Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Color Me Red

Yesterday, I read an excellent piece, detailing the plans to log Clayoquot Sound. This morning, frontpage of the Globe reads Clayoquot Opened To Logging:
More than 90,000 hectares of Clayoquot Sound -- an icon of British Columbia's wilderness and site of the largest environmental protest in Canadian history -- has been opened to logging.
The decision, by a planning body known as the Clayoquot Sound Central Region Board, has met with angry denunciations from environmental groups who are warning the "war in the woods" that rocked B.C. during the early 1990s could be on again.
"This is unbelievable," Adriane Carr, leader of the B.C. Green Party, said yesterday. "To me it's tantamount to a declaration of war. . . . People all over the world believe that the forests in Clayoquot Sound are protected. They will not stand quietly by as chainsaws rip through the heart of Clayoquot Sound."

To be blunt, this is complete and utter bullshit of the highest order. I suspect this decision will meet with a maelstrom of protest, but this is a battle that shouldn’t have to take place. If you look at map of logging activities surrounding the Tofino area, you will be struck by the scale and scope- essentially the entire area, minus Clayoquot has been logged. Is nothing sacred?

If you really want to see some carnage, take a look at Google Earth and zoom in around the entire province. It is absolutely staggering to see how much forest has been removed. And now, all energy available will now have to re-focus on the one battle that was thought to be won.

I had the pleasure of re-visiting the area this summer and I remember thinking how grateful I was to all the people who stood up to protect this one of a kind ecosystem. I can’t do much thousands of miles away, but whatever support I can lend financially I’ll do because this decision can’t stand. Maybe the online community can organize something to show our support for the people who will be on the frontlines of this fight.

4 comments:

Mark Dowling said...

One important factor may be that this time some native bands will be loggers too - the environmentalists' allies the last time.

Steve V said...

mark

That fact could make this a very messy fight.

Anonymous said...

I too angry too be anything but sad. There are no other places on earth like the forests of the Sound. Anyone who has been to these pristine valleys is awed by magnificance of ancient ecosystems functioning harmoniously without any evidence of human degradtion. The world needs the tree canopy and the lack of the canopy that has been cut is directly connected with the escalation of the greenhouse effect.

Without doubt these special places ought to be the legacy that we pass to the worlds' next generations, to our children's children. They are treasures to be protected and preserved. But instead our big business driven provincial government illustrates their twisted neo con priorities. They are determined to leave behind a legacy of long term eocological destruction too appease their friends the multi-national corporate kings and their shareholders.

Friends of mine from my own island went to jail over the Clayoquot in the last time go round and now we may have to go through this all over again. Ironically the children of those who protested the first time are the young adults who will man the battle lines for the Sound this time. Last night we raged, then went home to weep and to prepare for yet another battle.

Thanks for giving me the link back. Surprisingly, I have broken several stories before and didn't get a link so I am appreciative.

Steve V said...

timethief

Maybe you can take the lead for the online community. Great site BTW.