No Quarry in Bayside

Art MacKay's recent piece  in the media got me thinking of my own story, and wondering how many others have traveled a similar path.  Recently I read Bernd Heinrick's "The Geese of Beaver Bog" (he is also known for his "Winter World", other books on the Maine woods and the intelligence of ravens).  I now can understand how many young couples, geese, human, and otherwise devote considerable energy and thought to selecting a nest site to settle down and maybe raise a family. We all look for a safe location with sustenance for bothbody and spirit for the nurturing years ahead.

After "trying" New Zealand for two years, my wife and I returned home to Montreal in 1964. I was about to start work as an engineer in training at Seagram's distillery when I was also offered an engineering job at the Biological Station in St. Andrew's at $5520 per annum.  Even a goose, silly or not, would have no trouble deciding between Ville La Salle and St. Andrews-by-the Sea.  We were lucky to raise three beautiful children here, then we all moved on.  Closer to the present, after eight years on "The Rock" (Newfoundland) enjoying the rugged beauty of the Avalon, I couldn't wait to retire to my Bayside home near our old St. Andrews nest site.  While it may lack in city amenities, it abounds with incomparable scenery, rich natural smells, old Acadian forests, a vast intertidal zone, and opportunities to enjoy all aspects of water and wilderness.

How many others have taken this "road less traveled"?  Would they have come here if we then had heavy industry such as a permanent aggregate facility chewing away at our coastline and hills?  Talking with one entrepreneurial couple recently the answer was a resounding, "No way!"  They would not even come here to visit.  They are from Europe via Vancouver and Montreal and hope to retire here. Others I have met relate similar histories and come from all over the world.  After much traveling, as I did, they settle here to work or to retire, quite simply because this is, or was, their choice as the best place in the world to be.  Tourists come here for the same reason, wishing they too could stay.  I have met people in rural parts of Newfoundland who also feel this way about their home.  They come from big industrialized cities all over the world, not for more industrialization and its jobs, but for the serenity, beauty, and opportunity to do one's own thing, to be able to step outside one's home and within minutes, "walk on the wild side" such as some of you have seen in my photographs.  No matter where they settle, these are generally soulful and imaginative people who are creative, energetic and persistent enough to develop their own careers, even grow some of their own food. They add a welcome dimension and lasting contribution to their community and to the local economy.

Another facet of our community shines in those we call "the salt of the earth".  These are the people of this rural area whose family names appear on very old maps, descendants of original European settlers, whose roots go back centuries. They may not be as outspoken as we former city dwellers who have been here only decades, but they have an intrinsic sense of value and love for their homes, for the land, the lakes and salt waters, and for the wildlife and wilderness that is probably literally in their blood.

Here we come to the paradox of trying to keep the area as we love it, yet provide opportunities and employment for our youths.  Regardless of what one's own home nest site offers, fledglings and children will all fly off to "do their own thing".  We have all done this.  Only a few will stay, or return to stay, despite what we might offer them.

Government has subsidized industries to locate here and provide jobs.  With a few exceptions, these companies "pick up their marbles and go home" with whatever subsidies they can get, whether it be taxpayers' money or granite, leaving the community that much poorer. We still have hopes for an expanded Champlain Industrial Park in Bayside, with a new wharf level area for bulk storage at the Port, and a large waterfront area with a first class view of our beautiful St. Croix River to attract new businesses compatible with our Rural Plan. This, along with renewal of diverse shipping and without the cacophony of a quarry next door, will provide multiple opportunities for stable, long-term employment.  Originally, this area was to expand only as clients for it became available, and at best it may yet become more like a "Field of Dreams" scenario; "Build it and they will come".

Industrial parks might be such places, but fortunately, for the most part, we have been blessed by Mother Nature with a beautiful "Field of Dreams" that has been described by some who have moved here as "The world's best kept secret". Let us not wreck it! People come here and stay for the rural nature of the area, not for its industrialization. Apart from the growing community of retirees, the list of occupations, products and services of our local workforce is long and inspiring. Kudos to them all, and I'd like to hear all their stories.  There seems to be no limit to the opportunities here when there is imagination, dedication, perseverance, community spirit, and high speed internet!

* Commentary: Fundy's Bayside Quarry Threatens Marine Life and Community

            by Art MacKay, Jan. 26/09

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Tim Foulkes, retired Marine Research Technologist, Bayside, NB.        Jan. 28/09