Back on April 23, I wrote about the "development" around Perry Phillips Lake in southeast Columbia. While I assumed that more housing would be built in a field west of the lake, I learned today that the work will result in "park improvement," including a covered pavilion for park visitors and local residents. Needless to say, that news did not ease my disappointment.
Development is development. Natural habitat loss occurs whether new apartments or suburban park structures occupy the site. I doubt the pavilion will be the only "improvement;" chances are, it will be flanked by a playground, grills and "comfort facilities" among other human requirements. Parks, after all, are for humans; the wildlife will adapt.
The relentless destruction of natural habitat has long had a negative effect on native wildlife. Indeed, American bird populations have decreased dramatically over the past fifty years. No worries though; we can always go to zoos to see them, just as we did with the passenger pigeon.
