Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to concerns about the Pollinator Initiative in Crippen Park on Bowen Island. I’m a member of the Board of Directors of the Bowen Island Foundation and our Board has expressed interest in funding this initiative. I became concerned, however, when I began to see some opposition to this project, and claims from self-described local experts that the proposal was likely to produce negative environmental consequences and was to be situated in an inappropriate location.
But I do not have the expertise to be able to choose amongst these competing claims and so I sought the advice of two of my faculty colleagues at Simon Fraser, both with significant expertise in this realm. I provided them with a copy of the proposal, and a link to our local Forum, where both proponents and opponents of the project have voiced their views.
Mark Winston is a Professor of Biology and one of North America’s leading experts on pollination. His achievements have been recognized by many awards: the British Columbia Gold Medal in Science and Engineering, Academic of the Year, and election as a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada.
Here is his response,
“As I read the proposal, the objective was not to return a tiny portion of Bowen to its original habitat, but rather to promote understanding of the importance of pollination, awareness of wild bees (some of which are native), serve as a resource and inspiration for those interested in local food production… I think this is an excellent proposal that would add an important element to the park and provide many useful messages and experiences to visitors. I would support proceeding as planned, and perhaps rather than rejecting the opposition points use the project as a way to highlight this issue of what is native and is not as a component.”
Professor Gail Anderson’s major research interests are in insect and other arthropod-borne diseases in man and animals, in particular the pest management aspects, and in forensic entomology, the use of insects in death investigation.. She has gained international recognition for her pioneering work in the field of medico-legal entomology Dr. Anderson is the only full-time forensic entomologist in Canada.
Her response follows,
“To me it seems a no brainer - increasing native pollinators is always a great idea - we are all being encouraged to do this. If the proposal was to release a bunch of non-natives it would be very different but this seems to just be a general improvement of an area and designed to attract and educate people and kids. As is mentioned repeatedly, this is hardly an old growth area - it was a farm and is now an abandoned farm so they wish to improve it and improve the park generally … I get the impression that there are a few people who feel very passionately about ‘no change’ which is sometimes good, but in this case, the area has already been ‘changed’ repeatedly and this seems an attempt to improve it and actually demonstrate the agricultural use the land was put to in the past as well as increase the general health of the areas by simply encouraging native pollinators and hence wildlflowers, berries etc, which will improve bird sites and animal foraging and generally make the place healthier.”
In sum, the best available evidence from those with relevant expertise suggests that this is a wonderful initiative and one that can now be strongly supported by Metro Vancouver.
Sincerely,
Dr. Neil Boyd
