Protect and increase parks
Cathedral Grove Initiative
Arrowsmith Parks and Land Use Council -- November 2009
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 (see attachment).
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 Woo 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.eu 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,
On behalf of
Arrowsmith Parks and Land Use Council
"People come from around the world to visit BC's parks because they offer something in short supply in the rest of the world: a clean, natural and unspoiled environment. These values make BC both a desirable place to visit and a desirable place to live." - Western Canada Wilderness Committee website
Other links:
a very comprehensive website run by Dr. Karen Wonders, a Research Fellow, Institute for the History of Science, University of Goettingen, Germany.
a website is run by a citizen-led group are trying to stop the development of resorts and hotels in our provincial parks.
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