Stop paving paradise
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TweetA few years ago, in a CVN letter, one of Haines’ long-standing tour operators raised the question: Why do we as a community full of creative, artist, and visionary people always make development decisions that degrade the very aesthetic and cultural qualities of our community that are highly valued by both locals and visitors alike?
Since that letter appeared, we have sadly continued in that direction---now burying the entire heart of our spectacular waterfront (and its associated Native history and wetlands habitat) under mountains of gravel. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but every time I drive along the waterfront these days I find myself unconsciously singing that classic Joni Mitchell song: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot...” Of course, the ultimate lesson of this song is in the line that follows: “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…”
So, as we continue to pave paradise, I must ask again: How come there’s such a disconnect between our community’s creative, visionary citizenry and our local decision-making process?
George Figdor
