First it was an early morning protest. Now a petition is in the works in an effort to safe the trees in Winskill Park.
Tsawwassen resident Annika Taylor and others are working to collect signatures to present to the City of Delta.
Taylor said the South Delta community is about to lose one of its greatest assets, a treasured public forest, to make way for an expanded parking lot and an additional baseball diamond at Winskill Park.
“This is one of the only remaining public forests in South Delta. It is an integral part of our community heritage and home to Canada's first basket disc golf course,” Taylor said. “We love our forest. It is a valuable habitat for wildlife and humans alike. Our children and pets play here. People walk, read, and rest in the shade during hot weather. The trees keep us mentally and physically healthy year-round. The forest demands little of us compared to the benefits we receive from it.”
Taylor said due to what she and other residents say was ineffective communication from the City of Delta, many community members were unaware of the proposal and, as a result, had no opportunity to respond.
“We have found that the majority of Winskill Park users strongly disagree with the tree cutting,” she added. “Many that we spoke to were surprised and dismayed by the news. Additionally, we have found no evidence that the city conducted an inventory of wildlife species in the park before proceeding.”
Taylor is part of a residents group called Save the Forest Delta, which organized the protest at Winskill Monday morning.
Through the petition and other social media efforts, Save the Forest Delta is calling for a moratorium on all tree cutting at Winskill until Save the Forest Delta can meet with city officials and discuss a different approach.
They are also requesting that the forest be designated a public heritage site and preserved for the use of the general public.
The petition can be signed at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTco-f-OQsZCUl3UdWcEsduo3HJkBah_PVA-KAiTrw0MffeA/viewform.
