A warm breeze softly hummed through the high, crooked branches of a great oak tree Sunday night, as down below people gathered to mourn the death of trees.
About 75 people congregated at a mid-point along a disconnected extension of the Silvercreek Parkway to celebrate and grieve over a scraggly green oasis that has sprung up in the decommissioned Lafarge gravel pit.
Recent news that 1,950 trees on a property owned Fieldgate Developments will be cut down in the coming days has saddened many, and outraged some. There are those who want to fight to stop the cutting.
The clearing operation is all official. The City of Guelph has granted a permit allowing the work to be carried out on land that has become increasingly green in recent years, and increasingly a playground for residents of the the Onward Willow and Junction neighbourhoods, and many others.
Each person that gathered had their own grief, their own personal connection to the land, and their own stories about it.
Christine Lafazanos, a life-cycle celebrant, and neighbourhood resident with a close connection to the Lafarge lands, encouraged each individual to grieve in their own way, to give thanks for what the land has given, and to tell their stories.
Lafazanos said she often walks in reflection among the trees on the land, and has found inspiration in the space for her ideas and her writing.
The clearing of the land – preliminary work began last week – is like an eviction of the many insects, birds and other animals that live in it, she said.
“Give yourself permission to grieve,” she said, as many did just that, weeping as they looked up into waying branches that will soon be fallen to the ground.
“We mourn that loss of life,” Lafazanos said, “and we celebrate our memories and stories.”
Many children took part in the Sunday night gathering. And there were a number of dogs mingling among the humans. The land is a popular dog-walking area, a place for the pets to run free.
“We are not the only animals that will miss this space,” Lafazanos added.
In recent days, signs that something was about to happen of a developmental nature began to emerge. A wide swath outlining the perimeter of the property was cut through the woods, and steel fenceposts began going up. Once the fencing is up, the cutting is expected to commence. The towering, and fairly rare bur oak is being protected.
Every day, and throughout the years, a diversity of human activities has taken place on the land. It is a good place for a strenuous, cross-country jog, a place to build an illegal campfire, and a BMX jumping ground. Once the fencing is up, those activities will cease.
Singer-songwriter James Gordon, a city councillor, performed a couple of songs at the gathering. Both expressed a combination of anger and sorrow over the decimation of the natural environment. By way of introducing his first song, Gordon said the gathering was a clear sign of hope – hope in the power of people to come together for the protection of the earth.
In an interview, Gordon said he holds out hope that the owner of the property, who does not have immediate plans to develop the land, will postpone the cutting of trees.
“The owner of the property may - with an event like this, and with the commentary we’re hearing - recognize that it is a real liability as a community member to do this,” Gordon said.
He said there is value in being a good corporate citizen, and the cutting might devalue the business potential of land if the owner goes ahead with the cutting and ends up vilified by the public.
“We grieve that which we value,” Lafazanos added. “We grieve because this land and space has given so much.”
She offered an apology to the land, acknowledging the shame that is felt for being a member of a culture in which some do not see the value of natural spaces.
Participants in the vigil were invited to tie strips of fabric to a branch, a gesture of mourning for the trees that will be cut down.
