Nature Be Damned!
Donna and I went to a Wilde Lake Village Board meeting this evening (even though we don’t live in Wilde Lake), at which there was a lengthy, if not incomplete, discussion of changes to the lake to better manage silt, etc. Several residents are adamant that a portion of the plan would include removal of the small island that has formed at the northwest end of the lake — basically, this bird’s home. These residents’ attitude is “nature be damned, I want my lake view.”
While I know that at least one member of the village board knows and loves the wildlife of the lake, it’s important that other voices are heard on this issue. Of course, we should all be for preservation of the lake, but there needs to be a balanced approach that encourages saving the wild life.
Why would we be at a board meeting for a village we don’t live in? A couple of reasons, really. One is that we have decided that we want to live in a condo on this lake. And the other is that, while the lake-side residents are the folks most obviously affected by any changes to the lake itself, Wilde Lake (or, more properly, Lake Wilde) is a valuable resource to all residents of Columbia –and even Howard County.
The image above, shamelessly copped from Google Maps, has been marked up to show a few key locations. The most important are in the northwest corner — the island that has developed there over the past few years, and become home to Great Blue Heron and a nesting area for various species of ducks and geese, as well as a home to at least three species of sand-piper; and the area where the particularly shy Green and Night Heron live. Also shown is the area where the consulting firm is suggesting a “forebay” be installed.
The idea of the forebay is noble. The idea is to slow the water entering the lake so that sediment is more controlled. The result will be that the northwest section of the lake will need to be dredged more frequently (but in smaller volume), while the main body of the lake will require far less dredging.
It seems that The Columbia Association is in the midst of a major water management study to better plan for all of the lakes in Columbia. It seems, however, that, from what was said at the meeting, they are completely unaware of Howard County’s existing initiative, part of which is documented here.
The focus of the project at hand seems to be geared towards band-aiding the lake itself, before working on a more systematic approach to the overall problem of water and sediment management throughout the area (although the representative from the consulting firm did concede that the results of CA’s plan would be taken into account once the date are available).
My deepest concern is that some of the local property owners are more concerned with preserving their lakeside view than anything else. They are, largely, people who bought homes along Wilde Lake 30 years ago, and now have an island where they once had a clear lake view. While I can appreciate their point of view, it is painfully obvious that these folks have never lived on the water before. Water is a tremendous force of nature. It does what it wants. It changes the environment around it over time. When you live on the water, you need to be prepared to live with that fact.
All of this said, and with much more left to say, I would hope that you would take one thing away from this ramble. If you live in the area, and enjoy Lake Wilde and its wildlife, I would urge you to make your voice heard, especially if you are not a lake side resident. Advocate protecting the wildlife of the area and the life of the lake.
Well put!