12-year-old girl's heartfelt letter saves B.C. forest
Hyack @ Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:02 pm
Some great stuff from a 12 year old girl living in Surrey BC.
$1:
Olivia Peters is being hailed by environmental activists around the web today for saving an entire Surrey, B.C. forest from bulldozers with her words.
The fact that she's in Grade 6 makes her story all the more impressive.
In an open letter to Mayor Dianne Watts published in Surrey's Now newspaper last month, 12-year-old Olivia made a strong case against a construction project that would have eliminated a patch of old-growth forest near her family's home.
"This is not just some email that a kid wants to send to the mayor of her city," she wrote.
"It is an email from a concerned citizen of Surrey who wants the very best for the future of Surrey."
Olivia said she was motivated to take action after a walk through the forest with her mother, during which she noticed many of the nearly century-old trees in Bose Farm Forest marked with orange spraypaint and metal tags.
Worried that the trees could be pegged for elimination, Olivia investigated further - only to find out that she was completely right. The forest was slated to be razed in order to make way for a new housing development.
"We were highly disappointed because this forest is in the area where I grew up and am currently growing up, and I don't want to think of it as a place for new houses or even a park to be built," wrote Olivia in her letter.
"Some trees in the forest are nearly 100 years old and it's not right to be cutting these trees down. A lot of Surrey has no more forests, and I think we really need to protect areas where there are still some left."
Her concern expanded beyond the human citizens of her town.
"Many animals and plants of all different kinds live there, including eagles, other birds, raccoons, field mice, voles, squirrels, cedar trees, fern bushes, deer and many more," she wrote. "And those animals will be sentenced to death as soon as the machines move in."
After reading her call for preservation, many came forward to express their support - town officials included.
The developer's initial proposal ended up being rejected as a result of her concern according to The Province in B.C.
Under a new plan the construction project was been scaled back drastically, leaving a sizeable chunk -- seven hectares -- of the old-forest in place.
Olivia's mother Lois Peters is as proud of her daughter as the rest of the internet seems to be.
"She's quite passionate about stuff," she told The Province. "Maybe one day she'll change the world. Right now she's just trying to change her little part of it."
The fact that she's in Grade 6 makes her story all the more impressive.
In an open letter to Mayor Dianne Watts published in Surrey's Now newspaper last month, 12-year-old Olivia made a strong case against a construction project that would have eliminated a patch of old-growth forest near her family's home.
"This is not just some email that a kid wants to send to the mayor of her city," she wrote.
"It is an email from a concerned citizen of Surrey who wants the very best for the future of Surrey."
Olivia said she was motivated to take action after a walk through the forest with her mother, during which she noticed many of the nearly century-old trees in Bose Farm Forest marked with orange spraypaint and metal tags.
Worried that the trees could be pegged for elimination, Olivia investigated further - only to find out that she was completely right. The forest was slated to be razed in order to make way for a new housing development.
"We were highly disappointed because this forest is in the area where I grew up and am currently growing up, and I don't want to think of it as a place for new houses or even a park to be built," wrote Olivia in her letter.
"Some trees in the forest are nearly 100 years old and it's not right to be cutting these trees down. A lot of Surrey has no more forests, and I think we really need to protect areas where there are still some left."
Her concern expanded beyond the human citizens of her town.
"Many animals and plants of all different kinds live there, including eagles, other birds, raccoons, field mice, voles, squirrels, cedar trees, fern bushes, deer and many more," she wrote. "And those animals will be sentenced to death as soon as the machines move in."
After reading her call for preservation, many came forward to express their support - town officials included.
The developer's initial proposal ended up being rejected as a result of her concern according to The Province in B.C.
Under a new plan the construction project was been scaled back drastically, leaving a sizeable chunk -- seven hectares -- of the old-forest in place.
Olivia's mother Lois Peters is as proud of her daughter as the rest of the internet seems to be.
"She's quite passionate about stuff," she told The Province. "Maybe one day she'll change the world. Right now she's just trying to change her little part of it."
story
It's too bad there aren't more people, never mind 12 year olds like this, out there making an effort to save or at least do something about things they believe in.
Strutz @ Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:21 pm
Good for her!
A shining example of how a voice, no matter how small, CAN make a difference.
Lemmy @ Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:40 pm
A story like that can make a person's whole day.
matwilson @ Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:31 pm
Now that's a great, magical story.
cougar @ Mon Jul 15, 2013 10:24 pm
matwilson matwilson:
Now that's a great, magical story.
They must have chopped down some other forest nearby.
Do you think they stalled development because of a forest and a 12 year old girl?
GreenTiger @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 4:53 am
Good Heart, Great young lady and will make a very fine Canadian. ![[BB]](./images/smilies/beers.gif "Beers")
![[flag]](./images/smilies/smilie_flag.gif "Canada Flag")
N_Fiddledog @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 5:27 am
Good for her. I remember Surrey from when I was a kid. God it was beautiful. It's pretty much all strip malls and townhouse complexes now. I'm surprised there's anything left worth saving.
I feel like a hypocrite though. I'm all for capitalism and private property rights, and totally anti Agenda 21 - moving the populace into the central hive and such. Still...it's a shame to lose all that beautiful forest.
Gunnair @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:40 am
Well done to her!
Brenda @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:47 am
GreenTiger GreenTiger:
Good Heart, Great young lady and will make a very fine Canadian.
Will make?
DrCaleb @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:20 am
Strutz Strutz:
A shining example of how a voice, no matter how small, CAN make a difference.
"If you think you are too small to affect change, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito." - The Dhali Llama.
Good on her!
Zipperfish @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 8:34 am
Enviroweenie liberal. 
PluggyRug @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:01 pm
Zipperfish Zipperfish:
Enviroweenie liberal.
She's a conserv-ative.
BartSimpson @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:31 pm
It's a very nice story absent the fact that a grove of 100-year-old trees absolutely does not rate being classed as an 'old growth' forest in a region where the definition of the term is found in trees that are at least 1,000 years old.
Public_Domain @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:53 pm
peck420 @ Tue Jul 16, 2013 3:02 pm
Hard to get more 1,000 year old trees if we can cut down everything around 100.
Time to start building up, rather then out.