Haro Woods
Encyclopedia
Haro Woods is one of the few urban forest
s remaining in the Municipality of Saanich
, one of the 13 municipalities which make up the Capital Regional District
(CRD) on the south portion of Vancouver Island
(CRD includes and 3 electoral areas, also). It is similar in beauty to Mystic Vale
, the forested ravine located to the south east and outside of the University of Victoria
(UVIC) campus. Mystic Vale is on the List of protected areas of British Columbia.
Concerned citizens realize Haro Woods might face a new threat, that of the destruction of its central core, in order to build one of CRD's secondary sewage treatment plants. The construction of such a plant in this area runs against urban planning as most settlements and cities show forethought and conscious design in their layout and functioning.
Haro Woods is of historical significance as a public wild woodland in the Queenswood
neighbourhood with many citizens and members of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association working to remove invasive species
(blackberry, broom etc.) from one of its sections.
In the spring of 2008 in a three week period, thousands of signatures were gathered in a petition to save the area from inappropriate development.
UVIC has already committed in their Campus Plan to retain their part of Haro Woods as protected greenspace “in perpetuity”.
It now appears, in 2011, that sewage treatment will be developed at other sites in the Greater Victoria region.
Urban forest
An urban forest is a forest or a collection of trees that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. In a narrower sense it describes areas whose ecosystems are inherited from wilderness...
s remaining in the Municipality of Saanich
Saanich, British Columbia
The District of Saanich is a municipality on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is located north of the provincial capital, Victoria. It has a population of 108,265 people, making it the most populous municipality on Vancouver Island, and the seventh most populous in the province...
, one of the 13 municipalities which make up the Capital Regional District
Capital Regional District, British Columbia
The Capital Regional District is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
(CRD) on the south portion of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
(CRD includes and 3 electoral areas, also). It is similar in beauty to Mystic Vale
Mystic Vale
Mystic Vale is a forested ravine that was acquired by the University of Victoria in 1993 and is located outside the ring road to the south east of campus. Its tree canopy is dominated by large specimens of Douglas-fir and grand fir. A few western red cedar also occur. Scattered among these conifers...
, the forested ravine located to the south east and outside of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
(UVIC) campus. Mystic Vale is on the List of protected areas of British Columbia.
Geography and Location
The total area of Haro Woods is about 9 hectares (approx. 22.25 acres). The northwest half (4.5 hectares, or 11.1 acres) is owned by the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children's Health. The southeast half of Haro Woods is now split between the Municipality of Saanich (3 hectares, or about 7.4 acres) and UVIC (1.5 hectares, or about 3.7 acres).Controversy
CRD purchased the northwest half of the Woods from the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children's Health so that it would possibly be available to use for sewage treatment by the region. The QA Foundation leases some of their land to VIHA to provide medical services to children at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health.Concerned citizens realize Haro Woods might face a new threat, that of the destruction of its central core, in order to build one of CRD's secondary sewage treatment plants. The construction of such a plant in this area runs against urban planning as most settlements and cities show forethought and conscious design in their layout and functioning.
Haro Woods is of historical significance as a public wild woodland in the Queenswood
Cadboro Bay, British Columbia
Cadboro Bay is a seaside community and bay located on southern Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the Municipality of Saanich just to the north of the Municipality of Oak Bay...
neighbourhood with many citizens and members of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association working to remove invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
(blackberry, broom etc.) from one of its sections.
In the spring of 2008 in a three week period, thousands of signatures were gathered in a petition to save the area from inappropriate development.
UVIC has already committed in their Campus Plan to retain their part of Haro Woods as protected greenspace “in perpetuity”.
It now appears, in 2011, that sewage treatment will be developed at other sites in the Greater Victoria region.