Langley family donates 25 acres to Trinity Western University

MySense

Langley family donates 25 acres to Trinity Western University to preserve Glen Valley forest
The Township of Langley and Trinity Western University announced Wednesday that a generous donation had allowed TWU to purchase a 25-acre parcel of Grey Pits land east of the campus for $2.5 million. The five forest and wetland lots will now be preserved for research, education and public enjoyment.

Photograph by: Trinity Western University

Langley’s Ann Blaauw and her late husband Thomas used to enjoy walking through the quiet of Glen Valley’s Grey Pit lands.
When he died last year, Blaauw continued those walks alone. On them, she started thinking of a way to preserve his memory.
“My husband liked that bit of land. He liked animals and trees,” said Blaauw, who runs Langley chicken and cranberry farms.
“It’s a very quiet peaceful place, and serene, and we would go there just about every week,” she said.
She knew the forest was threatened by development: the Township planned to sell it amid protests. So she bought it in his name.
Trinity Western University announced Wednesday that her donation had allowed TWU to purchase a 25-acre parcel of Grey Pits east of the campus for $2.5 million. Five lots will be preserved for research and public park use.
TWU coordinator of environmental studies David Clements said Blaauw approached the university last spring.
“It’s just an incredible gift,” he said. “We’ll be able to showcase it not just to our students, but also to the public at large.”
Clements said the university plans to consult on a new park name and a bench commemorating Thomas Blaauw will be installed on site.
The university plans to let students use the lands for ecology and biology studies fieldwork.
“This is exactly what we were looking for, a partnership with the community,” said Township Mayor Jack Froese.
Froese noted the Canada Trail could be continued in future along a right-of-way on the property.
TWU could add amenities such as washrooms or an interpretive centre but logging or large-scale development was not permitted.
The lands, which lie along 84th Avenue near 260th Street, had been at issue for over a year.
The Township was planning on selling two plots totalling 24 acres, McLellan Park to the east and the Grey Pits to the west, to fund a new community centre, ice rink and pool in Aldergrove.
But under pressure from Watchers of the Langley Forests (WOLF), the Township later agreed to take McLellan Park off the market.
WOLF chair, Glen Valley resident Kirk Robertson said the sale was “a positive development” but said the group needed time to fully understand the parameters of the deal.
Clements lauded WOLF’s conservation efforts, stressing, “none of this would have happened without WOLF.”
A dedication ceremony will be held on site on Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.

By Elaine O'Connor, The Province September 12, 2013