MAP OF BOUGHTON ISLAND INDICATING LOCATIONS 
     
     F MINIMUM BUFFER ZONE AND HEAVY DEVELOPMENT 
     
    
   
   
    
     0 
     
     .UFFER ZONE. NO DEVELOPMENT WOULD OCCUR 
     
     WITHIN THE MINIMUM BUFFER ZONE. 
     
    
   
   
    
          
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     SCALE (a) 
     
    
   
   
    
     Boughton Island decision out 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY GARY SCHNEIDER 
     
    
   
   
    
     Despite testimony by the top Great 
     
     Blue Heron expert in Canada that any dev- 
     
     elopment could seriously threaten the 
     
     heronry, the Land use Commission has ap- 
     
     proved the subdivision on Boughton Island. 
     
    

    
     The Natural History Society was one 
     
     of four appellants appearing before the 
     
     LUC and put in weeks of effort to research 
     
     and present its case. Help came from many 
     
     quarters - experts in different fields 
     
     supported our cause and donated their time 
     
     to testify; members helped in all ways 
     
     from fundraising to support; and local 
     
     residents came out to voice their opposition 
     
     to the development. NHS President Susan 
     
     Stephenson and Diane Griffin gave enormous 
     
     amounts of time and put forth a strong, I 
     
     well-thought out and, we thought, convincing 
     
     case. 
     
     \\\\ We heard that heron colonies are very 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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     Roonry IJ u", 
     
    

    
     I /' Duncan-M 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     fragile, that suitable habitat is rare, that 
     
     the developer had already violated the con- 
     
     ditions of the approval several times. The 
     
     violations were well-documented and since 
     
     the present government now seems quite 
     
    

    
     eager to protect our offshore islands, we 
     
    

    
     7 hoped for the best. 
     
    

    
     So what went wrong? Or did anything go wrong? Obviously, its hard to 
     
     understand why individual members of the LUC voted the way they did, but 
     
     while at first glance the developer seemed to claim a victory, the decision 
     
     to allow the development carries many restrictions compared to the original 
     
     approval. The subdivision was cut down to 38 lots from 46; development 
     
     must be phased in, starting from Little Boughton Island (the furthest 
     
     lots from the heronry); lot owners can only cut 30% of the trees on their 
     
     property; the subdivision is for summer use only; fencing may be 
     
     required around the heronry, to be decided by Fish and Wildlife Division, 
     
     and many more. Just by appealing the original approval the appellants 
     
     greatly enhanced the chances that the heronry will survive. The developer 
     
     didn't even commission a heron management plan until October, almost 
     
     half a year after the province approved the subdivision. 
     
    

    
     Protecting the heronry certainly has been the big carrot dangling 
     
     before us, but along the way other less tangible but equally valuable 
     
     results came about. Putting the whole case together cost only about 
     
     $3000, and we raised all the funds ourselves through.raffles, donations 
     
     and other means. Unlike the Greenwich case, there were no lawyers' ex- 
     
     penses to contend with afterwards, and several members now have the ex— 
     
     perience and knowledge to present a reasonable case before the LUC. We 
     
     also build strong bonds with the other appellants and everyone seems to 
     
     have been empowered by the whole experience. Working together paid off 
     
     in many ways, although we certainly did not get everything we wanted. 
     
    

    
     And I am sure that this case is a long way from being over — there's been 
     
     talk of the developer selling the land to the Nature Conservancy. Keep 
     
     your ears open, and thanks again for all your support. 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ 5 _