Stokes Pit News Release and Petition to Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Good morning,
Attached please find a news release and a Petition that is being submitted today to the federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Also attached is a link to the Vancouver Sun story of May 20th regarding wildlife at Stokes Pit, which is referred to in the Petition.
Below is an email from an engineering staff member with the City of Surrey clearly indicating, contrary to statements made by the Mayor, that it was the City who retained trapper.
With respect to statements contained in the same email about wildfowl nesting precautions, FVCC campaigners watched nesting trees being felled in February of this year - smack in the middle of widlfowl migration.
Phone numbers for FVCC Stokes Pit Campaigners are on the bottom of our news release. Additional Phone Numbers that may assist you with your information gathering:
Dr Roy Strang (604) 535 - 9288
Rosemary Zelinka (former consultant, Surrey Environmental Advisory Committee) 604-536-1639
Joe Foy, Western Canada Wilderness Committee, 604-683-8220
Councillor Dianne Watts 604-591-4634
Councillor Bob Bose 604-591-4624
Gail Martin, Critter Care Wildlife Society 604-530-2064
Thank you -
Donna Passmore
Fraser Valley Conservation Coalition
-----Original Message-----
From: Wilson, Rob
Sent: May 20, 2005 11:39 AM
To: Watts, Dianne
Cc: Mital, Umendra; Baron, Carrie; Lalonde, Vincent; Ham, Paul
Subject: RE: Stokes Pit Beaver Issue
Councillor Watts;
The trapper used last Fall was hired by the City under the direction of Carrie Baron, Drainage & Environmental Manager. He is a Provincially licensed trapper, who follows the International trapping standards of approved humane traps - this does NOT include leg hold traps. In 2004, the Province changed the regulations with regards to beaver relocations and no longer allow persons to relocate beavers. If they live trap, they must euphemize immediately. 8 beaver were removed in November 2004.
Yes, there are approved fisheries and wildlife plans in place for the Campbell Heights development, & works are proceeding in conformance to these plans.
Fisheries: The City applied to the Province for a Water Act approval "Section 9". However, the Province determined that since the waterways are man made not historic, water act did not apply to the site drainage. The waterways do provide fisheries habitat, & as such the City has a 35(2) authorization from DFO for works in and about the watercourse regarding the lowering of the main channel along 194 Street and habitat creation for fisheries. The project began last year with most complexing and marshland planting occurring this year within the fisheries window - August 1 to Sept. 15 Sharp will also be doing habitat complexing in the area.
Wildlife: The wildlife study looked at corridors and critical habitat in the area - the 194 Street riparian zone will be a key corridor linking Latimer Lake Park to 20th Avenue forest area and the Campbell River system. Wetland areas and forest buffers are proposed along this corridor. Similarly a corridor has been maintained along 20th avenue. In other future, there will also be a corridor along the 196 str alignment of the site. Migratory bird act considerations - in 2004 some confusion over tree removal and bird nesting windows, we winded up doing detailed nesting survey and only removing trees once the nests had been vacated for the whole development area in 2004. In 2005, we removed trees from the 2005 work zones in advance of the nesting window before the birds had come back from their migration . Bird window is approximately end of March to beginning of August.
I hope this clarifies these issues. Please call me if you would like to discuss further.
Rob