The following editorial appeared in the January 8 edition of the Guelph Tribune:
The community park proposed for the former Eastview landfill site seems to be a wonderful project, one to rival other local parks in recreational opportunities. And if council says OK and funding can be found, part of the 200-acre site will end up drawing more than people – as a “pollinator park” offering a nurturing habitat for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths and other pollinators.
Coun. Vicki Beard has championed the creation of a pollinator park, and a new report indicates city staff have bought into the idea. Staff want council to authorize a more comprehensive report, with a cost estimate and funding opportunities for this unusual initiative.
Beard would like to see prime habitat for pollinators eventually end up being expanded in the Guelph area. She also sees the ambitious scale of the proposed pollinator park as an example that other communities could follow in protecting the often unappreciated creatures that are so vital for our crops and for other plants.
Most people have probably heard of problems encountered in North America recently with mysterious die-offs of bees. Most people have also probably noticed seeing fewer butterflies than they used to see. The new city hall report says North America has experienced a significant decline in pollinators. And it warns that without them, existing populations of plants would decline.
City council made a wise choice in 2002 to opt for a community park on the Eastview site, instead of using a lot of the space for a golf course. Now the vision of a community park is starting to approach reality, with staff proposing it be built in phases between 2009 and 2013.
The estimated price tag of more than $3.3 million to develop the community park doesn’t include the cost of designing and building a pollinator park, though. Help might end up being sought from corporate sponsorships and from fundraising by community groups, as well as federal funding in support of the North American pollinators protection campaign. There are many causes worthy of support, and this seems to be one of them.