Only one percent support working forest plan

The public consultation process surrounding the controversial "working forest" plan concluded that 97 percent of respondents opposed the scheme. One percent supported the BC government proposal.

A Working Forest for British Columbia - Consultation Report states, "The response from the public is overwhelmingly negative - almost all of the citizen responses indicate strong opposition to the working forest proposals." There were 2,692 submissions.

The report released Aug. 14 notes that the public believes the "working forest initiative will mean a sell off or give away of vast areas of BC to corporations as part of a privatization agenda."

Community groups, trappers, First Nations, outdoor recreation groups, the Islands Trust, environmental groups, and the ranching and agricultural sectors are all opposed to the working forest concept where 100 percent of unprotected public forest land is made available to the forest industry. Among other things they say the plan would prevent new parks from being created and infringe on First Nations treaty settlements.

What was the BC government’s reaction to the report? Minister of Sustainable Resource Management Stan Hagen told the Prince George chamber of commerce last month that enabling legislation would go ahead in the fall regardless of public opinion.

The full report is available online at: http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/rmd/workingforest/

Clayoquot First Nation issues eviction order to Interfor

The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation has issued a notice of eviction to Interfor, ordering the logging company to leave Clayoquot Sound.

"We’ve had enough," said Chief Moses Martin of the Tla-o-qui-aht. "This logging tenure was given out decades ago without our consent and Interfor and the government continue to operate without meaningfully accommodating our interests. Distant corporations will only ever pay lip service to sustainability and ensuring long-term jobs and benefits for local communities. The only real solution is for us to manage the tenure ourselves."

Recently, the BC Ministry of Forests approved a 10-year forest development plan by Interfor for 19,000 logging trucks worth of wood, ignoring the rejection of the plan by the Clayoquot Sound Central Region Board. The board, a local body established under an interim measures agreement between the Clayoquot Sound hereditary chiefs and the province in 1994, proposed changes to the plan which Interfor would not agree to. "This unresponsive attitude makes a mockery of the board and the agreement we signed in 1994," said Chief Martin.

The eviction notice, addressed to Ric Slaco, Interfor’s chief forester, states:

"Effective immediately, you will cease and discontinue all activities associated with forestry operations within Tla-o-qui-aht territory, including all engineering, road layout, road building and forest harvesting.

The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations demand control over how the forest resources within our traditional territory, as well as all other resources, are managed to enable our people to achieve our goals now and in the future. We will negotiate with the Province of British Columbia in support of transferring control of Tree Farm Licence 54.

We will explore our full range of options to vigorously defend our Aboriginal rights and title against infringements related to the alienation of resources from our traditional territory."

For more on this issue see: www.focs.ca/1newsreleases/eviction.html

1,000-year-old tree flattens SUV

In northern California, a 200-foot-tall giant sequoia tree fell and crushed an SUV along Sequoia National Park’s main road in late August. Park officials estimate its age at 1,000 years.

A Jeep was parked at the side of Generals Highway and was crushed. No one was inside. Park spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet says the tree had some fire damage and that might have contributed to its collapse. For more on this unique case of Mother Nature striking back see: www.mymotherlode.com

Depleted uranium litters Iraq

Iraq’s war zones are littered with depleted uranium (DU) bullets, shells and debris. DU is made of low-level radioactive nuclear waste, left over from the making of nuclear fuel and weapons.

Used mostly by the US, but also by Britain, DU ammunition is 1.7 times as dense as lead and burns its way easily through armor. It is controversial because it leaves a trail of contamination that has a half-life of 4.5 billion years and because it is a serious health threat to anyone who breathes or touches the DU dust or ash. One estimate says the coalition forces in the most recent Iraq war left behind at least 75 tons of DU debris.

Christian Science Monitor reporters found only one site where US troops had put up handwritten warnings in Arabic for Iraqis to stay away from a metre-long dart from a US tank shell. Children constantly play on burned out tanks and other vehicles where dangerous levels of radiation have been found. So-called Gulf War Syndrome has been tied to a combination of DU, insect repellents and inoculations of soldiers and non-military staff assigned to the Gulf area during previous wars.

For more on DU see: www.csmonitor.com/2003/0515/p01s02-woiq.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/uranium990503.html

Researcher says navy killing cetaceans

Congress has exempted the US navy for five years from the Marine Mammal Protection Act after scientists linked dolphin and whale deaths around the world with a high powered, low frequency sonar system used to detect submarines.

According to Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, there is now unmistakable evidence showing the animals are bleeding to death from brain hemorrhages and trauma to the inner ear. Necropsies and CT scans of dead dolphins back up his claims.

Four months ago, the destroyer USS Shoup swept through Haro Strait with mid-range sonar activated for four-plus hours. The narrow strait separates San Juan Island from the south end of British Columbia's Vancouver Island at an average of seven miles. Low frequency waves of up to 230 decibels are emitted by the sonar, equivalent to standing next to a jumbo jet at take-off. The navy says it has spent $300 million on the new sonar system.

On May 5, witnesses reported marine mammals in Haro Strait, including orcas, porpoises and a minke whale, showing abnormal behavior and appeared either to panic or try to flee the sonar's recurring pings. Balcomb captured part of the episode on video. The exercise ended after boaters complained to Canadian Coast Guard officials who then contacted the destroyer. Eleven dead porpoises washed up on beaches the next day.

For more on this see: http://komo1000news.com/stories/26542.htm and www.marineconnection.org/latest_news/marineimpacts/marine_low_frequency_sonar.htm

Radical simplicity author to give talk

On Sept. 6 Jim Merkel author of Radical Simplicity – Small Footprints On a Finite Planet will give a free talk at Vancouver central library. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

This is a launch for the release of Merkel's book. In the face of looming ecological disaster and war, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyles as a tangible way of transforming our unsustainable culture.

Radical Simplicity is the first book that guides the reader to a personal sustainability goal, then offers a process to monitor progress to a lifestyle that is equitable amongst all people, species and generations. At this presentation you will be introduced to three tools that can jump-start your own customized journey to simplicity.

For more details see: www.necessaryvoices.org