The fight to protect old-growth has hit a flashpoint
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Activists arrested protecting ancient forests
Hi Paov,
As many of you know, the movement to protect some of the oldest forests across the country has been ramping up for months. This week marks a flashpoint.
Blockades preventing old-growth logging on southwestern Vancouver Island, BC have been active for more than nine months and yesterday, arrests began. The RCMP have begun enforcing a court injunction in the Caycuse Valley, in unceded Ditidaht territory — one of five active blockade camps between Lake Cowichan and Port Renfrew.
The injunction, obtained by logging company Teal Jones, bars obstructing logging activity, but allows access and protest on the backroads. Despite this, the RCMP have set up a large exclusion zone and are now restricting access to the Caycuse Valley, raising serious legal concerns.Our Campaign Organizer Emily Hoffpauir has been able to access the frontline as an official observer and has monitored arrests over the past two days.
Arrests on logging roads mark a dramatic escalation, but the root cause of this conflict is the delay and inaction of the BC government on old-growth forests. BC Premier John Horgan committed to a paradigm shift to save old-growth but has yet to implement meaningful, on-the-ground steps to protect forests so that the conversation around long-term solutions can be held.
In the absence of interim protection, the most endangered forests continue to fall: this is the process of ‘talk and log’ that has always resulted in more conflict over old-growth forests in BC and every province and territory. Join the old-growth movement now We’re also seeing massive support for this campaign. Our phones are ringing off the hook as people ask how they can get involved. We’re helping increase pressure on BC lawmakers and place the crisis in old-growth forests squarely in the public eye.
From on-the-ground reporting to original mapping and research, online training webinars to a giant billboard targeting the Premier — our work together is helping to push this campaign forward.
We need your help to keep this momentum going. Can you contribute today to our work on old-growth and push for real, lasting change for ancient forests?
Chip in today!
Some of the costs for us in the days and weeks ahead include:
- Renewing the billboard through the summer
- Continuing our presence in the woods and on the frontlines
- Mobilizing more people to meet with BC MLAs and demand change
If you are looking for more ways to get involved from home, we’ve got r0.
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