Fighting the Bear

Between work, family and a never ending home project, last week was full. Yet, I still engaged something close to my heart. Bear Mountain owns a huge expanse of land in Langford. Virtually all of the land up thar yonder hill is filled with all things new and luxurious to the expense of flora and fauna. I had to see first hand and did some exploring a while back. Some of the pics in previous entries give an exceedingly small glimpse of land takeover at its finest. I was lucky, I guess. I heard that the security routinely patrols, on the make for folks like me. Had they seen me, I'm sure they would have wondered what I was doing as I hithered myself here and there with my camera. No, they would not have wondered. They would have just done their job.

That's Langford. They have zoned for the likes of BM. Fine. Yet, the Bear wants more.

Bear Mountain owns considerable acreage just over the border and into the Highlands. So far, they have been given approval for a wilderness golf course and a certain amount of housing. Not enough, apparently, because they have been pushing to change the urban containment boundary beyond Langford into the Highlands. This change will allow them greater opportunity to develop their land within the Highlands. More homes, less trees and all the problems that will create.

There was a public hearing last week offering folks the opportunity to speak their minds about the new expansion. I had the opportunity to voice my thoughts. (Actually, I voiced many thoughts since my speech included about 15 people's opinions.) All went well, I believe. At the regional level, it almost certainly will be defeated. Yet, BM will take this to the provincial level where they will have more sway. Their lawyers will kick in at this point and the province is more open to big business like BM. It's a wait and see at this point.

It's hard not to take their fundamentalist approach to development personally. It hurts. And a lot. It seems that there is so little that can be done. What is done, is usually reactionary. They do something over-the-top, and a group steps forward to stop it. Good, but how do you proactively stop a beast like the Bear and its advance? Even more, so much of it is driven by hunger for more money. How do you stop greed?

It's interesting to ponder. Is there a way to engage and stop a group like the Bear before it advances? Is it possible to change hearts?

I'm a Christian and not environmentalist. (That's my wife speaking, and I like it.) So, I'm compelled to be involved in this type of thing. I believe we are each called to rule this land. Rule is a neutral term and can be good, bad or neutral (meaning nothing is done). It's all what you do with it. How are we doing as earth-keepers? Tending this garden called earth means we each think about our impact and the promotion of care for all that God has made.

It also means stopping uncare, doesn't it? If we see an abuse to a human or a dog, we would act.

Is mass development an act of uncaring that we need to stop? Is it possible that land destruction today is a little like the many abuses to humanity that have occured over history? Looking back, over and over there have been harms done to people groups that were barely realized until well after the fact. There may have been a few key people who attempted change. Yet, by and large greater humanity slept until years or centuries later when people finally said, "Oh, how could that have happened?"

Trees aren't people, granted. Yet, for those of us with the title Christian, we believe that all things created are God's. We therefore can't sit.

I'm not sure if fighting BM is worth it or the thing to do. Certainly, earth-keeping goes well beyond this or any kind of fight. Yet, it's a piece. Somehow, we need to stand up to greed and destruction. Christians can't just leave it to people with the title environmentalist, and, as if was just a lengthy four-letter word, make fun of them.

What's done is done on Bear Mountain, Langford. Yet, the Highlands?

So, I will fight. I will do so since the Highlands is not just my home but was created by our greater region as a place to be kept green for all of Victoria.

The following is not my shot - I don't own a helicopter. This is an aerial of BM. Green space to the north is highlands and the proposed encroachment of urban zoning.

reflection

Remember when this had trees?

Bear Mountain. Actually, this is the Highlands. Yet, BM bought land in the Highlands and have begun work on another golf course. It is intended to be a wilderness golf course. I have been lost in the wilderness, but I don't think that is possible with this layout as it stands.

Not all development is bad. Yet, I am struck by the brazen style in which this has been done. Trees were levelled before they were even given approval. Why? The fines are less than the profit made in clearcutting.

This picture shows the beginning of the green space of Victoria. Victoria was originally designed to have a green belt, a space to contain growth and keep an element rural and wild. This open and cut-down space is the beginning snake into protected space.

What's a tree to do?

Bear (Bare) Mountain, Victoria