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Earth Action 81 Prince St, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4R3 902-621-0719 slabchuk@isn.net October 23, 1999 ****ACTION ALERT: GREENWICH NATIONAL PARK ENDANGERED**** Hello, Support is urgently needed from groups across Canada to help stop inappropriate and disastrous development in and around one of the country's newest national parks. Greenwich National Park, on Prince Edward Island, will officially open in July 2000. BULLDOZERS BEGIN WORK IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS! Please sign-on your group to the letter to Minister of Heritage Sheila Copps, at the end of this message. Please send your group's name, contact person's name, address, phone number and e-mail to us at <slabchuk@isn.net>. You can get the gist of the problem by reading the letter to the Minister if you don't have time to read this entire message. Or if you want more information, just ask. Sharon Labchuk <slabchuk@isn.net> Earth Action --------------------------- BACKGROUND: This spectacular parabolic sand dune system, internationally recognized for features which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, is located on the Greenwich peninsula in eastern PEI. It is one of the last wild beaches on the Island. The land was wrested from the grasp of American developers and finally ended up in the hands of the federal government. People thought the Greenwich dunes were finally safe when the area was designated a national park by Sheila Copps. The fragile 900 acre park consists of three parcels of land on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, separated by privately-owned property. On any fine summer day in the past, one would rarely encounter more than a half-dozen people enjoying the incredible beauty of the dunes and shore. This is a region of high unemployment and not a traditional tourist destination. Lawrence MacAulay, Canada's Solicitor General, is MP for the area. THE PROBLEM: Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay is the driving force behind the exploitation of the park as an economic engine for his riding. Dave Lipton, superintendent for Parks Canada on PEI, is his willing accomplice. Lipton refers to national parks as "products" that his department "markets". MacAulay spouts political rhetoric about protecting Greenwich but also refers to the park as a "project" and a "resource". At a recent press conference he said he's committed to bringing employment and development to his region, and creating the park was one prime way of achieving these goals. Last year, before a biological inventory of the park could be completed, trails and boardwalks were constructed. One trail was built on top of 4 recognized archeological sites. Another, hurriedly built to access dollars from a job creation program, was built too close to a cliff edge and collapsed over winter. Boardwalks over sensitive dunes were constructed with pesticide-treated lumber. Even more alarming is the plan to turn one of the three park properties, a thin strip of dunes, into a recreational beach with showers, toilets, hot dog stands and a parking lot (with room for expansion). The rutted dirt road into this area will be improved to accommodate tour buses. From this beach, tourists need only look to the east to view the highest dunes in the entire system. A short stroll down the shore (what's to stop them) and they can penetrate the most sensitive and ecologically important area of the park. Parks Canada has a dismal record of sand dune protection on PEI - the park in Cavendish is an ecological disaster. However the latest development plan, unveiled at a press conference on October 15, is scandalous. Parks Canada purchased 123 acres of land (sharing the $800,000 cost with the Province) just outside the park, but within walking distance of the proposed recreational beach, for the purpose of allowing a private developer to construct an interpretive centre and hotel. This kind of arrangement between Parks Canada and a private developer sets a dangerous precedent for all national parks. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The developer, APM from PEI, has big plans. In an October 15 press release, APM lays out plans for purchasing land close to the interpretive centre to construct an up-scale tourist resort. The resort, APM says, will be similar to communities in Florida and feature expensive homes and condominiums within walking distance of the proposed recreational beach. APM is a retail development company and presumably here's where they'll make money - a Town Centre in the village that "would offer residents amenities and facilities for their comfort, convenience and enjoyment". APM says tenant opportunities in the Town Centre could include convenience stores, clothing stores, wine shop, eco-adventure tour office, cigar shop, health spa, tea room, banking, movie theatre, frozen yogurt, etc. OUR OBJECTIVES: We believe Canada's national parks should be protected as preserves for plants and animals, with only gentle use by humans. This means that the ecological integrity of the parks must not be compromised for any reason, especially regional economic development. Greenwich is basically a sand dune system and is easily destroyed by people walking on the dunes. Parks Canada has not been successful in keeping people off the dunes in Cavendish and they have been ruined. It is predicted that more than 100,000 people will come to Greenwich next year. We are opposed to creating a recreational beach on the wild shores of Greenwich. PEI is literally one big beach. Recreational swimming opportunities elsewhere abound. Human intrusion should be limited to guided walks only. The temptation to stray off trails and climb giant sand dunes will be too much for some people. We believe development on lands surrounding national parks needs to be limited to that which will not negatively impact the ecological integrity of the park. The proposed tourist village, retail shops and interpretive centre should not be located on the park's edge. We are seeking a moratorium on development in and around the park until The Panel on Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks releases it's report and recommendations next month. We want all development proposals to be reviewed in light of the panel's findings. It appears to us that development in the park is being fast-tracked to avoid the scrutiny that will surely follow the panel's report. **************************************************************************** "Part of the problem is Parks Canada itself. It has clear legislation that requires it to put ecological integrity above all else in managing the country's parks, but that has not been happening consistently, Mr. Gerin said." Globe and Mail, Oct.18, 1999 (Gerin is chair of The Panel on Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks) ****************************************************************************** --------------------------------------- ****LETTER**** October 23, 1999 Dear Ms. Copps, We are alarmed at development plans for the PEI National Park at Greenwich and ask that you impose a moratorium on all development both in the park and on the crown land that Parks Canada has just acquired next to the park. We want this moratorium to remain in effect until The Panel on Ecological Integrity in Canada's National Parks releases its report, and the proposed developments are reassessed in light of the panel's recommendations. Development of Greenwich is being driven primarily by economic concerns. As you may know, this area has a high unemployment rate. Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay loses no opportunity to let people know he intends to use the park to create jobs. At a recent press conference he said he's committed to bringing employment and development to his region, and creating the park was one prime way of achieving these goals. This is the old-style national parks mentality. We now know better - that many of our national parks are in crisis because ecological integrity took a back seat to economic development. Plans for this park include a recreational beach with parking lot, showers, toilets and hot dog stands. Is this justice for one of the last wild beaches left on PEI? The Island has no shortage of recreational beach opportunities. We should not turn Greenwich into a playground for people. Just a short stroll along the shore from this proposed recreational beach is the most sensitive area of the park, the area Parks Canada says has unique features not found anywhere else in the world. Before Greenwich became a national park, this area was only accessible by a long tiring hike up and down extensive sand dunes (yes, there were ATV's on the dunes, too). So not many people ever went there. A road suitable for tour buses will soon allow hordes of people easy access to the beach and the sensitive sand dunes. And now we learn that Parks Canada has purchased 123 acres just outside park boundaries for the purpose of allowing a private developer to build an interpretive centre and hotel - within walking distance of the proposed recreational beach. This sets a dangerous precedent for alliances between Parks Canada and developers. And finally, we've also just learned that this same developer is planning to purchase land next to the interpretive centre and hotel to build an up-scale tourist resort. The resort will have homes, condos and a "Town Centre". This Town Centre will, according the developer (APM of PEI) offer residents "amenities and facilities for their comfort, convenience and enjoyment." APM says these could include convenience stores, clothing stores, wine shop, eco-adventure tour office, cigar shop, health spa, tea room, banking, movie theatre, frozen yogurt, etc. This resort development is only economically feasible for the developer if Parks Canada proceeds with the recreational beach, the interpretive centre and road access. The interpretive centre would be better situated in the nearby village of St. Peter's, or at the very least much further away from the dunes. We are completely dismayed that Parks Canada would allow these kind of developments within and around this new national park. Have we not learned anything from past mistakes? This matter requires your urgent and immediate attention. Work will begin on the interpretive centre/hotel project in about two weeks. The panel's report will be released in another month. Is this too long to wait to ensure the future of the spectacular, magical sand dunes at Greenwich, and all that dwell therein, is not compromised? Given Jacques Gerin's preliminary comments on the panel's findings, we are certain that this kind of development will soon be a thing of the past. Greenwich is an opportunity for Parks Canada to showcase a new kind of park management - one that truly puts ecological integrity first. With time running out for Greenwich, we await your timely response. For the Earth, Sharon Labchuk Earth Action ******************************** Sharon Labchuk Earth Action 81 Prince Street Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4R3 Phone: 902-368-7337 / 621-0719 Fax: 902-621-0719 slabchuk@isn.net -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- You received this because you are subscribed to "sust-mar", the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list. To unsubscribe, send email to <majordomo@chebucto.ns.ca> with "unsubscribe sust-mar" (without quotes) as the body of your message. To post a message to sust-mar subscribers, send it to <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca> Posts that are off-topic or excessive length (10K) will be rejected. For help contact <sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> Archives: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar
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