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SOURCE="http://www.yorkregion.com/opinion-story/4062329-bravo-to-naturalists-for-continuing-observatory-fight/"
DOWNLOAD_UTC="20140515T191338Z")) 

Bravo to Naturalists for continuing
observatory fight

Richmond Hill letter to the editor

Richmond Hill Liberal Re: New challenge
mounted to observatory deal, Aug. 31.

I was uplifted to learn the Richmond
Hill Naturalists are taking the fight
to preserve the observatory site to
the Ontario courts.

Living just off Bayview Avenue,
I was dreading the endless delays
caused by heavy equipment, noisy
cement trucks and fleeing wildlife
that the construction of 530 houses
would cause on a road that already has
heavy traffic.

I applaud the Naturalists for the
tenacity and courage to fight for
an issue that has a long history in
Richmond Hill.

I remember attending a "standing room
only" council meeting in the old
council chambers on Yonge Street in
the 1980s. One local physician spoke
eloquently about the work of the late
astronomer, Dr. Helen Hogg. Astronomers
from the observatory also spoke, as
did the high profile and expensive
lawyer of the developers before an
important vote.

If the whole site could be saved from
development then there is hope the
historic observatory telescope could
continue to be a viable instrument and
significant wildlife will not perish
with the destruction of their habitat.

With numerous condominiums being
built on Yonge and Bayview, thousands
of newcomers will be flooding into
our town.

What better time to prepare for their
arrival than to save a significant
greenspace for newcomers and for those
already here to enjoy, just as New
Yorkers enjoy Central Park?

The significance of the observatory
transcends the mediated settlement
supported by the OMB decision because
it speaks to outcomes that cannot be
measured in dollar bills. Outcomes
such as the continued viability of
a historic telescope, ethical and
appropriate use of land — do we
really need huge mansions? — quality
of life, peace and tranquility of
nature that plays an important role in
our mental health are receiving more
attention now.

The current battle by the Town of
Richmond Hill to require more parkland
to be set aside by developers also
reflects changing values.

Why rip down nature with one hand,
yet plant new trees with the other? It
does not make sense.

This issue is historic and compelling
and will simply not go away.

Kathy Mochnacki

Richmond Hill
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