AFA staff photo. From left to right Tj Watt

AFA Year-End Celebration & Fundraiser

Join us Saturday, November 25, at the Victoria Event Centre (1415 Broad St) for the Ancient Forest Alliance's year-end celebration to honour our 8th year of operation, and the amazing community that has helped us get to where we are today! Enjoy some appetizers, drinks, and music with AFA volunteers, staff, donors, and supporters! The night will feature a fun and informative slideshow presented by the AFA's Andrea Inness, Ken Wu, and TJ Watt, followed by a meet and greet, silent auction fundraiser from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and then musical performances from 8:45 pm to 1 am. This is also a great chance to pick up Christmas gifts like our 2018 calendar. Come join us for a beer, relax, and have some fun! We are also very excited to announce that Oliver Swain will be playing at our event, followed by three local DJs! See here for a schedule and more information. Tickets are available for the presentation and/or musical performances. Purchase your tickets here. or call 250 896 4007 Interested in volunteering? Email Amanda at canvass@15.222.63.112 For questions regarding accessibility into the event, please email us at info@15.222.63.112 We look forward to seeing you at the event! 

Stage and crowd at the very start of the night. The crowd increased another 30% in size over the next half hour!

Info Night and Rally on Tues, Nov. 28, at Alix Goolden Hall, from 7 – 8:30 pm

Time/Date: Tuesday Nov. 28, from 7 - 8:30 pm Location: Alix Goolden Hall (907 Pandora Ave) Free admission The election of a new NDP government supported by the Greens provides the greatest opportunity in BC's history to protect old-growth forests and end raw log exports. The AFA's Rally & Info Night for Ancient Forests and BC Forestry Jobs is our chance to let the BC government know we want protection for BC's endangered old-growth forests, support for First Nations land use plans, and a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry. Your participation makes all the difference and will send a strong signal to the government that we want bold action now! Key Speakers Include: Joe Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht canoe carver and Band Councillor Robert Morales, Chief Treaty Negotiator, Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group Dr. Andy Mackinnon, Metchosin city Councillor and forest ecologist Arnold Bercov, President of the Public and Private Workers of Canada Karl Ablack, Vice President, Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce Josh Schmidt, Director of Development, West Shore Chamber of Commerce Jens Wieting, Forest and Climate Campaigner, Sierra Club BC Dr. Brian White, Tourism Professor and Program Head, Royal Roads University Torrance Coste, Campaigner, Wilderness Committee TJ Watt, Photographer & Campaigner, Ancient Forest Alliance Andrea Inness, Campaigner, Ancient Forest Alliance Ken Wu, Executive Director, Ancient Forest Alliance  This is our chance to send an unequivocal message to the BC government to protect ancient forests and forestry jobs! Please join us and spread the word - your attendance at this rally and info night is critical! For more information, contact us at info@15.222.63.112, call 250.896.4007 or visit our Facebook event page.

AFA supporters listening carefully to presentations from AFA's Ken Wu
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Thank You to Robinson’s Outdoor Store!

Thank you to Robinson’s Outdoor Store for hosting an amazing benefit night for the AFA with support from Patagonia, beer provided by Spinnakers, and the “Giant Tree Hunters” provided by Nootka Street Film! We are so grateful for their support and for all the 130 people who showed up to make it a stellar night – together over $3000 was raised for the AFA! Thanks so much to Erin Boggs and Matt King of Robinson's, to Ross Mailloux of Patagonia, to Steve Adams and Sean Horlor of Nootka Street Films, and to Spinnakers Brewpub for their tremendous generosity in supporting our campaign to protect BC's endangered old-growth forests and to ensure a value-added, sustainable second-growth forest industry!

Patagonia Film Night for the Ancient Forest Alliance

Victoria friends! Please come out on Wednesday, September 27 to Robinson's Outdoor Store (1307 Broad Street, Victoria, Doors open 6:30 pm, Presentations begin 7 pm) who will be hosting in conjunction with Patagonia a film night and presentations as an awareness and fundraiser for the Ancient Forest Alliance!

Volunteers Needed – Avatar Grove Boardwalk Construction: July 29-30 & August 5-6-7 in Port Renfrew!

Volunteers Needed for Avatar Boardwalk Construction!  July 29-30 & August 5-6-7 in Port Renfrew The Ancient Forest Alliance is looking for dedicated, considerate, and capable volunteers to help finish constructing the Avatar Grove boardwalk. Volunteers must be able to follow instructions accurately, be in good health to do the work, and act safely and respectfully without exception. Activities may include carrying boardwalk planks, hammering nails, bucketing gravel, digging soil, moving rocks, etc. as well as having fun :) Construction experience not necessary but those with building skills are an asset and we hope you can join us!  If this sounds like you, please send an email with the subject line 'Boardwalk Volunteer - [your name & dates available]' to Boardwalk Coordinator TJ Watt at info@15.222.63.112  Please include: 1) Your contact information (phone number) 2) Any relevant experience you may have 3) If you need a ride to Port Renfrew or can offer one 4) Any health limitations we should be aware of Thanks!

Koksilah Ancient Forest on Vancouver Island

New report: BC government faces no legal or financial barriers to implementing "Pop for Parks" program for land acquisition fund

Following a growing movement of support across municipalities, recreation groups and environmental groups for a provincial land acquisition fund, a new report has been released outlining one of the ways the government could partially fund such a program. Environmental Lawyer Erin Grey has produced a report on behalf of the Ancient Forest Alliance, analyzing the AFA's proposed Pop for Parks program, which would see unredeemed bottle deposits redirected to the purchase and protection of private lands with high conservation values. The report explores the success of similar schemes to redirect unredeemed bottle deposits for environmental and other public purposes in several US jurisdictions and indicates there are no legal or financial barriers to implementing the program in BC - only a lack of political will. See the report at: https://staging.ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/AFA-Pop-for-Parks-Report-final.pdf

2017 Provincial Election Summary – BC Party Platforms on Old-Growth Forests and Related Forestry Issues

Head to the polls Tuesday armed with the facts! Check out our policy summary and infographic, outlining the major BC political parties' positions on forestry and old-growth forest protection in British Columbia. 

Environmentalists rally with forestry workers at a rally at the provincial legislature organized by the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) and the Private and Public Workers of Canada (PPWC) before the 2013 provincial election.

Sustainable Forestry Rally Today in Victoria

TODAY, Wednesday, April 12 12:00 noon Legislative Buildings, Victoria

Aerial photo of East Creek logging in 2015

New AFA Photo Gallery Reveals Clearcutting of Rare, Intact Old-Growth in East Creek

Check out our Facebook photo gallery revealing the fragmentation of the East Creek Valley, one of the very last intact primary watersheds on Vancouver Island until the BC Liberal government allowed the industrial logging of the upper valley starting in 2002 and then the lower valley in 2015 and on. These photos were captured by AFA photographer TJ Watt in the summer and fall of 2015. https://bit.ly/2mXhKQM

Signage at the start of the Avatar Grove trail

Avatar Grove Lower Loop Trail Reopened!

After second weekend of hard work, the Lower Loop Trail at the Avatar Grove has been reopened! AFA Boardwalk Coordinator TJ Watt and a team of volunteers spent long hours in wet conditions last weekend, clearing huge debris piles and fallen trees from the trail after a storm damaged the area last October.  More work still needs to be done to repair the broken boardwalk and add additional sections in areas that were impacted but it is possible to walk the trail again now.  Click here to view our photo gallery of the Avatar Grove trail clean-up: https://bit.ly/2mXtMK2