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EXPAND the MOVEMENT for ANCIENT FORESTS and BC JOBS!
SPEAK UP and RECRUIT others to do the same!
On October 25, several thousand of you took part in just about the largest environmental protest in British Columbia's history. 2700 people came out to the Wilderness Committee's "Rally for Ancient Forests and BC Jobs" in Victoria, calling on the BC Liberal government to protect the remaining old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, ensure that second-growth forests are sustainably logged, and to ban raw log exports.
See a NEW VIDEO of the rally by Jeremy Sean Williams at:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=zRmXjq7ZSCI
See various media articles about the rally at:
http://www.wcwcvictoria.org
Incidentally, there is another person who is saying the same things as us:
"If we're going to have timber industries operating on public land then we should make sure that old growth forests aren't destroyed but it's that second growth are what are harvested."
- Barack Obama, May 29, 2008 to the Flathead Beacon
EXPAND the MOVEMENT up to a FEVERED PITCH
While the BC Liberal government is now well aware of our campaign - we have the largest and most active movement in the province right now - they're hoping that the giant rally was a one-shot deal. They're hoping that the momentum will fizzle before the BC election in May, 2009.
YOU can prove them wrong again! We need expand this movement up to a fevered pitch only 6 months before the provincial election.
We need YOU to SPEAK UP and RECRUIT friends, family, co-workers, and classmates to do the same.
A million hectares of unprotected ancient forests are still endangered on BC's southern coast, as are the jobs of thousands of BC's forestry workers due to the BC Liberal government's deregulation of the industry.
Don't be fooled by BC Forest Minister Pat Bell's sneaky spin-doctoring: Bell has been invoking conservation initiatives on BC's northern coast (the Great Bear Rainforest) to justify his backwards policies on BC's southern coast (Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland). But they're different areas. In addition, he has been grossly over-inflating the amount of remaining old-growth forests by including marginal bog forests and high altitude snow forests - most of which can't be profitably logged (the trees are too small).
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. WRITE and PHONE the BC government and politicians
RIGHT NOW, we need to FLOOD the BC government and politicians with letters and phone calls specifically about Vancouver Island and the Southwest Mainland (ie. the southern coast). Every letter and call they get represents hundreds of people who feel the same. Be sure to include your home address so they know you are real!
Let the politicians know whether or not you want them to:
- Enact concrete timelines to quickly end old-growth logging on Vancouver Island and the Southwest Mainland where old-growth forests are now scarce. - Ensure the sustainable logging of second-growth forests, which now constitute most of the landbase on the south coast. - Ban raw log exports. - Assist in the development and retooling of sawmills for second-growth logs and value-added wood processing facilities.
Write and Phone:
Pat Bell, Minister of Forests and Range pat.bell.mla@leg.bc.ca Phone: 250-387-1023
Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca Phone: 250-387-1715
Both at: Legislative Buildings, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
ALSO your own BC Liberal or NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) (ie. your provincial political representative for your area) who you can find at: http://www.leg.bc.ca/Mla/3-1-1.htm
2. DONATE and/or BECOME a MEMBER of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee
We greatly need funds to expand our ancient forest campaign over the next 6 months. You can do it by: - Phoning our office at 250-388-9292 to donate via credit card - Mailing a cheque payable to "WCWC" at 651 Johnson Street, Victoria BC, V8W 1M7 - Coming in to our office in downtown Victoria at 651 Johnson St. (M.-Thurs: 10-5, F: 10-6, Sat: 11-5)) - Donating on-line through our secure website: www.wcwcvictoria.org and clicking on the memberships/donations button on the left.
3. SIGN and CIRCULATE our PETITION You can sign online and also download hardcopies at www.viforest.org So far we have 24,000 signatures and we want at least 30,000 signatures by the time we hand them in.
4. WRITE a LETTER to the EDITOR This is one of the most effective things you can do. After the front page the letters section is the most read part of newspapers, and your letter signals to the editors that ancient forests and raw log exports are key issues to cover. Not enough forest activists are doing this. Keep it brief, 150 word max in general, be sure to express things in your own words, with accurate facts.
5. ORGANIZE a FOREST ACTION COMMITTEE in your community. We're working to assist local citizens in communities around BC to organize support for the campaign for ancient forests and BC forestry jobs. These local activist groups will hold meetings, letter-writing potlucks, organize hiking and camping trips, circulate petitions, speak up at public events, and take part in forthcoming BC days of action. Let us know if you are interested (contact info below) and we'll give you advice on how to get a group going.
6. TAKE PART in the "10 DAYS of ACTION for ANCIENT FORESTS and BC JOBS" from March 1 to 10, 2009 Protests, rallies, and events across the coast. Watch for more details!
7. VOLUNTEER with the Wilderness Committee Contact us below!
With your participation we will succeed in keeping our ancient forests and the jobs of BC's forestry workers safe for future generations!
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Join 70 000 Canadians and become a member or donate to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Canada's largest grassroots, membership-based wilderness protection organization. Donate online on the left side of our website www.wcwcvictoria.org
Western Canada Wilderness Committee Victoria Office and Rainforest Store
651 Johnson St., Victoria, BC V8W 1M7
250-388-9292 (phone) wc2vic@island.net (email) www.wcwcvictoria.org (Victoria) www.wildernesscommittee.org (Vancouver) www.cathedralgrovecanyon.com (Mid-Island) www.oldgrowthplaces.org (Old-Growth Tourism Website)
Please SIGN our ONLINE PETITIONS at: www.bcoilslick.org www.okanaganpetition.org www.viforest.org
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