PACIFIC WILD and international network "Stop the Trophy Hunt" campaign.

Faltering Light Project

Petition to Stop

the British Columbia Trophy Bear Hunt Now!

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Write a Letter to Stop Plans for Shooting Wolves from Helicopters

The BC government is asking for public opinion on whether to shoot wolves from helicopters to save mountain caribou. Please write to the following addresses right away:



Honourable Barry Penner
Minister of Environment
PO Box 9047
Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2
Phone: 250-387-1187
Fax: 250-387-1356
env.minister@gov.bc.ca

Chris Ritchie, Manager
Species at Risk Recovery Coordination Office
Environmental Stewardship Division
4051 18th Avenue
Prince George, BC V2N 1B3
Fax: 250-565-6940
chris.ritchie@gov.bc.ca

Details: Download the VWS press release
Download the Ministry of Environment Report

A BCEN Member Group OpEd - Friends of Cathedral Grove

ISLAND TIMBERLANDS (BROOKFIELD) LOGGING CAMERON CANYON CLIFFS IN CATHEDRAL GROVE

TO: Community endorser groups and supporters of the Arrowsmith Parks and Land Use Council -- Cathedral Grove Initiative

Dear Supporters,

As you know from media coverage since October 23rd, Island Timberlands has been (and perhaps still is) logging again in the Cameron basin, this time on the cliff band overlooking Cathedral Grove.

You will recall that early this year we requested, with your support, a moratorium on logging in the Cameron Basin (which contains Cathedral Grove) until a longterm protection plan could be worked out for Cathedral Grove. Despite assurances from President Darshan Sihota (see attached letter), it appears that Island Timberlands is not (yet?) willing to do so.

The Grove forest is endangered on two important fronts: exposure to windthrow and alterations in the water table and the hydrology of the basin. As usual in Nature, these two aspects are interlocked and affect each other. When the water table stays high for too long, it promotes root rot, reduces the gripping ability of the roots, and keeps the rooting zone soft -- all of which make the trees more vulnerable to blowdown. While this is happening below the surface, the above ground environment has been severely altered as well. Shelter from the surrounding forest has been largely removed, giving storm winds easy access into the heart of the Grove. The interaction of these emergency problems, along with other factors like climate changes, creates a very sensitive situation for the ecosystem we know as Cathedral Grove. Our present initative to stop logging in the basin is a last ditch attempt to save what we can. Yet Island Timberlands is proceeding with business as usual.

When MacMillan Park was created, the H.R. MacMillan Company received Crown land in exchange, so it was not a gift. When some clearcut land was added to the park a few years ago, the BC government paid the forest company for the land with cash, our cash. But Island Timberlands has never paid anything for the losses its activities have wrought upon the public.

Remember, we own MacMillan Park. It is our heritage, paid for with our Crown land, supported by our tax dollars, managed by us for the survival of an ecosystem, for appreciation and inspiration to us and future generations, not to mention for its remarkable preeminence as a globally-known tourist attraction. Looking at it from a purely monetary point of view, our Park and our investment in it have been damaged by the activities of our neighbours -- at no cost to them. They did not pay for the loss of 15-20% of our trees after the two blowdown incidents in the 90's which followed clearcut logging. They did not pay for the ensuing restoration of trails and the construction of new ones. They did not pay for the two consulting companies who conducted follow-up investigations into the blowdown events and an analysis of the habitat and growing conditions of the forest. They did not pay for the loss of a footbridge and trail, inundated too often in recent years, now permanently closed. Yet when confronted with questions about ongoing logging in the basin, Island Timberlands rests its case on its private property ownership rights. Something is wrong with this picture.

Last week, we wrote again to the Board of Brookfield Infrstructure Partners LP in New York, taking a very clear stand on the moratorium question.

Again, our reliance on you, our community partners, is apparent. Even with your support, it is difficult to make headway. Imagine where we would be without you.

Some of you were able, on very short notice, to attend the protest held on Tuesday, October 27th, organized by the Mid-Island WCWC and ourselves. We want to thank especially the folks from Port Alberni and Nanaimo who joined in with their banners. And salute those who drove up from Victoria, which included Ingmar Lee, Janine Bandcroft, Ken Wu of WCWC, and others. Lucky for us, Cathedral Grove's loyal European guru, Karen Wonders, was also by coincidence in Canada and with us at the protest. She is webmaster of www.cathedralgrove.se emanating from the University of Gottingen, Germany.

We are currently drafting a communication to Jimmy Pattison, board member of Brookfield Asset Management, to appeal to him to exert his influence for the wellbeing of Cathedral Grove. We will keep you posted on this -- and on any reply we receive from Brookfield Infrastructure.

Thank you for your continued support. Please send us your comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Berni Pearce,

On behalf of

Arrowsmith Parks and Land Use Council

Go to Friends of Cathedral Grove for coverage of the : Protest

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Sandhill Crane Nest Exchange - PacificWild.org

A BCEN Member Group OpEd - Living Oceans Society

Sea lice part of Fraser River sockeye crash?

The disastrous crash of most of this year’s Fraser River sockeye salmon run is sending shock waves throughout B.C. communities. Commercial fishermen were left high and dry, First Nations leaders are concerned about a shortage of the food fish so critical to their communities, and the ecosystems that thrive on the influx of nutrients from wild salmon will inevitably suffer.

Meanwhile, scientists are debating the myriad potential causes of the collapse. Climate change, shifting ocean regimes, habitat destruction, and pollution may all be factors in the sockeye crash. But while scientists speculate, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Regional Director Paul Sprout was quick to reach one conclusion: open net-cage fish farms were definitely not a factor.

Living Oceans Society strongly challenges that assumption. The vast majority of Fraser sockeye migrate north through Georgia Strait as juveniles and must run a gauntlet of net-cage fish farms before reaching the open ocean. Field sampling done near these farms during the 2007 out-migration (the generation of sockeye that failed to return this year) found heavy levels of lice infestation on the fish. Furthermore, DNA analysis of sockeye in the northern Georgia Strait confirmed most of these sockeye were Fraser stocks, including fish from the Adams River and endangered Cultus Lake runs. More than 90 percent of the fish sampled near salmon farms were infected with one or more lice.

DFO’s hasty dismissal of the impact of sea lice from the industrial salmon feedlots is indicative of the department’s conflicting mandates. On the one hand, DFO has a primary responsibility to protect and conserve our wild fish stocks. On the other, the department has enthusiastically embraced their role of promoting, marketing and advocating on behalf of the industrial salmon aquaculture industry. Most Canadians believe that DFO’s job is first and foremost to ensure the future health of our wild fish and ocean ecosystems.

Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea stated, when handing over nearly a million dollars in subsidies to aquaculture in July, “Our job is to support the (aquaculture) industry.” Apparently the Minister needs reminding that her loyalty is to Canada, not the three Norwegian multi-nationals who control 92 percent of B.C.’s salmon farms. As the Fraser sockeye collapsed Minister Shea was in Norway, attending one of the world’s largest aquaculture industry trade fairs. This taxpayer funded junket featured a large delegation of DFO staff and a glitzy exhibit promoting salmon farms in Canada.

The B.C. Government is handing over jurisdiction of fin-fish farming to the federal government in the wake of a court ruling that aquaculture is Ottawa’s responsibility. Suddenly, DFO’s enthusiasm for salmon farming is an even bigger concern. The question now is whether the federal government will act to support closed containment – a new, greener technology for fish farming that could protect our wild stocks, secure aquaculture jobs and put B.C. in the forefront of an emerging new industry. And will the Province of B.C. actively support such investment given that the Gordon Campbell government failed to act on countless reports and recommendations urging investment in closed containment?

Send an e-mail DFO Minister Gail Shea

Stop the expansion of open net-cage salmon farming in B.C

A closed containment fish farm design: six tank farm with a waste collection barge and utility shed.

Take Action

Please send a message to the Honourable Steve Thomson of Ministry of Agriculture of Lands and let him know that you want your government to deny the application of the Gunner Point farm -- and any other new open net-cage salmon farm!

Now that the Strathcona Regional District has approved Greig Seafood's new salmon farm application for Gunner Point in the northern Georgia Strait, it is up to the government to protect the future of all juvenile salmon who use this migration channel by denying the company's application.

As an emergency measure, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform is also demanding the closure of five fish farms in the Wild Salmon Narrows near Quadra Island. Clearing just one channel of salmon farms in this region could give B.C.’s wild salmon a better chance at survival.

To ensure your message is received loud and clear, please include a personal comment.

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Dr. Alexandra Morton Calls for Canadian Fisheries Minister's Resignation

This is her letter to Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea demanding her resignation as Minister for neglect of her duties and irresponsibility in protecting wild salmon from destructive aquaculture practices…

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Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Dear Minister Shea:

On August 26 you sent duplicate letters to many people dismissing the impact of salmon farms on British Columbia. I can only imagine the response to collapse of the world's largest sockeye salmon river, the Fraser River, has come directly from Ottawa. Your letter provides stark insight into the Federal Conservative government's course of action.

With an entire ministry at your disposal you told the public:

"The coast wide scope of the decline that has occurred across all Pacific salmon species suggests that this decline is associated with much larger ecological events than localized salmon farming."

This is entirely inaccurate as there has NOT been a coast-wide collapse across all Pacific salmon species, quite to the contrary. The people of British Columbia are looking at a bull's-eye collapse pattern with good returns all around the dead center - which is our extremely valuable Fraser River sockeye.

Really interesting - even within the Fraser River, the Harrison sockeye, which scientists report migrate to sea via fish farm-free Strait of Juan de Fuca, are returning at twice the DFO forecast.

The missing Fraser River sockeye salmon were observed as smolts by DFO as they migrated in the river. They were abundant and large. They entered the sea in late spring 2007, turned north into a heavily industrialized salmon farming area, where I examined some of them as they were being infested with sea lice and then they disappeared. These are the only sockeye that collapsed to less than 10% of forecast.

While you are telling the public all salmon species collapsed coast-wide, your highest-ranking BC official is publishing letters in newspapers also telling us that fish farms are not responsible for the collapse because the lice species I and others counted on the young sockeye in 2007 are not found on farm fish. First of all, there were two species of lice on the sockeye smolts, the large salmon louse and the smaller Caligus. Second, the fish farm company on the Fraser sockeye migration route, Marine Harvest, frequently reports Caligus in their website data. Specifically they report 16.5 Caligus per fish for a total of 8 million breeding on the Cyrus Rocks farm early this July as our newest sockeye generation was passing that farm. Because Caligus frequently jump fish to fish this species is also a strong potential disease vector.

As he exonerates fish farms, he goes on to say he will work with First Nations and other fishermen to conserve sockeye. Minster Shea, you closed this fishery at the beginning of the season there has been extremely little fishing on this stock of sockeye. Your Ministry has absolutely no valid scientific or legal reason to omit fish farmers from the investigation and ensuing action to protect the Fraser sockeye.

You also wrote that DFO has "taken significant action" by "monitoring" farm lice and doing "ocean circulation studies." These are studies, not "significant action." Your letter tells people you can't protect our salmon with closed-containment farms until this is "practical and realistic" for the fish farmers with head offices in Oslo, Norway. Minister Shea, you work for the people of Canada. Your primary mandate is protection of our wild salmon and whatever else is going on in your office no one has rescinded this mandate yet.

History is clearly repeating itself. In 1997, DFO scientists reported that the collapse of Canada's North Atlantic cod stocks, one of earth's greatest human food supplies, was because DFO ignored the science, misinformed the public, offered plausible but inaccurate theories, reprimanded scientists who spoke freely and took no action (1). No one in DFO was held accountable when Canadians lost this vast resource. Here in 2009, I would argue you and your department are ignoring the science, misinforming the public, offering plausible but unconfirmed theories and taking no action on a highly documented and obvious factor that reoccurs worldwide wherever there are salmon farms (2). You must be held accountable or it is clear from experience where this is heading.

The Fraser sockeye contribute far more to the economy and employment than salmon farms and they transport ocean nutrients into much of this Province feeding the trees that produce oxygen, remove carbon and help stabilize our climate. An enormous number of British Columbians live in the Fraser watershed and are breathing oxygen produced by salmon fed trees. These are planetary systems we literally cannot live without. First Nation women have written me in anger and anxiety at losing an essential part of their diet.

The very concept of farming salmon in net pens is unconstitutional in Canada because it attempts to privatize ocean spaces and own schools of salmon in the ocean. The industry appears in violation of many sections of the Fisheries Act. It breaks the natural laws of wild salmon, which never remain stationary. Your record of fish farm defense includes a recent assertion that the industry's by-catch of wild fish is not a "significant problem." And you refuse to acknowledge the science and act on the information that the fish farm viral ISA pandemic is spreading in imported salmon eggs (3).

Reading the outpouring of articles, letters to editors, emails to me and the 17,000 signatures thus far on my letter to you asking simply that you enforce the Fisheries Act on salmon farms I don't think western Canada is ready to loose their fish like eastern Canada. The actions required are simple:

1. Within your investigation on the fate of our sockeye, require full disclosure of the health and stocking of every salmon farm in BC from 1986 - present and run analysis against health records in enhancement facilities near and distant from salmon farms, including the 2007 salmon farms from Campbell River to Port Hardy. 2. Close the fish farm fishery on the Fraser migration route just as you have closed commercial and sport fishing. 3. Apply the Canadian Fisheries Act to fish farms and start laying charges for violations. 4. Support the Canadian fish farmers who want to reinvent their industry on land, with an eye to siting these facilities in job-starved towns 5. Ensure that marketing of both farmed and wild salmon is maximized to benefit us all, instead of driving down the price of both 6. Remove your science branch from the political DFO body and reinstate the Fisheries Research Board - which was a cutting edge, world class, Canadian, scientific powerhouse. Start using, instead of muzzling, your scientists. 7. Form local area management councils compromised of the people who depend on wild salmon and understand the complexities of their regions. 8. Apply the phenomenal wealth of science now available to harness the salmon's own remarkably successful biology to restore our runs.

If you won't take these steps please resign along with your Pacific Region senior staff and make way for people who will honor Fisheries and Ocean's contract with the public of Canada, present and future generations, to protect our salmon. The enormous pink salmon return this year - fish that were allowed to go to sea without farm lice, is a clear statement by the fish themselves that British Columbia can have abundant wild salmon, even running through the biggest city in our Province, Vancouver, City of the Salmon.

Wild salmon are a gift on a magnitude far greater than any oil well, river power project or the few jobs from a Norwegian industry that imports fish from the south Pacific, throws them in our ocean and pulls out less fish.

Read the list of 17,000 people and counting who have signed my letter www.adopt-a-fry.org asking that you apply the laws of Canada to salmon farms. They are First Nation chiefs, business people, politicians, entertainers, environmentalists, stream keepers, they are the people of British Columbia, not a fringe group you can brush aside. Minster Shea, you have failed us in your response to the collapse of earth's largest sockeye salmon run and this is not all right with British Columbia.

Alexandra Morton, R.P. Bio Echo Bay, BC

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A BCEN Member Group OpEd - ISLAND LENS #116- Richard Boyce - Feb. 11/09

BROOKFIELD LOGGING ISLAND FOREST IN THE MIDDLE OF ENGLISHMAN RIVER

Governments stands by while Island Timberlands logs island in the middle of a river where this Bear dens in a Culturally Modified Cedar Tree on behalf of Brooksfield Asset Management Inc. on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

With the impending doom of YK2 I spent New Years Eve on a personal wilderness retreat. I camped out on a beautiful island in the middle of Englishman River where massive Douglas fir and Cedar trees tower over a diversity of undergrowth that has the distinct characteristics of an old growth forest. Thick moss grows everywhere and bright tuffs of lichens hang from branches, tree trunks, and shale along the river?s banks. This lush forest grows on an island of fertile sediment that has been deposited by the river over many centuries. This tiny jewel of forest is nestled in a deep ravine carved out by the river, somehow the trees escaped logging of the past.

To get there I followed the provincial park trail upstream from the upper waterfalls, walked through a tree farm logged by MacMillan-Bloedel in 1986, and crawled carefully over a fallen log to reach this tiny island paradise. Approaching the spot I knew would be the best for my tent I heard a noise. Clawing? followed by silence. Looking up into the forest ahead I saw a black bear about ten meters up a cedar tree. It was looking over its shoulders at me and looked very cute but didn?t move. I backed away slowing and found another route to the tiny beach where I set up my camp. I didn?t sleep very much with the thought of the bear but at that moment I thought we were both in one of the safest spots in the world.

The next morning I returned to the cedar tree with my camera and noticed that it appeared to have a cultural modification where the bark had been stripped off one side, perhaps to be used for weaving by First Nations people many years ago. The tree had healed itself, with the bark curling over the scar, but then fire had burned the dry exposed wood. This may have been caused by First Peoples attempting to fell the tree to use for a totem, canoe, or building. The bottom of the tree was burned out leaving a fairly large cavity.?

I approached cautiously. A slight movement alerted me to a large nose, which was sniffing me out from inside a pile of leaves. The bear rose ever so slowly and looked at me. I took a photo when it was standing at full height, and then backed away slowly. The bear lowered itself back into the den and I returned home.

Today that very same island forest is being logged by Brookfield Asset Management Inc., which owns Island Timberlands. The massive trees are being killed with chainsaws that first limb all the branches, then top the crown off the tree, and finally cut down these veteran trees so that a helicopter can pull the giant logs into the air and dumps them on the side of a logging road.?

This logging operation is pure desperation by the multinational corporation which is cutting down any remaining trees that can be sold on the collapsing world market. This brazen logging adjacent to a provincial park may be used to set a terrible precedent that logging in the middle of a river is okay. The Englishman River has been rated as an endangered river yet it provides drinking water to thousands of residents in the Oceanside area as well as spawning grounds for salmon that are on the brink of extinction.?

The banks of Englishman River, from this tiny island forest upstream to the dammed reservoir at Arrowsmith Lake, are dotted with old growth trees that were left behind during logging operations of the past. Today, both the provincial and federal governments allow private corporations to destroy fragile watersheds. Ministries of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries all refuse to protect public water from private interests.

What is desperately needed in British Columbia, and across Canada, is legislation that protects watersheds regardless of private ownership of lands.

The upcoming provincial elections on May 12, along with the referendum on proportional representation, can make a difference. Until then you need to ask questions about our watersheds or nothing will change. To make your voice heard locally contact Island Timberlands or your local MLA. To find out more check out: www.brookfield.com