comes great responsibility. — Uncle Ben Parker to Peter Parker – Spider Man. Just because it came from a movie, doesn’t make it any less true, I suppose.
Not too long ago, July 7th, I posted some pictures of a small pond at the end of my street. Since then, I have visited that small ecosystem frequently. I like to pause and have a look as I’m walking my dog. All through the summer, I was greeted by the familiar sight of a green heron feeding in that pond.
There were minnows, tadpoles, a green heron, cattails, innumerable insects, water spiders, etc. Now, all of it is gone. Shea Homes decided that it would cost them more to leave it than to remove it and build a home upon that site. I asked. So, this last Monday, in came the bulldozers, backhoes, and dump trucks to destroy a habitat that had existed for years and years. In a matter of mere seconds it was destroyed, lost, and forgotten.
How swift we are to intervene and destroy nature just because we have the power to do so and because we want that thing that we’ve all agreed is so valuable. Money. We destroy, not because we need to, but because we can and it would be too costly to find a different way.
How much nicer would it have been to preserve this area for kids to marvel at, safely, in times to come? No, that would cost too much. Can’t make enough of a profit with a non-producing pond. Sigh …
Oh well, best wishes to the heron and the finches as they move on to other areas. Too bad for the minnows, water spiders, tadpoles, and frogs. There’s money to be made.
I wonder if anyone else will miss it. Probably not.
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That is a terrible shame and a terrible waste!! You never got a chance to build a trust with the heron, either. I’m so sorry!
Sorry but aren’t you doing exactly the same?
Ana, I’m not quite sure what you are getting at. How am I doing exactly the same?
The same thing has just happened in our neighborhood. It was a lovely short cut along a pond and through a pretty little trail. All the neighbors are bummed out:(.
I live in NJ and stories like that are far too common here. It’s very sad to see the few open spaces left here being destroyed at breakneck speed. I am sorry too hear that it is happening where you are in North Carolina, a place we want to retire to (but not in a “new” development).
Paul,
I think it is good stewardship to leave some of these natural areas around development – it is good for ALL of the animals. Most new housing developments leave or ‘create’ open natural areas because that is what people want. I am so glad that you loved this hidden area and have many photographs by which to remember it!!