Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
April 17, 2023 By: Alexis Begg - T00047868
Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
Article 1 – Course Connection to Conservation
The word conservation is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the careful preservation and protection of something [1]. This could mean planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect. Popular phrases associated with conservation are water conservation and wildlife conservation. After reading the course’s unit three section about conservation I immediately thought about my own community and the threats that are occurring with the ongoing communication of a new port expansion. I live in a small town called Ladner and the next town over is Tsawwassen which has the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and a large port. In the last little while there has been a proposed expansion of British Columbia’s Roberts Bank which would add a new shipping terminal and nearly double the current number of container ship berths [2]. The expansion of the port will negatively affect the wildlife on land and sea. The Terminal 2 project has a daunting list of possible problems which include the potential for serious harm to the region’s resident killer whales and salmon [2]. The main concern is that the increased ship traffic associated with a larger port would be a problem for the areas remaining southern resident killer whales [2]. The expansion of the port would also reduce the critically endangered killer whales’ habitat in addition to the availability of chinook salmon which is the killer whale’s main source of food [2]. The port expansion would fragment the chinook habitat and be a physical barrier to the chinook salmon migration [2]. As the textbook states, we must do our best to respect nature and we must do our best to conserve wildlife. The new terminal would also negatively affect migratory and resident birds, including barn owls, all of which feed in the vast Fraser River delta [2].
Bibliography
[2] https://hakaimagazine.com/news/expanding-canadas-biggest-port-will-be-a-blow-to-wildlife/
Article 2 – Course Connection to Urbanization
The word urbanization is defined as the process by which large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively small areas [1]. It is clear that the course of human history has been marked by a process of accelerated urbanization [1]. As we have read in the textbook, urbanization was only possible because of the improvements in agriculture and transportation. When I think about urbanization and the impacts of the past and what is happening today I think about the town of Tsawwassen, BC. With the development of urbanization in Tsawwassen there have been ongoing flood dangers for Delta homes that are close to the ocean. From the course work, I was challenged to think about the increase in urban development and how that is affecting the land and the people. During high tide events in Boundary Bay, there are many homes and residents that are impacted by annual flooding. I have lived in Tsawwassen and during the winter months, many residents that have homes close to the beach and ocean have to buy sandbags and create temporary blocks to prevent flooding from reaching their homes. With the rise of sea levels, there have been high water levels observed across Tsawwassen, Ladner, and Westham Island [2]. When there are King Tides and gusty winds, residents of Beach Grove and Boundary Bay have to take precautions due to an increased flood risk [2].
Bibliography
[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/urbanization
[2] https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/photos-the-latest-on-the-flood-danger-in-delta-6300806