Login / RegisterMayor Gregor Robertson's golf-course housing dreams would be "disastrous for biodiversity"
Mayor Gregor Robertson may downplay the value of city-owned golf courses such as Langara for their green space and biodiversity—and dream of housing developments on bulldozed links—but nature experts disagree.
“In recent years, a lot of the golf courses, particularly in Vancouver, have changed their tune to a much happier degree for wildlife,” Mike Mackintosh, "semiretired" urban-wildlife manager and 30-year veteran at the Vancouver park board, told the Straight by phone. “The reduced use of herbicides and fungicides…has been very good.”
Asked about biodiversity, Mackintosh said the courses generally have ponds, thickets, hedgerows, and areas of planted trees “that do provide habitat for a much greater diversity of species than we used to see”.
Last month, Robertson told the Vancouver Sun it was “debatable” whether Langara Golf Course “is valuable green space”.
“The public can’t access it; it is not biodiverse and there is no strong business case,” the paper quoted the mayor as saying on June 26. Robertson went on to say that he was amenable to the idea of allowing housing on the golf-course lands.
The mayor was not available for an interview with the paper before the Straight’s deadline.
Then, at their July 9 meeting, Vancouver park-board commissioners voted 4–2 in favour of Vision Vancouver vice chair Aaron Jasper’s motion to ask staff to “compile and report back usage and revenue metrics” of Vancouver’s golf and pitch-and-putt courses; the motion was amended to state that there was no suggested use of golf-course land for commercial or residential developments.
According to the park-board website, Vancouver’s three major municipal 18-hole courses—Fraserview, McCleery, and Langara—together comprise 186 hectares, almost 15 percent of the city’s parkland. The site also states that all three provide “prime habitat for numerous
species of birds, mammals and aquatic wildlife”.
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System of Canada has certified all three courses, the board site also notes.
Jasper told media last week that Langara could be turned into a nine-hole golf course and the rest of the site made into parkland or the entire property could become a public park.
Jude Grass, a naturalist who worked for 24 years with B.C. Parks and Metro Vancouver Parks, chairs the birding section of Nature Vancouver (formerly the Vancouver Natural History Society). She said the consequences of developing housing on the Langara course are obvious: “That would be disastrous for biodiversity,” she said by phone.
Grass said the results of turning the course into parkland might not be much better for wildlife. “I think I would be against turning it into a park, because the city always seems to want to put in playing fields and lights,” she said. She added that Nature Vancouver’s 2011 bird count for the Langara course identified 70 species, and “I suspect it’s a lot more than that.” She also noted that it probably even supports deer.
Robyn Worcester, a biologist with the Stanley Park Ecology Society, told the Straight that lots of wild animals make their homes on the properties. “I know the golf courses are hot spots for coyotes, and I know that they have some waterfowl in the ponds, like geese and mallards and gadwall, and I know that they do have a variety of songbirds in the spring and fall entering into there, as well as bats,” she said by phone.
Worcester said she wasn’t sure how high the “small mammal” population was on the courses, but she noted that coyotes eat mice, rats, and other such animals and that there is probably at least one coyote den on each of the properties.
The Cambie Corridor Plan approved by city council in May 2011 includes the provision of “much needed habitat for local wildlife”, as well as strategies that “enhance and connect both aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity” in the corridor, which includes Langara Golf Course. The plan also included the Langara course in a list of the corridor’s “significant natural habitats”, and noted that the opportunity to “enhance…biodiversity within parks” was “especially high, given the scale of open space such as Queen Elizabeth Park and the Langara Golf Course”.
Robertson may feel there isn't a "business case" for the golf courses in their current state but open green spaces aren't a business case. Its the enviornment. It is what will continue to give Vancouver its livability. Lanagara has a walking trail around it for public use. Just imagine what that will be like to have in another 50 yrs!
The golf courses are home to many animals, including eagles. Why do we want to get rid of that? For a group who will spend millions on bike lanes because they are "enviornmental" you'd think they would get it. Apparently not. It makes me think the bike lane posiiton, is just that a position; which is for the benefit of the few at the inconvience of the many.
The golf courses maybe played on by fewer people these days but things such as golf come & go. In the future more will play again. right now I doubt if many can afford the equipment give the economic times.
I consider the golf courses in Vancouver to be like the Detla bog. It provides a natural enviornment in an increasingly urban setting. To turn any of it into a park isn't going to help. There would be playing fields, lights. buildings, etc. None of which would aid the enviornment.
If they want more park, they can buy land or have the developers buy it & require them to build the parks within or around their projects. They might want to spend more money on green spaces around schools & add to those so they can be used as park. Many schools in Vancouver have inadequate play areas or they are covered in things other than grass.
There used to be a 18 hole golf course there too.
We can bury the PNE executive board there as nitrogen and carbon sources for the thousands of trees necessary to create a "Black Forest"
Please check the Langara Website and you will see that the course, like the other municipal courses, is Audobon certified based on its eco-sensitive policies. The golf courses are equally bio-diverse as city parks given the variety of wild life, birds, tress etc.
You are correct about the Audobon certification (which is also mentioned in the article above).
That certification was awarded in 2004 for Langara and McCleery (the year before for Fraserview), and it requires that the course not use chemicals for pest control for purely aesthetic reasons, and also stipulates strict terms for water conservation and water quality (preventing chemical and fertilizer runoff), among other environmental concerns.
The certification is presently up for renewal.
“Last week Robertson revealed his plan to establish a housing authority that would manage the development of taxpayer-owned land. He also revealed he’s open to leasing some city public golf courses to developers for the construction of public housing. Referring to Langara golf course in particular, Robertson said, “It is debatable as to whether that is valuable green space.”
I’ll remind everyone that when Vision talk “public housing” they are talking high rise glass towers. Clearly there is a lot of money to be made by building a string of towers along Cambie on Langara land.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/07/10/vancouver-is-teeing-off-over-city-own...
Also, lets get rid of the public tennis courts, I pass them every day and they are maybe only 80% utilized.
Also, lets get rid of the public parks, the average people density there is one person per square 20 yards (tho that could increase by getting rid of the trees and so on).
Lets, get rid of Spanish Banks beach areas - that is empty all through winter, such under-utilization.
Lets get rid of the lawn bowling facilities - only old folks them right?
Lets get rid of CITY HALL, YEAH!
Seriously, golf courses are a relief in dense cities and three for Vancouver are less than adequate. Perhaps schools could be encouraged to increase participation among teenagers. Golf builds character (honesty, integrity, very personal challenge), golf encourages cultural understanding (I played regularly with my canadian friends of chinese, philipines, and east indian origins and it was a blast.), golf gets people moving and gets some fresh air into their lungs and sunshine on their skins (vit D and all that). Golf is gender neutral, age neutral, and so on.
Hey another thought - lets replace the bike lanes with Laneway Housing! These bike lanes are EMPTY!!
Come on folks - get out golfing this weekend, the weather is fabulous - John