News Release

December 1, 2005: Startling Cathedral Grove Fish Habitat Assessment Report Should Finally Shake Up and Shock Busy Barry Penner into Agreeing to Meet with WCWC's Mid Island Chapter

B.C.

Western Canada Wilderness Committee,

Mid-Island Chapter

Box 442, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K lS9, ph. 250 752-6585, fax: 250 752-7085

email: wcwcqb@shaw.ca

 

Press Release

Thursday, December 1, 2005

For immediate release

Startling Cathedral Grove Fish Habitat Assessment Report Should Finally Shake Up and Shock Busy Barry Penner into Agreeing to Meet with WCWC's Mid Island Chapter

Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada - The Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Mid Island Chapter is pleased to announce that a two-year fish habitat assessment for Cathedral Grove"s Cameron River Floodplain has been completed this week. The independent study was undertaken due to the public’s objections to build a mall-sized parking lot on sensitive fish and elk habitat, leaving the world-famous forest subject to further blowdown.

"Several volunteers and concerned citizens in the community spent hundreds of hours documenting and measuring the area to complete only one of the many environmental impact assessment studies that BC Parks says it does not have the time or the resources, or the direction to complete," explains Annette Tanner, WCWC Mid Island spokesperson.

"Our October letter, requesting to meet with the Minister to bring him up to date with new data, as well as the technical and cultural features of the park since it was enlarged, has gone unanswered," explains Tanner. "We wanted to address the changes to the park with the new Minister by requesting he consider the need for a New Park Master Plan to address the park’s size, boundaries, adjacency issues, proposed de-activation of the old access to the "Big Tree", as well as the increase in visitors which has grown from 300,000 per year to 1,000,000 per year," continues Tanner.

MacMillan Park has more than doubled in size since the last Park Master Plan done in 1992," adds Tanner. "A New Park Master Plan would provide the context for a public input process that would address all values of the park in determining a proposed location for more parking. I was told the Minister is busy until the middle of January, yet the deadline for public input is December 9," Tanner concludes. "The Minister needs to see this Fisheries Report."

- for more information contact Annette Tanner 250 752-6585

- to receive an email copy of the 8-page fish habitat study, please contact Tanner at wcwcqb@shaw.ca -

Topic(s): Enviro News Releases, parks and wilderness news, Poor Performers, science news, Tourism News, Water News, Wildlife News

Posted By EcoBC

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