Editor,
On a recent visit to Redwood Park in South Surrey, having not been there for a few years, I was saddened to see the state it's falling into.
The Himalayan blackberry is out of control, as it is in so many places. In one meadow that was especially beautiful, the (bad) decision was made to fence off the big leaf maple, and because of that the meadow has become a waste of blackberry.
An owl house, along with sign, newly erected in the same meadow is stewardship virtue-signalling in a place where the owls have always had a home.
The painted "fairy houses" amassing in one part of the woods is ridiculous and garbagey, and they need to be scrapped. But especially the Himalayan blackberry, not only in Redwood Park, but southwestern B.C. in general.
Political leaders should initiate long-term projects to eradicate this invasive species from our environments. It would be a longtime project, but it can be done. In the meanwhile, it's just getting worse and worse.
Paul Stilwell, Surrey
