The population in Fuquay-Varina has grown exponentially from 34,556 to 49,257 residents (42.52%) since 2020. Due to high demand, many big plots of land have been rid of their natural ecosystems to accommodate new neighborhoods. Plowing down land that is home to rich wildlife and building a sterile suburb on top of it is cruel and unethical to the living organisms that inhabited the space first.

When a bunch of people move to a specific area, traffic, construction and litter all increase. All of these things can be really unhealthy for animals native to North Carolina, like White Tailed Deer or Virginia Possums, both of which are most frequently seen as roadkill. The problem isn’t that they are walking in front of your car or eating your trash, the problem is that we are intruding on their space and they’re failing to adjust because it’s against their nature.

Marshall Ford is a FVHS senior who was born and raised in Fuquay-Varina. Living near a large plot of land that he frequently explored as a child, he has witnessed the destruction of nature from his own home.

“Fuquay has had an excessive, unnecessary amount of construction the past few years that I feel are focused on the wrong things,” said Ford. “You can barely find a sidewalk outside of downtown that continues, if there’s a sidewalk at all. Multiple roads continue to have ever-growing potholes, cracks and bumps.”

Ford adds to this, explaining, “[and] most of all, it’s distressing to watch the forests and open fields around you be torn apart and built back up into packed neighborhoods full of houses with three garages and a stone front, especially being [that] you spent half of your youth in these areas and that they made your home, a home.”

The problem that many neighborhood planners face is that they want to get a good amount of money back from what they spent on the land through home buyers. When they decide to cram as many houses as possible on the plot, they’ll get more money back into their wallets. While this makes sense for their personal finance, it’s actually creating a sterile environment that nature cannot thrive in and negatively affects everybody by continuing to contribute to the growing issue of climate change.

The good news is that many environmentalists have come up with solutions for developers to build sustainable housing for growing populations while also preserving wildlife. Some things that can be done include building houses out of recycled or fully natural materials, investing in solar panels for electricity or even working with architects to create homes that work with the land in a more eco-friendly and visually appealing way.

The issue of deforestation is certainly not new, but the increase of construction in Fuquay-Varina is. Preserving and advocating for the parts of North Carolina that keep our town beautiful is important for the happiness and health of all residents, human or wild animal.