UNBELIEVABLE - Ottawa mayor Jim Watson declares May 12th Migratory Birds and Important Bird Areas Day. He's acknowledged that the Lac Deschênes area is important to wlldlife. Kudos for that and we couldn't agree more. BUT - why let developers pillage other land already declared ecologically significant or protected? Why let staff exempt strict environmental studies in the South March Highlands? Why are strict EAs required in Orleans but not Kanata?
http://naturecanadablog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/mayor-of-ottawa-declares-may...
Anonymous replied on Permalink
164 nesting birds in the South March Highlands - many of them rare or at-risk. Yet Watson has done nothing for them!
In fact there are more species of bird in the SMH than in Punta Cana's eco-tourism park. What a missed opportunity for Ottawa.
PAUL RENAUD replied on Permalink
My prior comment should have said 164 SPECIES of nesting birds in the SMH. Of course there are thousands of individual birds.
There's also over 84 SPECIES of butterfly in the South March Highlands.
All this will inevitably be destroyed unless Watson stops Urbandale from continuing with it development plans.
James OGrady replied on Permalink
It is very sad Paul, I agree. For a Mayor who is constantly looking for tourism opportunities, he has completely missed this one. Yet, he'd rather build a new casino downtown even though the majority of people don't want it. He says no to family oriented tourism, but, yes to gambling and sleaze. Watson is not the right person to lead Ottawa.
