Kitchener Council and the future of Huron Natural Area (no outing)
No outing – for information only! The future of Huron Natural Area
Have you ever wondered why natural areas are so hard to protect? Here’s your chance for a close-up view of the municipal process that decides if land gets to stay natural.
Next Monday at Kitchener City Hall, local elected politicians, city staff, developers, and nature lovers will converge for an exciting monthly ritual: the meeting of City Council.
We expect a major focus in this session will be on the future of a 40-acre plot of land adjoined to one of our favourite outing venues, Kitchener’s beloved Huron Natural Area.
Here is your chance to learn more about the history of HNA, and ongoing efforts of developers to convert natural habitat into commercial real estate. Delegations from the community and others will provide details on the proposed site development, with a focus on the local environmental features that will be destroyed—including turtle and bird nesting sites, ecological corridors, and public paths through accessible urban nature—and new ones that will, some say, replace them.
This is an opportunity to closely observe the “front face” of the local planning approval process. (Like a termite mound, there are complex workings below ground that most who lack the required training are unlikely to ever see, unless they are willing to dig very deep.) You will be able to witness close-up a local microcosm of the forces that make local decisions that contribute to the massive ecological impacts of the Anthropocene—such as global biodiversity loss, climate inaction, and the public nature deprivation epidemic.
With careful observation you will enjoy the tense vocalizations, soft feedings of predigested materials, the steadfast stance of territorial claimants, and the deft dancing of some attendees around sharp points raised in contest, all culminating in the natural (some say predetermined) stamp of approval.
Not only can you witness this remarkable monthly ritual, you can also watch as other community members participate by speaking in front of Council (this is known as “delegating”).
To be clear, delegating is sometimes considered a form of advocacy, and is not part of this outing; anyone delegating must do so independently of Waterloo Region Nature. WRN has not taken a position for or against the proposal before Council and will not be delegating at this meeting, nor will it be associated with any delegation.
For those who wish to do so, they can sign up to delegate by noon on Wednesday and have their name added to the agenda (but anyone can still sign up until shortly before the meeting starts); persons can also submit PowerPoint slides or other materials for display (by noon Friday). And since this outing will be recorded for posterity, we can all return again and again to view these natural wonders (unlike the naturalized area in question, which has been closed against visitors for many long months).
Just a reminder to outing participants: the Council Chambers represent a unique and somewhat delicate ecology. Its inhabitants are very sensitive to unexpected noises and do not tolerate signage well. Please be respectful of all the current and historical stewards of these lands, remembering too the debt we have to our children and future generations, the human and non-human, the rocks and moss and underground people too.
By the end of this outing you should be able to better recognize and understand the forces driving the ongoing loss of biodiversity and natural space in Kitchener, the Region, and even globally.
What to bring: Wear comfortable clothing, and a N95 mask if you wish. You will also want to bring snacks and water—this could be a long outing!
Washrooms are available.
Optional advance reading:
There are many excellent books and documentaries outlining the human processes behind global ecological breakdown. For more on this specific development, you can check out links here and here, or even watch the previous committee meeting which was captured on video – all five hours of it!—with the HNA portion beginning around 1:10:00.
See you out there!
Shane Mulligan, Outings Director