South Skirt Mountain Development Public Hearing
at Langford City Hall
Mon, February 23, 7 pm:
877 Goldstream Ave.
The South Skirt Mountain Village proposal calls for 2800 condo units
and unlimited height towers for the hillside from the Bear Mountain
Interchange on Highway 1 up to Bear Mountain Resort. Condo towers will
rise from Florence Lake all the way to Goldstream Park, destroying a
huge swath of Victoria's Greenbelt along with wildlife habitat, native
burial cairns and other artifacts. The development would wipe out half
of the remaining "high-value" rare ecosystems on the mountain, like
garry oak meadows and arbutus bluffs. These ecosystems are listed as
endangered by the government but there is no protection for them in
law.
Animals include Great Horned Owls, Screech Owls, Barred Owls,
Nighthawks and many many other species. Overall, 60% of the mountain
will be blasted and paved for "unlimited height" condo towers. Come
and speak out!
Click here for more info
Saturday, February 28, 9:30 am: The Return of the Bare Mountain Bonanza.
A day-long expedition with the free miners who hold the mineral rights
to Bear Mountain, South Skirt Mountain, the interchange site and
beyond. Work crews are staking out the claim, doing GPS surveys and
taking rock samples. This is an outdoor event, so folks are bringing
picnic lunches, good hiking shoes, a water bottle, rain gear, and warm
clothes to stay comfortable. For more info or to RSVP, send a note to
zoeblunt@gmail.com.
Volunteer opportunities: we want to produce special T-shirts, buttons
and stickers to commemorate the 2010 Olympics, Bare Mountain Bonanza
and more. Folks can get in touch to help with that project, future
expeditions, fundraising benefits and more.
Our non-profit group Forest Action Network is seeking contributions to
fund expeditions, survey endangered ecosystems, and help defend the
land. Please support our volunteers - the labour is free, but
everything else costs money! ForestAction@gmail.com.
