Watchers of Langley Forests
~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ~
December 29,2014
Watchers of Langley Forests (WOLF) and Aldergrove Neighbours are inviting the public to attend a late season Christmas Concert at Creekside Forest in Aldergrove.
The concert,an a cappella performance by the Opus Women’s Choir, will begin at 10:30 am January 3,2015. It is expected to last about an hour and a half. The location will be Creekside Forest, a municipallyowned forest now slated to be developed as part of a sixtyone family home development. Local forest conservation group , Watchers of Langley Forests(WOLF) together with a group of Aldergrove residents calling themselves Aldergrove Neighbours, have been campaigning for Creekside Forest to be conserved.
“What the future will bring is up to Township Council. We are hopeful that the Mayor and Council will to the right thing though. It is in that spirit of hope so in keeping with the holidays that we decided to organize the concert” said WOLF chair Kirk Robertson.
Jessica Horst,of Aldergrove Neighbours, said “This is all about the community coming together speaking up for saving our natural heritage.”
Creekside forest is the southern portion of a 19acre property owned by the Township of Langley and located at 28th Ave and 276th street..In the spring of 2014 the land was rezoned to allow for sixtyone detached lots. Twenty lots are located in the heart of the forest following a “keyhole” design. The other forty lots are in the northern unforested portion.
Since January 2014 WOLF has been calling for the forested area to set aside for conservation and recreational purposes. In conjunction with local Aldergrove residents they have made delegations to Council and organized tours of the forest in late May. In November 2014 the property was put up for sale. On December 01,2014 Township Council was presented with evidence that the arborist report prepared for Council as part of their decision to rezone was based on faulty data. Specifically, in multiple cases tree species such as cedar were misidentified as “inferior species” such as birch. Council voted to refer the issue to staff so that the consultants who prepared the report and gathered the data could speak to the issue. In the meantime the sale is on hold.
Aldergrove resident, Darlene Sherwin, said “This is our last publiclyowned natural standing forest in Aldergrove proper. As an Aldergrove resident for nearly forty years I have watched our forests disappear. This has been really disconcerting.” She added “Hopefully with events like the concert Aldergrove residents will be able to see why preserving Creekside Forest is so important.”
The forest can be accessed at 27540 28th avenue just east of the bridge over Bertrand Creek.Signs will be placed to guide the public. Hot beverages and refreshments will be provided on the day of the concert. Audience participation will be encouraged.
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Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/unCI6
Contact Kirk Robertson
at savemclellanpark@gmail.com
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