Dear Editor:
Habitat destruction and desecration is resulting in species unable to establish an area to breed, thus disappearance of songbirds, invertebrates and small mammals.
We have an instance here in Fergus where a water drainage area on Belsyde Avenue has hosted a variety of wildlife such as nesting mallards, muskrats, frogs, toads, and many songbird species like flycatchers, orioles, red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings and cardinals.
The pond is fringed by mature conifers and deciduous trees creating a small microclimate that shelters animals that need to be near a water source.
In early mornings, blue herons fish for their meal.
Outside this catchment area, housing dominates and the residents seem to have a sense of entitlement that allows racing ATVs around the pond and allowing dogs off leash to harass the wild occupants, disrupting the nesting cycle and causing disarray. The township lawn-cutter regularly roars through the trees and around the pond. Is it necessary to cut a small wild area at all?
Last summer I saw a female mallard lead her eight ducklings across a busy street toward the safety of the river. She had crossed two others to get there.
In Canada, we are losing species at an alarming rate as they are driven out of temperate areas and into more hostile climates.
Perhaps we need to think before taking over habitat that has been established and is providing the life-giving sustenance for our fellow beings, brave and adaptable as they might endeavour to be.
Arlene Callaghan,
Fergus