What if in the future we say, “if only we could turn back the clock”? And what if, that future is right now?
On April 25 at 3 p.m., Columbia Basin Trust is hosting an open house for residents to share what’s important to us and a vision for our valley.
Imagine coming home one day to find your access was cut off. Or the grocery stores had empty shelves. Or your water supply was gone. Unfortunately, this is what it is like for some of our wildlife. The signs are there with the loss of the Kokanee salmon and elk habitat fragmentation due to blocked corridors, dried marshes, and increased wildfires.
We may not notice a loss when change happens slowly. It is easy to think now that our actions are insignificant. Still, if many of us are doing the same things without considering the consequences, a cumulative effect can devastate us all. Nature has a way of finding balance itself, but not with our constant interference. So we need to work with nature before we go too far and cause irreversible damage.
With awareness and foresight, we can avoid the insufferable loss of our habitat that damages biodiversity. We depend on biodiversity for nature to thrive and for basic human needs. Biodiversity supports our economies and enhances our well-being.
Recognizing the value of Creston Valley land as they relate to biodiversity is helpful. Then we can understand how our activities and behavior effects all those who rely on those values. We can make conscious, considerate, common-sense decisions.
We need a Community Integrated Biodiversity Map because it can provide valuable information to reference when making decisions. Decisions that may have broader impacts or consequences. They can be as simple as putting up a fence, clearing trees, diverting a stream, digging, or filling in land.
This online map has layers of valuable information that can show water sources, animal corridors, types of habitats (including wetlands), recreational areas (including parks and trails), farmland, industry land, airplane flight paths, residential areas, treasured places (i.e., views, swimming holes), watersheds and forests. This map provides a baseline data so we can monitor change.
Developing a Community Integrated Biodiversity Map, or as I like to think of it - a “Soundness Map”, can strengthen our community because we all have input into its creation, and we have an opportunity to hear each other. It can also help establish a more considerate culture here while improving our quality of life and wildlife habitats.
Please attend Columbia Basin Trust’s open house on April 25, share your biodiversity vision, and ask for support in developing a Community Integrated Biodiversity Map. For more information, visit future.ourtrust.org/community-conversations.
- Debby Johnson, a concerned Creston Valley resident