A Requiem for a Wetland

     Many regular readers of my blog will have seen the numerous posts I have made about the wonderful little wetland at Creekside Church.
     Here are a few idyllic scenes from that wetland.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Eastern Kingbird

Barn Swallow

Midland Painted Turtle

Barn Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird

     Imagine my utter shock the other day when I discovered that this wetland had been drained. To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. To say that I was offended, disgusted, disappointed, mad as hell, would hardly represent my true feelings.

     It is not permitted to drain a wetland in this area without a permit from the Grand River Conservation Authority. Today it was confirmed that no such permit was issued. And this from a church, a supposed bastion of propriety in the community, acting illegally.

     Furthermore the whole operation smacks of deceit. The pond was drained on a weekend when minimal public scrutiny is likely. The leaders of the church turned on the tap and walked away, without any concern for the creatures that live in the pond. How many Midland Painted Turtles baked in the hot summer sun, where did the Muskrats go, what happened to all the other organisms? How many fish were sucked into the storm drains? How many Red-winged Blackbirds' nests in the reeds were disturbed?

     And when a few concerned citizens started poking around and asking questions, and taking pictures, the contractor came back on Monday morning to widen and deepen the trench to make sure the job was completed. Death to any critters that might have survived the initial onslaught.

    This area was considered by the study team for the North Waterloo Scoped Subwatershed Study to be a Significant Wildlife Habitat candidate and a Turtle Breeding Area candidate. Thirty-seven turtles have been counted there on a single day.

     There are photographs dating back to 1930 that show a pond of similar size and location suggesting it is a natural pond and not a storm water pond built by the church.

     This is what the area now looks like.

     Make no mistake, areas in the pictures above that look like water do not contain water. It is mud that has not yet dried out. ALL the water has gone. 

     It is not as though the church needs more space. Judge for yourself the extent of their parking lots following a recent expansion of their buildings.

     I am truly filled with revulsion. I cannot adequately express either my sadness or disgust. I just hope that all those worshippers thanking their god for all his bounty, and thanking him for all of creation will remember what they have done to some of it. But somehow I doubt it. 
     It's ironic that the Pope, a leader of another significant branch of christianity, is calling for his flock to become environmentally conscious and respect the earth. This credo has obviously not filtered down to Creekside Church, unfortunately, and we are all the more bereaved. It is a sad, sad day in Waterloo.