Seaquam Secondary student Simrin Sandhu was walking through the Sunshine Hills area last summer when she realized, suddenly, that the huge trees iconic to the area were disappearing.
Inspired by her volunteer work with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, where she learned more about Douglas Fir trees and environmental activism, she has since become more vocal about the causes she cares deeply about.
“These trees aren’t just trees, of course. They’re kind of like a symbolic representation of the heritage of Delta ... They’re specific to where we live, they’re kind of like a symbolic representation of who we are and they influence sustainability, and that really matters to me,” says Sandhu.
“These trees are also wildlife to other creatures – they’re not just pretty for us to look at, they are homes for other animals and species out there, so, their value is really, really high.”
The petition, named “Save the Douglas Fir Trees”, highlights how North Delta’s Sunshine Hills area is renown for its beautiful Douglas Firs, and expresses concerns about current bylaws in place that don’t necessarily protect or value them in the way that Sandhu feels they should be.
In an email to Delta council on Oct. 28, the 17-year-old wrote how she has nothing against the development of certain areas, but not at the cost of getting rid of all the Sunshine Hills’ beautiful, old trees.
The petition, which now has more than 1,300 signatures, was also included in that email.
On Nov. 1, Mayor George Harvie responded.
“This has been discussed by council and our city manager has been requested to report back on the loss of significant trees due to construction activity. I support additional restrictions against removal of significant trees in all of Delta. I have seen the results of the removal of significant trees in the Sunshine Hills area and see additional restrictions as a priority of council,” he wrote.
During the regular meeting of council on Oct. 4, as previously reported by the Optimist, Delta staff said they will have a detailed discussion to come up with more clear definitions of significant trees, and then will report back to council.
They are also working to make a list of the significant trees throughout the community.
