A Changed Commute

[SalsaMTB]

For the last two and a half years that I've been employed at my current job, I have taken the same commute. The one highlight during my commute is when I exit the freeway and wait for my turn to go through the light, there is a peaceful pond next to the road. It's a natural pond in a wetlands area, not the cookie cutter man-made ponds you see in neighborhoods or in front of office buildings. This was a mother nature made pond and I enjoyed it. It was my glimpse at the beauty of nature before I began my day in a cubicle. Every morning I gaze out of my vehicle and watch a swan swim around. There are some thin trees the block the view a little, but the swan normally swims around one area in particular and I am able to see it every morning. Year after year, the swan is there. As spring rolled around this year, the swan had babies, so I had the joy of watching the momma, pappa and baby swans swim around the pond. I knew each morning as I exited the freeway, my swans would be there peacefully swimming around.

Over the last month, construction trucks rolled into my glimpse of nature near the freeway. There was a new office building in the works. The trucks seemed to be working in an area just beyond the wetlands pond. The trucks really disrupted the pleasantness of my view, but I hoped that they would leave the little swans home undisturbed.

As I rolled off the freeway this morning, all my hopes of my swans' home remaining came crashing down. The pond was filled with dirt and there were construction trucks sitting on top of the place the swans once called their home. It broke my heart. My glimpse of peaceful nature during my morning commute is now gone.

What bothers me the most is that in my area, businesses are leaving left and right. There are empty office buildings all over the place, yet this company felt the need to build their office right in the middle of the tiny bit of wetlands that remained in suburban sprawl. My morning commute will never be the same.

[KnottedYet]

Oh, that is so sad! I'm sorry for the swan. (and you, but more the swan)

[Tri Girl]

That's so sad. I'm sorry they've felt the need to destroy that beautiful little habitat. Sadly, it's just another example of humans bullying nature and taking over what space they have left.
I hope the swan found another satisfying home...

[mimitabby]

wow. no laws against that sort of thing? Here in the Pac. NW, schools, factories
and business complexes are built AROUND these sorts of things.
We have a frog pond near our house that 60 years ago boys chased frogs in.
When they scheduled to build the african american academy on that plot of land, we all grieved the loss. But instead, they left about an acre, fenced it all offbounds from people, and there are still frogs, rushes and birds there.

I am sorry to hear about that. very sad indeed. I just finished reading about the near demise of yet another butterfly for the same reason. they keep developing on "barren" land where wonderful little ecosystems once lived...

[bikerHen]

Wetlands like that are protected here in Eastern Washington. For the most part developers obey the laws. Every once in a while wetlands get mysteriously fill in though. When they get caught at it there is a lot of finger pointing and I don't know how that happened statements. Nothing much seems to be done to the offenders, which is why it keeps happening. It is sad though, very sad for the wildlife that call the wetlands home. And sad for so many people that truly understand what a tragic loss it is.

There was about 50 acres of forest torn out for a new freeway across from us two years ago. This is the first spring/summer we have had squirrels again. I thought they were gone for good. bikerHen