Dear Editor,
A friend and I visited the Marina by Rochon Sands last week and were aghast to see how much of the shoreline vegetation/riparian area had been recently mowed, right to the water.
Whoever did the mowing even backed in to try to remove as much of the cattail bed as possible. I have visited this marina many times to document and photograph birds. It is a rich and diverse area.
There have been rare Great Egrets seen in these shallows and we have watched an American Bittern hunt along the shoreline vegetation that is now totally removed.
As I walked past the now-isolated cattail bed, I noticed a family of Soras as well as a Common Snipe.
These birds, instead of having the length of the shoreline to hunt and feed their young, have only this small cattail patch left.
Isn’t this riparian area protected?
Were permits issued to have this vegetation removed?
If so, why would it be mowed before the birds that depend on this area for food and protection have migrated?
Surely those making decisions in the Summer Village are aware that this shoreline vegetation helps improve water quality and biodiversity?
Myrna Pearman
Sylvan Lake, Ab
