The rare alvars of Manitoulin are worthy of conservation

To the Expositor:

In response to a letter to the editor arguing against setting aside land to be conserved, many people seem unaware of how unusual the alvar habitat on Manitoulin Island really is. Misery Bay Provincial Nature Reserve and Park west of Evansville is the only provincial park on Manitoulin Island, 7.6 square kilometres, a tiny part of the entire alvar along the 100 kilometres of south shore. It’s a delightful attraction with a beautiful beach and many trails and I hope people will go to experience it for themselves.

The complaint is that municipal tax dollars are lost because development means increased tax bases. This is an example of a bad tax system that is skewed to foster development at the expense of the environment. Instead of fighting against conservation efforts, Manitouliners should be uniting to work with the province and federal government to try to ensure that municipalities receive financial assistance for preserving our environment, for the sake of the tourism industry, for species at risk who need unspoiled habitat to survive, and for future generations. I wish we had more unspoiled places like our one little provincial park. The famous Algonquin Park is 1000 times its size.

Jan McQuay

Mindemoya

pdabous

An “alvar” is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation (Wikipedia). Who knew?

But one can be sure that immediately adjacent to the alvar is another equally unique and hitherto unappreciated arcanely-named landform. Why, my goodness, I just stepped on another landform with which I’m unfamiliar, that should be preserved and that in this writer’s best of all possible worlds should be the beneficiary of the fruits of a repaired (non-”bad”) tax system.

My goodness, really, Manitouliners should be fighting for funding for keeping everything just like it always was and “how we always liked it”. Non-Manitouliners perhaps wouldn’t understand. They can just go ahead and fight for their own funding to preserve whatever silly little landforms they suffer on.
DaBebamash

“Manitouliners should be uniting to work with the province and federal government to try to ensure that municipalities receive financial assistance for preserving our environment,”

Sounds like they are fighting for the same cause as the Anishnabek Idle No More movement. Protect the land, preserve the land for future generations. Okay, we are on the same page now, right? But would any non-natives compare this situation with that of Idle No More? People, you cannot depend on the government to help out with these situations. band together and demand more money so they area can take care of the area you reside. Maybe the Island community as a whole should be taking steps to preserve its own. If there is any way to accomplish this without the federal or provincial governments, we should pursue that course of action.

Yes, No????