Dear editor:

A Labour Day walk revealed the destruction of the last of the natural trails in Niagara-on-the-Lake: Who is responsible for this atrocity on the Upper Canada Heritage Trail? Who authorized this event of last Friday, where mature healthy trees and natural healthy woodland busy were needlessly destroyed?

No one seems to be stepping up to say.   

A huge shock to the senses are the mature healthy trees cut off and laying on the ground. The natural healthy woodland bush and natural flora, cut off  at the ground line, laying in heaps here and there. The canopy destroyed. The natural environment replaced by what can only be described as a heartbreaking disruption of beauty.

Where once was an inviting walk with nature, now there is nothing to provide a canopy as a haven for the many species of birds, no rustling sounds of chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits, as you walk by.  

Since the result of these so-called improvements presents itself as more invasive to the natural environment than protective, one has to ponder why this push to remove what is good and replace it with a habitat not conducive for the thriving of flora and fauna.

While there may have been inspirational innocent intentions at the outset of this venture, there has been a neglect of research into the details of each section’s environment. Each of the sections has unique qualities and merits to be considered. One size does not fit all! One application is not suitable for every section.

There are many ways to enhance and protect the natural environment. Those who think they know, should keep their day job, and engage a horticultural group that has proven to be successful enhancing nature's beauty while protecting the natural environment. Isn’t that the goal? So, what is the ultimate goal and whom has this project been designed to benefit?

The bungling of this project thus far reminds me of a Joni Mitchell song. “They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum … Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. They paved paradise and they put up a parking lot.”

Anna O’Brien
NOTL