I'm writing to request your support in saving the UBC Farm. This communication is mostly focused on our letter writing campaign. If you could help us out with a letter of support that would be great. Other ideas you might have on ways that you could provide support would also be greatly appreciated! Here's a little primer on the situation and the attached document gives suggestions for what to include in a letter of support.

The University of British Columbia, located on Musqueam traditional territory, is home of the last working farm in Vancouver, 24 hectares (including 12 hectares of forested land) serving as a model for urban agriculture, a research site for sustainable food production and sustainability education, unique and beautiful ecosystems balancing cultivated and native plants and animals, and a hub for community and service learning. Although the UBC Farm/ Centre for Sustainable Food Systems is one of only a handful of remaining farms on urban campuses in North America, the University is currently considering the development of this land for housing. The lack of transparency in the planning process has led concerned community members to organize to save this precious space.

Please support this movement by voicing your concern for urban agriculture, sustainability, the development of farmland, as well as your vision for the array of innovative academic and community programming that can be enabled by preservation of the UBC Farm. The information below will provide you with background information about the farm's programs and the current Campus Planning process, as well as key people to whom you should direct your letters. Feel free to share this information widely and to contact me with your ideas or questions.

Further information on the farm can also be found at the UBC Farm website www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/

Thank you very much,
Sincerely,
Erika Mundel
on behalf of the Save the UBC Farm Committee

Some helpful hints for writing a letter in support of UBC Farm:

(All letters should be sent to Stephen Toope and CCed to the 5 addresses at the bottom of this guide, as well.)

Stephen J. Toope President and Vice-Chancellor Office of the President The University of British Columbia 6328 Memorial Road Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2 Dear Prof. Toope, Some ideas for points to cover: Who you are (group/ individual) and how what you do is related to the Farm or UBC. (For instance do you represent students, alumni, broader community etc.) Reasons you are writing. For instance, is it a general letter of support, are you concerned about a specific issues (for instance the planning process)? Examples of kind of things you could say in support of the farm: Innovative research value for a number of faculties Faculty of Land and Food Systems Faculty of Forestry Faculty of Science (Botany) Faculty of Education (Department of Curriculum Studies) Faculty of Anthropology Sauder School of Business School of Community and Regional Planning A unique opportunity for varied and diverse community service learning A one-of-a-kind cherished community amenity space As Vancouver's last working farm, it represents the only opportunity for students and citizens of Vancouver to engage actively with their food system and steward land Vital learning and education tool in creating food security for Vancouver. For instance, in teaching about the importance of agricultural land and how it can be stewarded to maximize environmental and community benefits It provides students and the broader community the opportunity to learn hands-on about how changes in the way food is produced and distributed are a key piece in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating climate change, and in creating healthy local communities and economies. Sustainably managed farmland provides a foundation for the sustainability of our cities, the bioregion and the planet It will serve as a valuable learning model for how to manage the interface between urban and rural land uses -- something which is relevant in prime agricultural areas across the province which are being faced with increasing population and development Once it is gone, it is gone. We need to consider the needs of future generations of students and citizens who will be faced with learning the skills to live in a world where local production and distribution of food will be increasingly important List some of the key programs they see of value at the farm. For example: the student-run market garden, school garden programs, the urban Aboriginal community kitchen, apprenticeships in organic agriculture. NB: UBC is prioritizing the academic use of the farm. i.e. They keep saying they will preserve it only if it is academically justified. Ideally, all letters should have some mention of its academic value. What you are asking for. For example: That UBC Farm be given special consideration in the planning process as both an academic use and a multifaceted community space That UBC commit to a transparent planning process which involves community stakeholders who use and cherish the space That UBC look into the opportunity of creating an innovative, mixed use community that includes the unique amenity value of an urban farm that is integrated with the wider community That UBC retain the farm in its current location, where it has built the soil over the past 40 years. That UBC retain the farm at its current scale or a scale large enough to ensure that it can continue to expand its varied, innovative research and community programming, its demonstration of production-scale agriculture, and its integrated environmental management approach That if any portion of the current 22 hectares is developed, that a portion of the endowment funds generated go to support future programming at the farm CC: Nancy Knight Associate Vice President Campus & Community Planning The University of British Columbia 102 - 2210 West Mall Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 The UBC Board of Governors c/o Reny Kahlon, Acting Secretary 6328 Memorial Road Vancouver, V6T 1Z2 UBC/GVRD Joint Committee c/o Paulette Vetleson, Corporate Secretary 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby, V5H 4G8 Dr Murray Isman Dean & Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems The University of British Columbia 2357 Main Mall Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 UBC Farm The University of British Columbia 2357 Main Mall Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4

(Instead of a hard copy a signed PDF could be sent to UBC Farm for their records. Please send to: saveubcfarmletters@gmail.com)