A century cottage owner wades in on the dunes

Letters

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I just wanted to comment on the Dunes survey -

I am in the fourth generation of five generations at the cottage in Southampton.

We are nearing the century mark at our cottage - so I am not a resident, but I consider Southampton "home" as much as anywhere I have lived.  My family and I have lived by the dunes for a very, very long time.  The comments about the beauty of the dunes and their "protective" nature are quite amusing. Let me tell you what they protect.

• They are a good cover for people who want to urinate away from their friends.

• They are a great place to stash your beer bottles when they are too far away from the trash can to bring them home. 

 We were just there a couple of weeks ago and my kids had to walk the gauntlet of drunks to get back to the cottage.  One even asked my 10 year old if he wanted a swig of whiskey.

I informed the police of the drinking  out in front of my cottage and never got a responder. The only thing being protected is the parties out in front of our cottage.

This is the beautiful heritage of my family home being abused in the name of nature.  If nature is the goal, then truly enforce laws against public urination and trash in the beautiful dunes.

Get serious as a Saugeen Shores community about the abuse of this important resource.  Remove the failed decking that is covered in graffiti on the nature trail that makes the area look like an abandoned dump.  Then and only then will I believe that these dunes are actually something that the community treasures.

I don't think anyone wants the dunes maintained like a golf course,  just managed like anyone would maintain a park or other natural resource.  Try leaving your lawn or local park to the whims of nature and see what you get after a few decades.

It is the centre-piece of a gorgeous, precious landscape - treat it with the respect it deserves and, sometimes, that respect for nature includes a smart, sophisticated plan for sustainable maintenance.

Those who love the current state of the dunes are those who do not live right next to them and have to wonder what is hiding in there.

So, visit our beautiful front yard and leave it trash and urine free, and come up with a plan to ensure the beauty of the dunes for the next five generations of families that will call Southampton home.

That plan may have to include a way to manage the dunes in an environmentally educated way that takes into account the human element of enjoying this gem of a beach.

Anita Simpson

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Sunday, August 22, 2010