Members of the grassroots group Save Fireside Wetlands (SFW) are hoping for a strong public attendance to their ‘Wetlands In The Theatre’ presentation tonight (Feb. 20) at the RancheHouse Theatre.
The presentation will feature a showing of the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee’s (CEAC) production When Two Worlds Collide, followed by a forum on ‘Urban/Rural Interface’.
Members from SFW and CEAC have been vocal about their concerns of the development in communities such as Fireside, the future twinning along Highway 22 and the impact of development in and around Cochrane, where the interface of rural and urban landscapes are concerned.
The creation of the Fireside community, during Phase One of its development, has resulted in the loss of some 16 wetlands in that area and SFW is concerned about the loss of around 20 more as Phase Two of development approaches.
“They categorize them low and wipe them out,” said SFW member Kelly Falk, who has concerns with respect to the classification system of wetlands employed in the Fireside community.
The SFW group is most concerned with one particular wetland in Fireside, which Falk said was wrongly classified as a ‘class three’ or seasonal wetland.
Kent Hystad, vice president of Fireside developer LaVita Land, said a biologist was brought in to classify the various wetlands in the area, adding that those area wetlands were previously part of cow pastures.
“Everything was inventoried before we did anything…we saved every wetland (according to the classification system) and more than what was required. There was no net loss to the Fireside wetlands,” explained Hystad.
LaVita Land donates money to Ducks Unlimited to preserve wetlands in a different location on a 3:1 ratio, according to Hystad, to result in ‘no net loss’; for example, if the developer removed 10 acres of wetlands, 30 acres would be bought and preserved elsewhere.
But members of the SFW are questioning the wetland classification system used, have appealed the findings made by environmental consultants Sweetgrass Consultations Ltd. to the provincial authority, the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD), and are “awaiting a response”.
Members of SFW are also very concerned with the response, or lack thereof, from the Town of Cochrane.
Larry Weiers of SFW said his group has appealed to the town planning committee, looking to arrange a delegation with council to present its case for the preservation of the Fireside wetlands.
Weiers said the committee has not been receptive of SFW’s request for information, the report from Sweetgrass Consultants Ltd. or scheduling a delegation with council.
“It appears the town staff has their heads down and hopes this will go away,” said Weiers. “We hope the citizens of Cochrane will get involved.”
Nicole Tomes with the town planning committee said it’s very early on in the Phase Two development application process. The developer has applied for a neighbourhood plan and the public is encouraged to voice their concerns.
Tomes said an open house would take place on the matter in order for the town to maintain its commitment to the public engagement process.
Weiers said he and several SFW members were also disappointed with the public engagement process that took place in the year leading up to the Town of Cochrane’s development of the ‘Wetlands Conservation Policy’ in the fall of 2013.
Weiers said he and others felt as though the policy doesn’t address or reflect any concerns he said they had raised through the public engagement process and that the town was selective in the information used to develop the policy.
Members of the SFW feel there is a better way to incorporate the natural elements of the landscape, including the wetlands, in the future Phase Two Fireside development than what they have seen so far in the plans.
Learn more at cochrane.ca and at savefiresidewetland.org. The presentation tonight at the RancheHouse Theatre runs from 7-9 p.m.
SFW’s online petition currently has over 100 signatures.
