden is used temporarily for displaced owls. Then they move on. Once habitat loss reaches a certain level, a large area loses its owls entirely. In Oak Bay we are driving the owls out. The loss of owls brings more rats and non-native squirrels, further destroying any natural ecosystem. This slow killing continues at all levels, on and on, until the remaining Garry oak tree population, no longer part of a viable system, can’t support itself.
The present trees on Cadboro Bay/Bowker and all life that they contain are what remains of a wild forest. They are an important part of a wildlife corridor. They are not just a precious resource of life in themselves, but also in relation to all the other wildlife for miles around them, as part of that wildlife corridor.
These are our trees. They belong to the people of Oak Bay. They are not just a nuisance to be removed. It is laughable to call such trees replaceable. Being ours, we the citizens have a responsibility to them as a living part of Oak Bay’s environment and of oak Bay’s future.
Terri Hunter, co-chair,
Oak Bay Green Committee
