Pink paint on trees unnecessary vandalism
Yesterday I went for a lovely hike on the north side of Maple Mountain, through avenues of maple and alder, and rocky outcrops with views of Salt Spring. On my way back down I followed a relatively new trail that goes north from Rainsford Lake down to the access trail off Chilco Road. To my dismay and shock I found that almost every tree on the way down had a pink splotch sprayed on it. To top it off, at the bottom a large fir tree had been painted with huge pink letters pointing the way to Chilco Road. Since the splotches were all on the uphill side of the trees I suspect a downhill mountain biker was responsible.
First of all, this desecration was entirely unnecessary, since once on the trail there was nowhere else to go. Secondly, this vandalism intrudes on the sense of peace and wonder at being in nature. This was a totally selfish act, with no consideration for other users of our wonderful forest reserves.
Please, whoever is doing this, cease and desist, and have some respect for our forest backyard.
Alan Philip
North Cowichan