The Strathmore Bird Sanctuary Initiative presented its opposition to the announced Eagle Heights development.
The group gave a presentation to Strathmore Town Council at their meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 5). The presentation was hosted by Denis Manzer and Simon Metke.
"I moved to Strathmore in 2020 to be a father. We live at the unofficial bird sanctuary, and it's been the most magical four years of my life living here," said Metke as he fought back tears. "It's like a little hidden Narnia in the middle of Strathmore that nobody seems to know about."
The home of the sanctuary was originally the Freeman Farm, where Harry Freeman planted many of the trees near the sanctuary back in the mid-1940s. His son, George, was a founding member of Ducks Unlimited in Strathmore.
"These trees are so valuable. They're a part of Strathmore's heritage," said Manzer.
"The older the trees get, the more established the ecosystem gets. A lot of people think it's being built on already existing land, but this happens to be very biologically diverse land."
According to the group, the proposed Eagle Heights property would damage the precious ecosystem of the wetland it would be built upon. To illustrate their point, Metke and Manzer used Strathmore's town policy.
"It's clear that you know why it's so important to preserve wetlands. They're economically valuable to the community," added Manzer. "According to your policy, no development shall be permitted within 30 metres of the bank of a wetland."
The two mentioned that over 300 species of birds call the wetland home, and that's not including all the other creatures that the birds eat as food, such as the boreal chorus frog and the tiger salamander.
There is also a protected species that lives in the wetland, the Trumpeter Swan, which is classified as a Species of Special Concern in the Alberta Wildlife Act.
"The Migratory Birds Convention Act prohibits the deposit of any substance frequented by these birds, and we know that parking lots are one the worst places bringing pollution into bodies of water," added Manzer.
As an alternative, the group asked that the town consider a new location for the Eagle Heights development that isn't located in a wetland while considering the benefits of an official bird sanctuary in Strathmore.
"There could be an interpretive centre, and bird observatories, this could be a great place for education and bringing in school groups. This is a valuable thing for the young people," said Manzer. "Birding is a multi-million-dollar industry. People could come here to visit the sanctuary and spend money at local businesses."
The two ended their presentation with an excerpt from the Rachel Carson book Silent Spring, which proceeded to bring Manzer to tears as he tried to recite it. Metke helped to finish the excerpt.
Town council did not debate the presentation at the meeting but rather accepted it as information.
The Eagle Heights development was announced late last year and would bring 147 apartments over two buildings to the wetland. The construction would include studio to three-bedroom apartments as well as a community garden, gym, and dog wash.
StrathmoreNow reached out to the town for comment, and we will update the story once we hear back.