It has been a while since I shared a word from my curious green word list. Today’s word ties into a quick follow-up to the Beaver Pond, South Highlands March forest story. Unfortunately, it is not good news for groups trying to save this old growth forest. No trespassing signs are up and as soon as the end of this week, work crews will be moving in to begin clear-cutting. Letter writing, petitions, rallies, the discovery of possible First Nations artefacts and a land swap proposal have done nothing to stop construction.
It has been interesting following the Beaver Pond Development in the media. I find it particularly fascinating to listen and read lively public commentary. This is where I first came across today’s curious green word. Perhaps you are already familiar with it…
NIMBY
Actually, it is not a word; it is an acronym for Not In My Backyard. Here are a few examples of the tone and context it is used.
Comment from an Ottawa Citizen article -
“sounds like the kanata lakes NIMBYs are fading fast….they lost on Terry Fox extension, lost on Richardson ridge and are going to lose the woodlot they trespass on for there own greedy purposes” – Scrubbingbubbles
More examples taken from comments following a Jan 10th CBC’s Kanata Forest article
I find it incredible that the biggest complainers are the existing residents of the area, They knew moving in that there would be future development, they actually counted on it when evaluating their purchase and investment. The fact that all their homes have increased dramatically over the last years is because they bought from a reputable company such as Urbandale. This so typical Ottawa residents! NIMBY!!! – Buildergirl
And…
I think everyone who wants to save this land should forfeit their home and move into an apartment building so that their 1/4 acre lot can be bulldozed and the land allowed to revert back to nature. I am the first to agree that our suburban sprawl must be stopped but not by these NIMBYs. – Adria
I think it is safe to say, this is not a warm fuzzy, complimentary word. It appears I could be called a NIMBY. Oh my!
For the record, the Beaver Pond is not in my backyard, but it is part of our community. I am not opposed to development and new homes, just the destruction of Ottawa’s last old growth forest and destroying a fragile ecosystem, habitats for endangered species.
I also think the development of the Beaver Pond is an urban planning mistake that happened years ago. A mistake that Ottawan’s will live with and learn from, moving forward. Hopefully…
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This definitely was a story with no happy ending. I live in Kanata and this issue was a tough one for me – I can actually see both sides of the argument. Obviously, I felt the land should be saved, but I understand those who say that the very people who are contributing to urban sprawl have no leg to stand on when trying to stop more development.
I only hope this issue has given our city councillors something to think about. They will hopefully be more careful with zoning in the future, and think about what needs to happen in the suburbs. The councillor I voted for specifically wanted to fix the boundary of southern Kanata to stop sprawling, and I chose him based on that issue alone. Unfortunately, he lost to someone who is more than eager to work with developers to move out the boundary and bring more subdivisions to the area.
Sigh.
Hi Lynn.
I understand there are many sides of this issue. I haven’t lived in Kanata for a long time, so I haven’t watched the growth and development that has occured over the decades. I think the best way to achieve change is through voting and the leaders we chose. It’s frustrating when the candidates we support do not get in.
Ahhh NIMBY! We were introduced to that in our urban planning classes very early on but it’s definitely not as bad as BANANA:
“Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything” : )
I actually don’t understand the above comments because losing this forest is not like bulldozing a meadow or a wood lot – this is an old growth forest that has more biodiversity than any other part of Ottawa (and even further if I remember correctly). It should be a concern to all of us, whether we live in a suburb or in the city centre. We all benefit from preserving some nature within city limits. Have you seen this blog:
http://champlainoaks.posterous.com/
We truly need to start valuing nature for what it’s really worth – especially untouched nature that has been around for 200 years or more! I really do hope that the outcome of this situation is positive.
P.S. congratulations on First Place for The Canadian Weblog Awards!!! Absolutely deserved! Woohoo! : )
Hi Kif! I chose the comments because they were on the tamer side and found similar points made repeatedly. (Some of the NIMBY comments kind of scared me.) I have never heard of BANANA – yikes! lol Thanks for the link to The Champlain Oaks blog – it looks really good. Thank you for your kind words too Kif.
Oh, now I get it. The articles didn’t talk about the rich biodiversity or the species at risk. People are just reacting to the fact that Kanata residents want to ski there and walk their dogs.
I guess I never saw this as NIMBYism as I don’t live close to South March Highlands but am very concerned that once this old growth forest is lost we will never be able to get it back. It is a great asset to the entire city. There was a 200 year maple that was cut down to build the extension: http://the5thc.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html
As someone said there is lots of less significant land that can be built on. We really need to save this forest. It’s the “International Year of Forests” – I do think there’s some hope yet! : )