Delta cannot be faulted for closing some of its most popular parks in North Delta due to extreme fire risks.
The bog has been described as the lungs of the Lower Mainland. Over recent decades, many hundreds of acres of trees have been lost to fires there, some which took weeks to put out, not only at enormous cost to taxpayers but also to the environment and regional air quality. These fires were caused by people tossing cigarette butts, or driving all-terrain vehicles - totally preventable.
Of course, the closures pose an inconvenience and might jeopardize programs offered by the Burns Bog Conservation Society, and this is unfortunate. The society's president, Eliza Olson, doesn't agree with the closure as she maintains more eyes on the trails will help to alert the fire department if there is a fire.
The municipality says its police officers, firefighters and bylaws officers will be those eyes. It's a large area to cover. They'll have their work cut out for them.
The Now