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***FIRST LETTER to WRITE***
 
First Rate Opportunity with leaderless BC Liberal and BC NDP parties –
WRITE your MLA!
 
Right now, the ruling BC Liberal Party and the opposition BC New
Democratic Party are holding leadership contests after each of their
party leaders resigned a few months ago. This rare and unusual
situation presents a first rate opportunity to push both parties to
commit to new, strong policies to protect BC’s endangered old-growth
forests and forestry jobs.
 
The BC Liberals currently contend that BC’s old-growth forests are not
endangered and raw log exports should continue, while the NDP is
calling for a provincial old-growth strategy (how much protection this
would entail they have not specified yet) and increased restrictions
on raw log exports. The Green Party is calling for a phase-out of
old-growth logging and to ban raw log exports.
 
Of all times, your BC Liberal or NDP provincial MLA (Member of the
Legislative Assembly) representative in your political riding needs to
hear from YOU, loud and clear, that you expect them to:
 
– Commit their party to new forest policies to end logging of
endangered old-growth forests. Old-growth forests are important for
sustaining endangered species, the climate, tourism, recreation, water
quality, and First Nations cultures.
– Ensure sustainable second-growth forestry. Second-growth stands now
constitute most of the forested lands in southern BC.
– End raw log exports to foreign mills in order to sustain BC forestry jobs.
 
Be sure to include your home mailing address so they know you are a
real person and that you live in their riding.
 
You can find your MLA’s email address by going to:
Link no longer available
 
Good News: John Horgan, an NDP leadership candidate who has been an
outspoken advocate for protecting the Avatar Grove (see
https://www.johnhorgan.ca/files/images/John_Horgan_October_2010_E-Newsletter.pdf – article no longer available
), led the charge this week among contending NDP leadership hopefuls
for a stronger environmental direction on forestry (please let him
know if you support this at john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca). The Public Eye
Online (Jan.11) stated that at his campaign launch:
 
“Mr. Horgan took a strong anti-corporate line while articulating his
commitment to preserve old growth forests. ‘Our commitment, as New
Democrats, is to use our second growth forests to create jobs here, in
our communities, not offshore. Old growth forests will be the bedrock
of our tourism industry. Second growth forests will be the bedrock of
a value-added forest industry that creates jobs here in British
Columbia for British Columbians in the public interest – not in the
interest of shareholders in Toronto or Bermuda but people right here.’”
 
Lets push ALL NDP and Liberal MLA’s and candidates to take a strong
stance to save BC’s endangered ancient forests and forestry jobs!

 ***SECOND LETTER to WRITE***
 
Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound threatened by logging!
 
Flores Island, perhaps the most beautiful place in Canada and the
largest island in Clayoquot Sound by Tofino, is at risk of being
logged.
 
See our SPECTACULAR PHOTOGALLERY of Flores Island by AFA photographer
TJ Watt at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/
 
Flores Island is one of the largest contiguous tracts of old-growth
rainforest left on BC’s southern coast and is certainly among Earth’s
most stunningly scenic places. The largely unlogged island is home to
large populations of cougars, wolves, bears, and deer in its ancient
forests and gray whales, humpback whales, porpoises, orcas, sea
otters, and sea lions in its marine waters.
 
Spectacular old-growth redcedar and Sitka spruce stands have been
recently surveyed and flagged for logging on eastern Flores Island,
which has some of the densest stands of giant trees in the world, and
landing pads for heli-logging have been carved into the forest.
Logging could begin as soon as early 2011.
 
Please take action and write a letter to the BC Liberal government.
For full details, visit the Friends of Clayoquot Sound webpage.