Reaching out

The following letter will appear today in the Sechelt Indian Band's community newsletter. It has also been sent to the Band Council.

An Open Letter to the Sechelt Nation

Greetings to all Sechelt Band Members,

We are the Friends of Egmont, a group of people from the Egmont, Earls Cove and Ruby Lake areas and we wish to share our thoughts and concerns with you. We know of and respect the connection you have to the Egmont and Jervis area. The generations of your people that fished these shores and walked the forests are too numerous to count. It is because of this connection to these forests that we write to you today.

We ask if you are aware that Tsain-Ko Forest Development Corporation plans to log in this area. We ask if you are aware that Tsain-Ko plans to log in the watersheds of Waugh, North and Ruby Lakes. We ask if you are aware that the Friends of Egmont have worked for many years to keep other logging companies from damaging our water supplies. Now, once again, we find that this precious life giving resource is under threat.

We, of course, are not alone and that all the watersheds here on the Sunshine Coast are being stripped of their forests. However, the logging has not begun yet in the Egmont area and it is not too late to prevent such destruction here. We reach out to the people of the Sechelt Nation and ask that you join us in protecting these lakes and forests. There is a better way than clearcutting if we have the courage, strength and will to follow a new path together.

If you would like to join us in protecting these forests for generations to come, please visit our website at www.saveourwatershed.com and email us at info@ravagedegmont.com. We invite you to our meetings and will give their dates on our website.

With respect,
Friends of Egmont
General Delivery
Egmont, BC. V0N 1N0