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An example of intact ancient temperate rainforest alongside a fresh old-growth clearcut.

EIGHT MONTH COUNTDOWN until the BC Election!

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Please DONATE to help the Ancient Forest Alliance build a much-needed “War Chest” of funding during this crucial pre-election period to shape major provincial policy decisions.

DONATE at: https://16.52.162.165/donations.php

The Greatest Opportunity is NOW for New Forest Policy Commitments

The next eight months will be a crucial time period for the fate of BC’s old-growth forests – in fact, the most important in BC’s history for ancient forests. In May, 2013, there will be a provincial election. During this pre-election period, politicians both in government and in the opposition are highly sensitive to public pressure as they seek power in the upcoming election. This is the time they must listen to the Ancient Forest Alliance and thousands of our supporters calling for new forest policy commitments including a Provincial Old-Growth Strategy that will protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and that will ensure a sustainable, value-added second-growth forest industry.

Times Have Changed

Over the past three decades, the level of public awareness and sympathy for the protection of BC’s old-growth forests has steadily grown…so much so that today, the social expectations that the last of these magnificent ancient forests be protected and a sustainable second-growth forest industry be established is far in the majority of public opinion. However, the fate of ancient forests is not necessarily at the forefront of most people’s minds, and may not be a voting issue for many yet. We need to get it there through a massive campaign now.

All indications are there will be a major shift in the politics of this province in the upcoming election. But there are no guarantees that whoever rules BC next, they will fundamentally change the status quo of old-growth forest liquidation in BC – unless there is massive public pressure coming from BC’s electorate. NOW is the time that we must make the decisive, large-scale, concerted public push for a new provincial plan to protect our endangered forests and jobs.

What’s at Stake?

The fate of BC’s forests is not just “one among many environmental issues”, but is the overriding, most significant environmental land-use issue in the province for the simple reason that forests are by far the dominant part of BC’s landbase and industrial logging exerts the largest ecological footprint of any land-use activity in BC – 200,000 hectares of forests are logged every year, an area about twenty times the size of the city of Vancouver.  This logging includes tens of thousands of hectares of old-growth forests each year. Logging of BC’s forests heavily impacts the climate, endangered species, water quality, wild fisheries, First Nations cultures, tourism, scenery, recreation, and our quality of lives.

What will we DO?

The Ancient Forest Alliance leads the way among BC conservation groups campaigning for a province-wide forestry overhaul to save ancient forests and forestry jobs. History demonstrates that only large-scale awareness and mobilization of a broad diversity of citizens can ensure major societal shifts, including how the tens of millions of hectares of BC’s forests are going to be managed. Over the next eight months we will:

  • Meet and engage with a large and diverse number of politicians both in government and opposition.
  • Build swing-riding campaigns in communities where politicians are particularly sensitive to public opinion.
  • Organize a province-wide presentation tour to inform and rally communities across BC.
  • Meet with a large diversity of stakeholders to build support among businesses, unions, faith groups, municipal leaders, scientists, and many others.
  • Organize a large array of public events including hikes, rallies, slideshows, and meetings.
  • Garner an unprecedented amount of media coverage to raise public awareness in BC about the centrality of ancient forests and raw log exports as provincial election issues.
  • Produce several vital new reports on the status of old-growth forests (including new maps) and on the economic value of standing old-growth forests.
  • Aim to build a new boardwalk in the Avatar Grove on the existing heavily used trail, once we receive the final permissions from various levels of government to proceed. The Avatar Grove was protected from logging earlier this year by a successful two year campaign led by the AFA.
  • Continue to fight for and support the protection of specific endangered ancient forests, such as the Castle Grove in the Walbran Valley, Mossy Maple Grove, Mclaughlin Ridge, Cathedral Grove Canyon, Stillwater Bluffs, Day Road Forest, Wilson Creek Forest, Christy Clark Grove, Cameron Valley Firebreak, areas within BC’s inland rainforest, areas within the drier old-growth forests of BC’s interior, and many more areas, while emphasizing the need for a province-wide old-growth plan.

…and much more!

We Need Funding to Take Advantage of this Most Opportune Time

Unfortunately the AFA is highly underfunded and we are currently in a very tough financial spot. To top it off, we really need to greatly expand our funding base for the heightened period of intense campaigning over the next 8 months before a BC election!

We can’t let the BEST OPPORTUNITY to ensure the protection of BC’s ancient forests SLIP BY by due to a lack of funding. IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO SUPPORT US, IT IS NOW.

Again, you can donate by going to:  https://16.52.162.165/donations.php

With your help, we’re confident now that we’ll change the history of BC’s forests over the coming intense eight months, for the benefit of future generations of human and non-human communities throughout BC.

For the Wild,

Ken Wu, Joan Varley, TJ Watt, Hannah Carpendale

 

Ancient Forest Alliance

Campaign for a $40 million per year BC Park Acquisition Fund Launched

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This week the Ancient Forest Alliance has launched a campaign, including a new petition at www.BCParkFund.com, the distribution of 50,000 new brochures (see https://www.bcparkfund.com/newsletter/June-2012-Parks-Acquisition.pdf) into key communities, and outreach to other conservation and recreation groups, calling on the BC Liberal government to establish a dedicated “BC Park Acquisition Fund” of at least $40 million per year. The fund would raise $400 million over 10 years, enabling the timely purchase of significant tracts of endangered private lands of high conservation, scenic, and recreation value to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system.

“While private land trusts are vital for conservation, they simply don’t have the capacity to quickly raise the tens of millions of dollars needed each year to protect enough endangered lands within the short time spans many areas have left to exist – only governments have such funds,” stated Ken Wu, executive director of the Victoria-based Ancient Forest Alliance (www.ancientforestalliance.org).

In years past, the BC government has designated funds for new park acquisition in the provincial budget; however, the funds have been inconsistent and simply too small.

“While $40 million might sound like a lot, let’s remember that it is only 1/1000th or 0.1% of the $40 billion provincial budget. Surely we can afford to invest 0.1% of the provincial budget to protect our endangered species and invest in BC’s scenic and recreational assets?” Wu asked.

Across British Columbia many of the most endangered ecosystems are found on private lands. These include the Coastal Douglas-fir and Dry Maritime forests on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, with their Mediterranean-like climates, twisted arbutus trees on rocky outcrops, and extremely scarce ancient groves; dry ecosystems of BC’s southern interior, including the fragrant Ponderosa Pine forests, sage-filled grasslands, and semi-arid “pocket desert”; waterfowl-filled wetlands and rich deciduous forests in the Fraser Valley and along our largest rivers; and other magnificent but endangered ecosystems threatened with encroaching developments.

These private lands are jam-packed with endangered species. They are also usually found closest to BC’s main population centers, making them highly accessible locations for environmental education and nature tourism. As such, they are potentially the highest-value additions to BC’s world-class parks and protected areas system.

Several of the most endangered old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast survive on the hundreds of thousands of hectares of private corporate lands owned by Island Timberlands and until recently, TimberWest, who sold their BC lands in 2011 to two public sector pension funds managed by the BC Investment Corporation (BCIMC) and the federal Public Sector Investment Management Board (PSIMB). Old-growth forests are vital for supporting endangered species, tourism, the climate, clean water and salmon, and many First Nations cultures.

Island Timberlands in particular in 2012 is aggressively moving to log many of its lands with the highest conservation and recreational values. Conservationists are calling on the company to back off from such plans, while at the same time calling on the BC government to help purchase the companies’ contentious private lands.

Earlier this week a meeting between Cortes Island residents and Island Timberlands representatives resulted in a deadlock in negotiations due to fundamental disagreements about the company’s logging plans that might start as soon as this September. See: https://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/earthmatters/no-negotiation-progress-island-timberlands%E2%80%99-plans-log-cortes-island-forests

Contentious old-growth and mature forests (see spectacular PHOTOS in each link) that are threatened by Island Timberlands on their private lands include:

  • About 1000 hectares of forest on Cortes Island (PHOTOS)
  • McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni (PHOTOS)
  • The Cameron Valley Firebreak near Port Alberni (PHOTOS)
  • Lands near Cathedral Grove (Macmillan Provincial Park), including the magnificent Cathedral Grove Canyon a few kilometres upstream near Port Alberni (PHOTOS)
  • Stillwater Bluffs near Powell River on the Sunshine Coast (PHOTOS)
  • The Day Road Forest near Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast (PHOTOS)

Contentious forests on former TimberWest lands, now owned by the BCIMC and the PSIMB, include:

  • Mossy Maple Grove or “Fangorn Forest” near Cowichan Lake (PHOTOS)
  • Koksilah Ancient Forest near Shawnigan Lake (PHOTOS)
  • Muir Creek Ancient Forest near Sooke (no photos available yet)

Park acquisition funds already exist on a smaller scale in several Regional Districts in BC, including the Capital Regional District (CRD) in the Greater Victoria region which has a Land Acquisition Fund of about $3.5 million each year. The CRD has spent over $34 million dollars since the year 2000 to purchase over 4500 hectares, including lands at Jordan River, the Sooke Hills, the Sooke Potholes, Thetis Lake, Mount Work, and Mount Maxwell on Salt Spring Island, to expand their system of Regional Parks.

“Studies have shown that for every $1 spent by the BC government on our parks system, another $9 in tourism revenues is generated in the provincial economy,” stated TJ Watt, campaigner and photographer with the AFA. “What better investment can we make than to spend a very modest sum each year to protect Beautiful British Columbia? A BC Park Acquisition Fund would be a win-win for everyone.”

San Juan Spruce tree and the Red Creek Fir - some of the Canada's largest trees found right nearby!

TONIGHT! Natural History Presentation: Ancient Forests of BC – Ecology and Politics

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The Victoria Natural History Society invites you to join the Ancient Forest Alliance¹s Ken Wu and TJ Watt for a spectacular slideshow and talk on the ecology, wildlife, and politics of old-growth forests including Avatar Grove, Walbran Valley, Clayoquot Sound, McLaughlin Ridge, and the newly found Mossy Maple Rainforest (aka “Fangorn Forest”). We will also discuss the status of various old-growth dependent species-at-risk in BC, such as the Spotted Owl and Mountain Caribou, as well as the possibly extirpated Vancouver Island wolverine, and the push for new provincial policies to protect old-growth forests.

When: Tuesday, April 10th. 7:30 p.m.

Where: Room 159 of the Fraser building at UVic.

Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend and a coffee mug!

TWO YEAR Anniversary of the Ancient Forest Alliance – Mon., Feb 27th!

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Please Donate! https://16.52.162.165/donations.php

Mon., Feb.27: 100 MILE DINNER ((SOLD OUT)) and CELEBRATION! ((TICKETS LEFT)) (Victoria) *info further down page*

The AFA is almost two years old!! February 24, 2010, was our official incorporation date as a registered not-for-profit society in British Columbia.

It has been an intense two years! With nothing more than a gmail account when we started, and with almost no funding, we quickly ramped up the scale of our campaigns to include tens of thousands of supporters in BC and major media coverage around the world.

Now, in 2012, with just over one year left before a BC election, the ruling BC Liberals and the opposition NDP who will likely form the next government are highly sensitive to public pressure. We need YOUR support during this MOST critical year.

Can you support us with a donation of any amount? We are limited by a lack of funding at this point, but have just about the lowest overhead of any major environmental organization. To donate go to: https://16.52.162.165/donations.php

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Mon., Feb.27:  100 MILE DINNER & CELEBRATION – 2 YEAR ANNIVERARY of the ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE!

To celebrate the Ancient Forest Alliance’s 2 year anniversary, Social Coast  is organizing a 100 Mile Dinner for the AFA with locally-produced, delicious gourmet foods prepared by renowned Vancouver Island chefs Landon Crawford and Andrew Bisson! The dinner features a “Mossy Maple” theme, in reference to the AFA’s new campaign to protect BC’s ancient bigleaf maple groves and with BC bigleaf maple syrup used with several delicious course items. Afterwards, there will be a celebration with music, drinks, speakers, a silent auction, and hob-nobbing with fellow tree-huggers!

The Ancient Forest Alliance will be two years old at the end of this month! In that time the organization has hugely grown in size and influence. Recently the BC government protected the famed Avatar Grove from logging as a result of the AFA’s campaign! See:  Times Colonist article and AFA press release

DATE:  MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
LOCATION:  Norway House, 1110 Hillside Avenue (near Graham St.), Victoria
TIMES:

6:00-7:30 pm:  100 MILE DINNER  ((SOLD OUT))  *** SEE FULL DINNER DETAILS and MENU BELOW***
Includes BC Bigleaf Maple-Glazed Wild Salmon, Ancient Forest Lichen Crisps (unique and new!), homemade BC Bigleaf Maple-Drizzled Ice Cream, and more!!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!

7:30—9:30 pm:  CELEBRATION  ((TICKETS LEFT))
AFA’s 2 year overview presentation with Ken Wu, TJ Watt, and Joan Varley!
Words from renowned forest activists Valerie Langer (tentative) and Vicky Husband!
Music by renowned Victoria musician Mike Edel!
Drinks!
Silent auction of donated goods and services from local businesses!
Door prizes!
Hob-nob with fellow tree-huggers!

***100 Mile Dinner tickets are SOLD OUT***

$10 Celebration only tickets are still available for the 7:30-9:30pm portion of the night!

BUY TICKETS:

 

100 MILE DINNER DETAILS from SOCIAL COAST

This dinner will be created using all ingredients that are sourced no farther than 100 miles from Victoria.
The dinner will feature the professional cooking skills of Landon Crawford (Nourish Bistro and Cafe), and Andrew Bissoon (chef and owner of Fat Daddy’s BBQ and Catering). They will be dishing up a 3 course meal that will include at least a couple of ingredients you have never tried before. Along with vegetarian options for all three courses, the menu includes Wild Sockeye Salmon glazed with BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup from the Cowichan Valley, ancient forest lichen crisps (lobaria or “lettuce” lichens) foraged by the Ancient Forest Alliance’s own TJ Watt, handmade goats cheese, homemade ice cream and a couple of more surprises. You can be assured that even the salt will be sourced from within 100 miles and the flavours will make you re-think the possibilities of local cuisine.

Bartender Eric Nordal (Bard and Banker) will be creating a locally inspired cocktail as well as other pairings to compliment the evening’s cuisine.

Mike Edel, a local artist who played at this year’s Rifflandia Festival will be performing and there are a number of captivating short presentations lined up for the night, including the Ancient Forest Alliance who will give an overview of its 2 year history and its recently successful campaign to protect the Avatar Grove from logging. Bed bath and beyond promo code

100 MILE DINNER MENU

APPETIZER
Meat option: 3- spot prawns
-Herb garlic puree
-Greens

Veggie option: Roasted beet salad
-On top of mesculine greens

MAIN
Meat option: Baked or poached salmon ($2.75/piece extra)

Veggie option: Amazing mushrooms of some kind, and ancient forest lichen crisps. Upside down portabella with kale. Goats cheese in the center.

The Starch: Mashed Potatoes (en croute perhaps)

The Green: Roasted Fennel or Collard greens or both

The Sauce: BC Bigleaf Maple Verjus Gastrique (Sweet and sour sauce)
-Put it around the plate and on the salmon

The colour: Kale, fennel, arugula puree

DESSERT
Maple ice cream
-Crushed roasted hazelnuts on top
-BC Bigleaf Maple Syrup drizzle

***Note:
– Menu subject to possible revision
– Drinks are extra

For more info about the 100 Mile Dinner and menu contact Social Coast’s Lliam Hildebrand at lliam@hotmail.com, Eric Nordal at eric@socialcoast.org

For information about the celebration afterwards or about the Ancient Forest Alliance contact Joan Varley at  info@16.52.162.165 or 250-896-4007

Call to write letters

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Hello friends, there is an urgent need for your voice on numerous endangered ancient forests in BC right now! Please take a moment to assist with each area – if you commit just 30 minutes, you could help each area listed below right now: Avatar Grove, Cortes Island, the Great Bear Rainforest, Flores Island, McLaughlin Ridge, and Mossy Maple Grove:

AVATAR GROVE

GOOD NEWS! The BC government this morning declared the Avatar Grove legally off-limits to logging through a new, 59 hectare Old-Growth Management Area! We’re aiming that eventually the Avatar Grove will be protected through legislation as a park or conservancy, but this keeps out the chainsaws now! The Avatar Grove campaign has been an “old-growth campaign on steroids”. Thousands of people have visited this incredible monumental stand of extremely rare valley-bottom ancient redcedars and Douglas firs near Port Renfrew in a campaign spearheaded by the Ancient Forest Alliance. The Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role by joining our call for the area’s protection. Unfortunately the logging company, Teal-Jones will be compensated with 30 hectares of second-growth and 27 hectares of old-growth (57 hectares) in the area – the AFA opposes compensation since the company does not own the land nor the trees, these are public forests. Lets remember too that THOUSANDS of hectares of old-growth forests are logged

EVERY year on Vancouver Island, tens of thousands of hectares are logged across BC, and millions of hectares remain unprotected and endangered in the province – this is a campaign to end logging of ALL endangered forests and to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry in BC.

CORTES ISLAND

Over 1000 hectares of endangered “dry maritime” forests are threatened with logging by Island Timberlands. Determined local residents on this northern Gulf Island have built different teams to undertake petition and letter-writing drives, fundraising, negotiations, mapping, and potentially blockades – which may happen shortly. BC’s Ministry of Environment has responded to our first round of letters calling on them to help protect these lands that it has “no funds available”.

Let’s ramp-up the call by targeting Premier Christy Clark now at premier@gov.bc.ca (include your full name and mailing address so they know you are a real person). Write her a quick letter to let her know it is the province’s responsibility to help purchase the endangered forests, sensitive ecosystems, and rare old-growth groves on Island Timberland’s private lands on Cortes Island. Only 1% of BC’s old-growth coastal Douglas firs remain!

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST

The central and northern mainland coast of BC is massive, twice the size of Vancouver Island and bigger than many European countries. It is home to numerous First Nations communities and the towns of Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Bella Bella, and Bella Coola. It is also home to hundreds of ancient forest valleys with grizzlies, spirit bears, wolves, cougars, and salmon. BC made headlines six years ago when the province promised to save the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. Today 50% of its forests are off-limits to logging while the rest remains at risk.

  • Please SIGN ONLINE to help the campaigners to “Take it Taller” to reach their goal of 5000 supporters at: www.TakeItTaller.ca [Original article no longer available]

FLORES ISLAND

Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound is Heaven on Earth. It is one of the most extensive intact ancient rainforests left in southern BC. Located near Tofino in Nuu-cha-nulth territory, it is home to wolves, cougars, deer, and black bears on the land, and gray whales, humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, and sea otters in its marine waters. Unfortunately it is under threat from logging.

MCLAUGHLIN RIDGE

Near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, this 400 hectare tract of extremely rare old-growth Douglas firs and hemlocks is considered to be the finest deer wintering range on southern Vancouver Island and is critical habitat for the endangered Queen Charlotte goshawk. Island Timberlands is still intransigent and won’t commit to not logging the ridge.

MOSSY MAPLE GROVE, a.k.a. “Fangorn Forest”

This unique, newly located stand of magnificent, massive mossy maple trees near Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island is just about the most beautiful forest you could imagine – straight out of a fairy tale!

  • See NEW HD video of the grove here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOefJnAENI
  • Watch for calls to action to ensure this forest’s protection!
  • Directions will be made available to visit the Grove in the not distant future, for all those who are asking! Please be patient.

MOST of ALL please SIGN and FORWARD our online petition to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs at: ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/

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Support the Ancient Forest Alliance!

We are a new organization and greatly need your support.

Please DONATE securely online at https://donate.ancientforestalliance.org

Visit the Ancient Forest Alliance online at:
Web: www.ancientforestalliance.org
Email: info@16.52.162.165
Petition: https://16.52.162.165/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ancientforestalliance
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancient_forest
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/BCAncientForest

Ancient Forest Alliance

Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest

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This video, created by BC’s Ancient Forest Alliance, showcases the mossy beauty of Mossy Maple Grove, a forest near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island.

From the Forest Alliance: “This is the unprotected “Mossy Maple Grove”, Canada’s mossiest rainforest, a stand of enormous old-growth Bigleaf maple trees — some as much as 2 meters (7 feet) wide in trunk diameter — completely draped in hanging gardens of mosses and ferns… This is in the traditional territory of Cowichan Tribes who are part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group.

Unlike other spotlighted old-growth forests in BC, this is an old-growth ‘deciduous’ or broad-leaf rainforest. This area has also been nicknamed “Fangorn Forest” after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.”

Link to original artlcle from The Tyee: https://thetyee.ca/Video/2012/02/09/fangorn-forest/

Ancient Forest Alliance

Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest aka Fangorn Forest

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Direct link to YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/FzOefJnAENI

Please SIGN our PETITION at ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/

This is the unprotected “Mossy Maple Grove”, Canada’s mossiest rainforest, a stand of enormous old-growth Bigleaf maple trees — some as much as 2 meters (7 feet) wide in trunk diameter — completely draped in hanging gardens of mosses and ferns found just south of Cowichan Lake on southern Vancouver Island, BC. This is in the traditional territory of Cowichan Tribes who are part of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group.

Unlike other spotlighted old-growth forests in BC that have all been “coniferous” or needle-leaf trees (Douglas firs, Sitka spruce, western redcedars, etc.), this is an old-growth “deciduous” or broad-leaf rainforest. This area has also been nicknamed “Fangorn Forest” after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.

Filmed and edited by TJ Watt.
Music – “Razorback Sucker” by Tom Fahy – https://www.facebook.com/tomfahymusic/

Ancient Forest Alliance

Shaw TV: The campaign for Fangorn Forest or the Mossy Maple Rainforest

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Direct link to video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1p96kF0qJg

NEW Posters, Winner of Lichen Auction, Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest TV Clip!

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Dec. 23 AFA Newsletter – 3 Items (1. Donate/New Posters, 2. Anne Hansen wins!, 3. News Clip of “Fangorn Forest”):

1. Please support the AFA during the last stretch of 2011 – your donation will go furthest with us, we are about the leanest environmental organization in BC with the largest impact!  You can:

DONATE any amount, whether $5 or $500, it all adds up! Donate:

  • Securely online at www.AncientForestAlliance.org/donations.php
  • Phone us with your credit card at 250-896-4007
  • Mail a cheque to:  Ancient Forest Alliance, 706 Yates Street, PO Box 8459, Victoria, BC  V8W 3S1
  • TODAY, Dec.23 is our last day you can come to our office cubicle to donate in person between 12:00 – 6:30 pm at 827 Broughton St. in Victoria, after which we will be closed.
  • Give a Gift Donation to the AFA on behalf of a friend or family member at: www.ancientforestalliance.org/donations.php

PURCHASE our AFA gift products, including our NEW POSTERS of Canada’s biggest trees (featuring the Cheewhat Giant, San Juan Spruce, and Avatar Grove’s Gnarly Tree) as well as greeting cards, postcards, stickers, and prints see www.ancientforestalliance.org/store/ Order them by phoning us at 250-896-9007 or come to our office cubicle at 827 Broughton St. today (see above). We will have an online store soon too.

2. WINNER! Victoria artist Anne Hansen makes winning bid in the New Species Conservation Auction!

Victoria artist Anne Hansen, aka. Oystercatcher Girl (see https://oystercatchergirl.blogspot.com/), made the winning $4000 bid for the naming rights to a newly described species of old-growth forest lichen loaned by UBC’s lichen curator Trevor Goward to the AFA as a fundraiser. Congratulations Anne!  She has named the lichen Bryoria kockiana, after her late husband Henry Kock, a renowned environmentalist and horticulturalist who was the public face of the University of Guelph Arboretum for many years.

3. Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest in the news recently!

Have a great Holiday Season and thank you all so much for your generous support for our incredible Ancient Forests. We couldn’t do it without you!

Ken Wu, TJ Watt, Joan Varley,
Ancient Forest Alliance.

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Support the Ancient Forest Alliance!
We are a new organization and greatly need your support.

Please DONATE securely online at https://16.52.162.165/donations.php

Visit the Ancient Forest Alliance online at:
Web: www.ancientforestalliance.org
Email: info@16.52.162.165
Petition: ancientforestalliance.org/ways-to-take-action-for-forests/petition/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000685892458
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancient_forest

Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner Hannah Carpendale stands amongst the giant old-growth Bigleaf maples in the un-protected Mossy Maple Grove.

Monday, Dec. 5th: SEE BC’s MOST UNIQUE OLD-GROWTH FOREST! AFA Photo Journey & Fundraiser

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DATE: Monday, Dec. 5th

TIME: 7:00-8:30 pm
LOCATION: Ambrosia Center, 638 Fisgard St. near Douglas St.

Ancient Forest Friends,

We are excited to finally share with you the latest, incredible old-growth stand that we’ve come across: the “MOSSY MAPLE RAINFOREST”!

This spectacular forest on Vancouver Island near Cowichan Lake includes the incredible “Mossy Maple Grove”, a…stand of enormous bigleaf maple trees – some as much as 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide – completely draped in hanging gardens of mosses and ferns.

Unlike other spotlighted old-growth forests in BC that have all been “coniferous” or needle-leaf trees (spruce, fir, cedar, etc.), this is an old-growth “deciduous” or broad-leaf rainforest. This area has also been nicknamed “Fangorn Forest” after the forest in The Lord of the Rings.

Please join us MONDAY, Dec. 5th  from 7-8:30pm at the Ambrosia Centre for the SLIDESHOW & FUNDRAISER and a chance to see un-released photos from a second area nearby, the “Mossy Maple Gallery”, as well as of the Mossy Maple Grove, and to learn about this unique ecosystem and how you can help protect it!

Follow the links below to see:

Stunning new photos of the Mossy Maple Grove:  https://16.52.162.165/photos-sub.php?sID=2

Ancient Forest Alliance press release– “Canada’s Mossiest Rainforest” found on Vancouver Island: https://16.52.162.165/news-item.php?ID=329

Also find out more about the status of BC’s old-growth forests and of raw log exports to China, of the Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew and the McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni, and what’s in store for 2012 as we approach our 2 year anniversary since our founding!

Take part in a fun Pledge Auction led by Joan Varley to help us raise greatly needed funds for our new organization!

For more info contact: info@ancientforestalliance.org

Hope to see you there!

Ken Wu, TJ Watt, Joan Varley

Ancient Forest Alliance