I received a phone call from Louise Christie the other day, and she suggested I write to your blog in regards to the Coldstream Ranch. She also asked if I would speak at the meeting on Tuesday, and I have agreed to that, also.
My husband and I have lived on Rendell Drive for the past 27 years, and have both enjoyed the wildlife that has come into our neighbourhood. We hear the frogs and toads calling in the spring of the year, watched the herons land and feast on the salamanders. We have watched the muskrats swim and frolic in the creek, coyotes walk our fence line every day, with the odd deer grazing in the neighbours field. The hawks, owls, robins etc. nest in the trees, the finches in our hedge, the blackbirds in the marsh, and that's something you just don't see everyday in the city.
I feel the need to speak out for those who don't have a voice on this subject. I don't know how many people realize that the spade footed toad has been classified as an endangered species. Mud Lake was not filled in for that reason, and they live in our neighbourhood.
A few years back I was asked to keep records of the spade footed toad during their mating season. In the early spring, I sat out on our back deck in the evenings and made notes on the weather conditions (temperature, winds etc), and listened to the croaking of the spade footed toad. I had listened to a recording of the toad, as I had to be able to distinguish the difference between the toad and the tree frogs in the area. I sat outside every night until the croaking eventually ended. I then forwarded my report to a woman named Pat (sorry I don't remember her last name), who was involved with the Allan Brooks Nature Center. Even though I only recorded their calling for that one spring, I still enjoy listening to them from our back deck.
When the housing subdivision was started off of Aberdeen Road and Highway 6, we noticed a significant drop in the water table of Hunter Creek. This creek runs through the Coldstream Ranch underground until just before it reaches the 5 acre parcels, where it emerges through the ground and flows though our neighbours yards, down to the railway tracks and eventually makes its way into Coldstream Creek. It is in our neighbours yard where the spayed footed toads live, and we were greatly concerned when the water table dropped. It wasn't until the ranch started watering, that we started to notice a gradual rising of the water.
We feel if the Coldstream Ranch is turned into a recreation complex, with parking for 1000 vehicles, the natural wetlands of this area, will be greatly jeopardized, along with the spayed footed toad. We feel this is the wrong area.
As for the plans for the arena etc., we do feel this is something that is needed, but would not vote for it without first receiving a true cost figure. This is something everyone of us should consider, including the voters of Vernon. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't go into a store and say "I'll take that, and I don't care how much it costs, I want it".
Thank you for letting us voice our opinions, we hope others will do the same.
Yours truly,
Pat & Eugene Scherck
My husband and I have lived on Rendell Drive for the past 27 years, and have both enjoyed the wildlife that has come into our neighbourhood. We hear the frogs and toads calling in the spring of the year, watched the herons land and feast on the salamanders. We have watched the muskrats swim and frolic in the creek, coyotes walk our fence line every day, with the odd deer grazing in the neighbours field. The hawks, owls, robins etc. nest in the trees, the finches in our hedge, the blackbirds in the marsh, and that's something you just don't see everyday in the city.
I feel the need to speak out for those who don't have a voice on this subject. I don't know how many people realize that the spade footed toad has been classified as an endangered species. Mud Lake was not filled in for that reason, and they live in our neighbourhood.
A few years back I was asked to keep records of the spade footed toad during their mating season. In the early spring, I sat out on our back deck in the evenings and made notes on the weather conditions (temperature, winds etc), and listened to the croaking of the spade footed toad. I had listened to a recording of the toad, as I had to be able to distinguish the difference between the toad and the tree frogs in the area. I sat outside every night until the croaking eventually ended. I then forwarded my report to a woman named Pat (sorry I don't remember her last name), who was involved with the Allan Brooks Nature Center. Even though I only recorded their calling for that one spring, I still enjoy listening to them from our back deck.
When the housing subdivision was started off of Aberdeen Road and Highway 6, we noticed a significant drop in the water table of Hunter Creek. This creek runs through the Coldstream Ranch underground until just before it reaches the 5 acre parcels, where it emerges through the ground and flows though our neighbours yards, down to the railway tracks and eventually makes its way into Coldstream Creek. It is in our neighbours yard where the spayed footed toads live, and we were greatly concerned when the water table dropped. It wasn't until the ranch started watering, that we started to notice a gradual rising of the water.
We feel if the Coldstream Ranch is turned into a recreation complex, with parking for 1000 vehicles, the natural wetlands of this area, will be greatly jeopardized, along with the spayed footed toad. We feel this is the wrong area.
As for the plans for the arena etc., we do feel this is something that is needed, but would not vote for it without first receiving a true cost figure. This is something everyone of us should consider, including the voters of Vernon. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't go into a store and say "I'll take that, and I don't care how much it costs, I want it".
Thank you for letting us voice our opinions, we hope others will do the same.
Yours truly,
Pat & Eugene Scherck
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