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ONE THOUSAND STRONG for ANCIENT FORESTS!
Mar 25, 2008
ONE THOUSAND STRONG for ANCIENT FORESTS!

RALLY and MARCH, Victoria, BC

Saturday, March 29, 2008

11:30 am  Congregate at Centennial Square, then begin march

12:00 noon  Rally at BC Legislative Buildings, Speakers

12:40 pm  Join Hands and Encircle Government Building - two
times around! Send a message to the BC Liberal government
LOUD and CLEAR!

SPEAKERS so far include:

Bob Simpson (NDP Forestry Critic),
Jane Sterk (BC Green Party Leader),
Arnold Bercov (Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada,
Forestry Officer),
Ken James (Youbou TimberLess Society, Director),
Valerie Langer (Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Board Member,
and ForestEthics, Forest Campaigner),
Ken Wu (WCWC Victoria Campaign Director),
and others...

We're aiming for 1000 people at this most important rally to
save the remaining old-growth forests on Vancouver Island
and the Lower Mainland and to ban raw log exports.

Why does drawing out 1000 people to the rally matter?

Because it's a threshold number that sends an undeniable,
decisive message to the BC Liberal government only one year
before a provincial election (May 2009) that these issues
are FIRST RATE priorities for BC voters that can attract
more DETERMINED ADVOCATES onto the streets than any other
cause right now.

How will the government know 1000 people came?

Through our "Rally Participants Display", which will
function like a giant petition where everyone who shows up
will sign their names onto a giant board, print their names
(optional), and bring a small photo (optional) of themselves
that we'll tape onto the board (no inappropriate photos,
though!).

At our ancient forest rally last fall we drew out 600
people - help us reach 1000 people!

What can YOU do?

 1. CONFIRM you're coming by emailing us back
(wc2vic@island.net ). WE WANT at least 1000 pre-confirmed!
This is very important!
 2. ROUND UP your friends, family, co-workers, classmates,
and roommates! Let us know how many people you're bringing
with you or better yet get them to confirm with us directly.
 3. ORGANIZE CARPOOLS to the rally if you live elsewhere
on Vancouver Island, on the Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, or
Vancouver.
 4. Help us PHONE our supporters list if you live in
Victoria and have an hour or two to spare at our office
(9:00-
5:00 pm Mon. to Fri., 11:00-5:00 pm Sat.)
 5. Help us get POSTERS into stores and bulletin boards in
your area, workplace, school, church, etc.
 6. ANNOUNCE the rally details in CLASS or at any EVENTS
(eg. meetings, presentations, church, etc.) that you attend.

What is the Wilderness Committee calling on the BC Liberal
government to do?  Key demands include:

 1. Enact concrete restrictions with timelines to quickly
end the logging of old-growth forests on Vancouver Island
and the Lower Mainland where old-growth forests are scarce.
 2. Ensure that our second-growth forests are logged
sustainably.
 3. Ban raw log exports and help retool manufacturing
facilities to process smaller-diameter second-growth logs
instead of old-growth logs.

What does the BC government's "Coastal Forest Action Plan"
do?

It places no new restrictions on the logging of old-growth
forests, but instead simply speeds up the logging of our
second-growth forests. As such, it'll not only ensure that
logging companies cut down our second-growth forests at
breakneck speeds, but that logging companies continue to
high-grade log the largest, most valuable old-growth trees,
the giant western redcedars, Douglas firs, and Sitka spruce
trees that are at the centre of the controversy. Their plan
also does little to stem the flow of raw log exports from BC
and may even increase the total amount of raw log exports.

How much old-growth forests remain?

On Vancouver Island, there were originally 2.3 million
hectares of productive old-growth forests. Today, about
600,000 hectares remain, or about one-fourth of what was
originally here.  Of this, about 140,000 hectares are in
parks.

In percentages, about 75% of the original, productive
old-growth forests have been logged on Vancouver Island
(including 90% of the valley-bottoms where the largest trees
grow and most biodiversity resides).  In contrast only 6% of
the original, productive old-growth forests are protected in
parks. See maps at stats at  www.wcwcvictoria.org

Why protect old-growth forests?

Because they:

- Are home to unique and endangered species that can't
flourish in younger forests, such as the marbled murrelet
and the spotted owl.
- Counteract climate change by sequestering far more
atmospheric carbon per hectare than second-growth forests
do.
- Are important parts of coastal First Nations cultures.
- Provide clean water for fish, wildlife, and people.
- Are fundamental pillars of BC's multi-billion dollar
coastal tourism industry.

Can we protect BC forestry jobs at the same time?

YES, if the BC government takes a pro-active role, instead
of shrugging off their responsibilities by blaming "market
forces" for the loss of 10,000 BC timber industry jobs over
the past year.  Most of the accessible, largest old-growth
trees in the valley bottoms and lower elevations have
already been logged-off on the southern BC coast. However,
second-growth forests are now maturing and comprise most of
the southern coastal forest land base.

If the BC government were to help retool sawmills (by
investing funds taken from taxing timber companies) to
handle smaller-diameter second-growth logs, ban raw log
exports, assist the development of a value-added wood
manufacturing sector, and reverse their deregulation of
massive areas of coastal forest lands, the government could
protect BC forestry jobs while also protecting our remaining
old-growth forests at the same time.

Does your participation make any difference? Do government's
actually listen?

YES and YES!!!  Governments are forced to listen when enough
people make them listen (ie. when enough people make
democracy work). Politicians are afraid of being tossed out
of power due to shifts in public opinion and when enough
people - and "enough" is the key word here - know, care, and
speak up!  Many famous protected ancient forests that are
now taken for granted by the public, including the West
Coast Trail/Nitinat Triangle, Carmanah Valley, Lower Walbran
Valley, Lower Tsitika Valley, Sooke Hills, Tahshish Valley,
Juan de Fuca Trail, Chilliwack Lake, Upper Elaho Valley,
Clendenning Valley, Stein Valley, and hundreds of other wild
places, were protected only because thousands of people
spoke up and stood up for their protection.  It works!

YOU are a vital part to help save what remains! On March 29
please make it a FIRST RATE PRIORITY to come and bring your
friends to the decisive rally for our last old-growth
forests!

For more information on the issues visit:
www.wcwcvictoria.org and www.viforest.org

P.S: Hey friends, something historic is about to happen. The
Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union led by
Arnold Bercov is working to bring out as many as 100
forestry workers to this Saturday's "1000 Strong for Ancient
Forests" Rally in Victoria (see below for details). Previous
ancient forest rallies have included representatives of
forestry unions who've participated as speakers, but this is
the first time there will be significant participation by
large numbers of forestry workers at an ancient forest rally
in the general crowd.


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