19 September 2021

Dear Colwood Mayor and Council,

RE: TWO PROPOSED AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT BESIDE HAVENWOOD PARK

The Victoria Natural History Society is a community organization that has supported those with an
interest in nature in our region since 1944, and we currently have approximately 750 members,
many of whom are residents of Colwood. Our organization has three main objectives:
• to stimulate an active interest in natural history,
• to study and protect flora and fauna and their habitats,
• to work with other societies and like bodies having interests in common with this Society.

Along with the other municipalities in the Capital Regional District, the City of Colwood is located
in one of the top three most endangered ecosystems in Canada. We share this region with more
than 100 endangered species, including several that are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act.
It is with this collective and critical stewardship role in mind that we are writing today about any
additional loss of natural areas/greenspaces in Colwood and further impacts to existing
greenspaces through development in your city.

Unlike other municipalities in the region, Colwood has almost no protected areas that belong to the
City itself. This lack of foresight by previous councils can be ameliorated by current mayor and
council through the intentional protection of additional areas, as well as reducing impacts to the
few existing parks the City does manage. Greenway corridors are a further means of creating a
protected areas network in an otherwise urbanized landscape; allowing for wildlife movement as
well as providing a trail system for resident to explore the out–of–doors, exercise, and recharge
their spirits. The positive effect on mental well–being of greenspace is increasingly being
recognized through many scientific studies.

Of grave concern to the Victoria Natural History Society is the continued loss of native vegetation
and the significance of these natural areas for supporting nesting birds, native pollinators
(butterflies and bees), and for providing refuge and food for a myriad of other animals. We hope
you, as mayor and council, will make it a goal of your term to have no net loss of greenspace, and
instead, look for ways to add more protected natural areas in the City of Colwood. This will
provide some balance to the areas of concrete and asphalt in your community.

Sincerely,
Philip Lambert
President
Victoria Natural History Society
president@vicnhs.bc.ca