The Editor,
Re. "Does Lafarge Lake need more paved paths and a bridge to remote island?" (The Tri-City News, March 12).
The article regarding Lafarge Lake loop improvement plan asked “Is Lafarge Lake a natural oasis or the centrepiece of a bustling urban park?” For me, the answer is: both.
Successive city councils can be proud of what they have created from this reclaimed industrial site. In Town Centre Park, there are excellent playing fields, bustling festival areas and areas of access to nature that I have not witnessed anywhere else in the world.
That is why discussions of a bridge across the island at the north end and tinkering with the south end of the lake have me concerned. I have been photographing and cataloguing the wildlife in the park for several years and those two areas are critical habitat.
Changes to these areas have the potential to destroy what I call my “accessible wildlife photography stadium.” My wife and I jokingly call Lafarge “the Motel 6 of the bird world” as there are always new and interesting species visiting. I have photographic evidence of more than 75 species of birds visiting our tiny lake.
Why? It is the “messy” bits of the lake that make this a reality. It is the isolation, underbrush and snags that give wildlife places to hide, feed and breed.
Rather than develop the north end of the lake, I would much rather see the area previously cleared of blackberries replanted with creature-friendly cover before the continued erosion in that area completely fills in the channel around the island with silt.
Ultimately, pavement and routes are important to making a visit to the park manageable. But soccer games, concerts and the nature at the park are the reason to visit the park. I ask that those responsible not groom away the very reason many of us visit this amazing Coquitlam gem.
Greg Tjosvold, Coquitlam
