To begin I would like to bring up a very old, but very true saying, “All actions have reactions”. What that basically means in this scenario is that although on paper, the decision to make a new retirement home seems to be a simple one with little consequences which can be currently seen, however there is indefinably more to the iceberg than just the tip. With the research which has been conducted, I believe that it is within our best interest as a society and community to not allow this retirement home to be built.
Spotted owls have been an endangered species since 1988, and a threatened since 1990. Since then the population of spotted owls has dropped even more, in British Columbia the northern spotted owl population has come to as little as 100 breeding pairs (The Spotted Owl Controversy, 2015). The cause being for the big decline consists of many reasons ranging from the excessive energy production and usage, to the growth of the transportation industry, to the land which they need to live being cut down and made into industrial areas (ICUN Red List of Threatened Species, 2017). The energy production is affecting hunting grounds for the owls due to all the gas drilling for oil that we are doing. The transportation industry is adding onto that furthermore by also interfering with the homes of owls due to the creation of new roads and developments. What may seem like a simple change to make our lives easier in the short run, is causing a lot more harm to the environment and the spotted owls than we could have imagined in the long run.
Looking at the township of Fort Langley in British Columbia, at first glance it may seem to be a good idea that the retirement home be built as it creates additional jobs and therefore generates more tax revenue. However once one looks deeper into the development of the project, the environmental and economical consequences become quite clear. With the new house taxing mortgage policy going into place which will raise interest rates, I believe that there will be a heavy decline in the amount of buyers for new properties (B.C Housing taxes could put recent buyers underwater on mortgages, 2018) so we will not even have enough demand to fill up the homes which will also negatively impact tax revenue coming in, and could cause an economic defect. Also if the project of building this retirement home is gone through with, we risk the chance of putting Northern Spotted Owls into extinction, as the forest fragment where Ms. Fenton wishes to build her retirement home is also the same part where the Owls hunt and reside. Therefore I believe that not going through with this project is not only the best option for our economy but also the environment.
When we think of the future we think of a sustainable place where we can all live happily, a place where our environment provides us with enough food to feed our families and enough resources for us to make a living. However if we continue to destroy our environment that would no longer be possible. This right here is not only an issue of a few more houses and a bit more tax revenue. This here is the matter of providing our children the future they deserve to have. Although it is indeed important to have housing which is affordable for the community, it is not right to build it on top of an already existent Spotted owl community, especially considering the amount of money the government has already invested into helping the survival of spotted owls (Killing barred owls to save spotted owl extinction, 2013). Although citizens of Fort Langley may say that they will their property responsibly, it is simply to big of a risk to take especially considering the fact that there are at minimum 100 spotted owls left(The Spotted Owl Controversy, 2015). Therefore if we want to live in a sustainable world with a bright future it is not only important but essential that we help save the Owls.
The report given by the Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) states that 50% of the forest is good enough for the owls to continue hunting, however what they fail to recognize is that this specific type of owl is not tolerant to habitat disturbance (Northern spotted owl recovery strategy, 2010), and in fact the fragmentation of a sustainable habitat is one the prime causes that the owls are dying due to. The environment itself, especially in Canada, creates already hard enough conditions for the owls to live in with all the climate and demographic changes, and we do not make it any easier on them. Climate change affects Spotted owls because it affects the species on which they prey on and the hunting positions they use, now that along with all the demographic changes that us humans make is simply not a good combination. If we continue down this path, the diminish of the Northern Spotted Owl is certain.
Since the initial discovery that Northern Spotted Owls are a threatened species in 1990, we have come a very long way. From passing laws which help protect all Spotted owls and their habitats, to making the people aware of the issue at hand. It is important that the last 30 years of work not go wasted simply due to one project and its location. As can be seen from the Diagram 1, the Spotted owl does not take up much space in the province and is not very spread out. Looking at this with a long term perspective, we need to consider the fact that there are only 15, 000 owls left globally, out of which only 4% reside here in Canada and if those 4% end up going extinct, that is one less place where they would have to live. That is bad because the diversity of locations in Spotted owls is very important for their survival.
Diagram 1: Range of Spotted owl in BC
There have been steps taken to ensure the recovery of the Spotted owl population, such as the creation of the Captive Breeding program where owls are saved and put into a controlled environment so they are able to reproduce and survive. As of 2016 there are 17 spotted owls, out of which 8 were born as a result of the program (Northern Spotted owl recovery program, 2016). We have made such good progress in the last few years and it would be a shame if it all ended simply due to the building of a new home.
In conclusion, I believe that we as humans have a social responsibility to care for all and ensure that we have a sustainable future to live in. Which is why I have to deny Ms. Fenton’s request to build her retirement home in Fort Langley. We must take every possible action to ensure that we have a future to live in tomorrow.
References
Northern Spotted Owl. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://abcbirds.org/bird/northern-spotted-owl/
Climate Change Canada. (2010, February 19). Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) recovery strategy: Chapter 8. Retrieved November 18, 2018, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/northern-spotted-owl/chapter-8.html
Handout. (2018, April 05). B.C. housing taxes could put recent buyers underwater on mortgages. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/housing-taxes-could-put-recent-buyers-underwater-on-mortgages
Santa Clara University. (2015, November 13). Ethics and the Environment. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from https://www.scu.edu/environmental-ethics/resources/ethics-and-the-environment-the-spotted-owl/
Northern Spotted Owl. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2018, from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/plants-animals-and-ecosystems/species-ecosystems-at-risk/brochures/northern_spotted_owl.pdf
Newly-hatched endangered owl chick makes its debut on webcast | CBC News. (2017, May 17). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/webcast-provides-rare-view-spotted-owl-1.4118303