Dear editor,

While at Seal Bay park recently, I noticed, on the backside of the information board, a one-page notice detailing the slated improvements to the parking situation commencing Nov. 5.

I realize that access to parking is getting worse as more mainlanders are moving here. But, I think it鈥檚 ironic that we love being in the forest so much that we are willing to clear cut a large chunk of it so that we can park more cars thereby have less forest to enjoy. If the logic is to keep increasing parking spaces to accommodate more and more people, pretty soon there wouldn鈥檛 be a park, just a parking lot.

Of course, that鈥檚 silly. We wouldn鈥檛 do that, would we? At a certain point we would have to limit the parking expansions. People coming out to the park would then realize that the parking lot is full and go to another one of our beautiful parks. What about the Hardy Road parking lot for Seal Bay. That鈥檚 huge and barely used. Why can鈥檛 we do that now?

Since safety is a concern, couldn鈥檛 the CVRD have decided to put in traffic calming measures on Bates Rd? What about reducing speed limits? What about a lighted crosswalk? Maybe more roadside parking stalls? So what if it hinders the traffic for a small section of the road. Why do people have to go from point A to point B as fast as they can?

We expect everything for our convenience. Why can鈥檛 we consider other beings鈥� right to life?

Consider that the home of countless animals and other creatures will be destroyed. When you destroy their habitat, animals die. One of the leading causes of death for all species is habitat loss. If you think 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 just inconsequential tiny creatures,鈥� consider that humans are microscopic from space. It鈥檚 all perspective. Except those tiny creatures are vital to a healthy ecosystem. People are not.

We are the destroyer of ecosystems. We can鈥檛 seem to stop ourselves despite all the knowledge we have. Intelligent beings? I think not. I know that it is too late to stop the 鈥渋mprovements鈥� at Bates Road but I just wanted to bring forth things to consider, for next time.

Paula Fee,

Courtenay