Ecoforestry Meeting on July 12 in Egmont

The Friends of Egmont are inviting all Sunshine Coast Residents from Port Mellon to Egmont to attend a Public Meeting on Ecoforestry. We are fortunate to have two guest speakers from Vancouver Island:

Jay Rostogi
Site Manager for Wildwood
Land Conservancy of BC

Barry Gates
Malahat Ecoforestry Products

Wildwood on Vancouver Island is the oldest ecoforest on the west coast of North America. Founded by Merve Wilkinson in 1938 and now owned by the Land Conservancy of BC, Wildwood continues Merve's practices of true selective logging ensuring forest survival for future generations.

Barry Gates is manager of 400 hectare private forest at Shawnigan Lake. Both Barry and Jay are members of the Ecoforestry Institute and will share their experiences and views on alternatives to clear-cut logging. The Public Meeting will take place at:

7:00 pm
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Egmont Community Hall

For further information, click on Wildwood and the Ecoforestry Institute under "Sites Worth Visiting" in the column to the right.

"Our Ancerstors Are Watching"

The following letter appeared in this past week's Coast Reporter. It was sent to both the newspaper and to Western Forest Products.

"My name is Willard Joe, and I am a member of the Sechelt Indian Band. My family name is well known amongst our Band, and my family has a long history with our traditional territories.

I wish to advise your company that I visited your company's logging roads that have been built in the Chapman Creek watershed, and there I sang a song for protection over my traditional lands.

The late Chief Dan George's song was taught to me by a Squamish band member and the song reaches out to my ancestors and asks for their protection over the watershed.

My singing and drum sounds went deep into the forest and the ancestors knew my presence. I ask your company to respect my traditional lands and mot continue with your plans to build roads and log trees in the watersheds."

That is a beautiful letter Mr. Joe. Now, we ask with deep sincerity that you come to our watersheds here in Egmont to sing Chief Dan George's song and to drum. We ask that you reach out to your ancestors for their protection against the clear-cutting and road building planned in our watersheds and in this territory, too.

SCRD & Our Watersheds

The following are the motions passed by the SCRD at it's June 21, 2007 meeting. They show the direction the SCRD is taking in regards to logging on the watersheds throughout the coast and towards Egmont's Waugh Lake Watershed and the Chapman Creek Watershed in particular.

331/07
THAT the Planning and Development Committee recommendations No 1-4, 16, 22-24, and 32 of June 21, 2007 be received, adopted and acted upon as amended at follows:

Recommendation No1 - Waugh Lake Watershed

That with respect to the proposed logging by Tsain Ko in the Waugh Lake Community Watershed, that staff review the requests from the Egmont community, and prepare information as to what the Regional District can so to support their requests and concerns, including the status of the a Watershed Reserve on Waugh Lake;

AND THAT staff request information from Tsain Ko on their proposed logging plans, environmental studies andother supporting documents;

AND FURTHER THAT staff send a letter to Tsain Ko inviting them to meet with the SCRD Board to explain thier plans, and that the invitation to participate in the meeting include representatives from the Ministry of Forests, Dr. Pau Martiquet and Tim Adams, and that a copy of the letter of invitation be forwarded to SIB Chief and Council.

Recommendation No 2 - Logging Within Watersheds

THAT staff provide information on all watersheds and proposed cutblocks with watersheds with active water licenses (for the purpose of indentification), timber licences holders within them, location of chart areas of the licences, and terms of tenure;

AND THAT the SCRD request a meeting with the Minister of Forests and Range to discuss information on logging within watersheds, and an invitation be extended to the SIB to participate in the meeting with the Minister.

Recommendation No. 3 - Watershed Reserves

THAT staff investigate the process required to establish Watershed Reserves on lakes providing a source of community drinking water such as Ruby Lake and Waugh Lake.

Recommendation No. 4 - UBCM Resolutions Re: Community Watersheds

THAT the SCRD send a letter to UBCM requesting that they work with the SCRD in recommending strategies to address forestry activity in community watersheds;

THAT SCRD and Sechelt Indian Band meet at a mutually convenient time to discuss broadening the Joint Watershed Management Agreement to include all drinking water watersheds on the lower Sunshine Coast;

AND THAT the Squamish Indian Band be invited to attend.

CARRIED

324-07
THAT given the workload generated by concerns related to the Chapman Creek, Wilson Creek and Egmont Watersheds, staff be authorized to retain consultants to obtain information the Board is requesting regarding watersheds, cutblocks, jurisdictions, etc.

CARRIED

325-07
THAT a meeting be scheduled with Stuart MacPerson of the Private Managed Forest Council.

CARRIED

326-07
THAT a letter be sent to the Premier outlining the situation concern the approval of Western Forest Products cutblocks in the watershed, and including the history of water surveying and the service provided to 23,000 people, and the SCRD's frustrations and the cost of the water treatment plant;

AND THAT the letter put the province on notice that the SCRD will cosider them negligent for any risk or incident in the watershed due to Western Forest Products logging, noting that the quality and quantity of water will be monitored;

AND FURTHER THAT the letter be copied to Nicholas Simons, MLA, and the Ministers of Forests, Health and Community Services.

CARRIED

327-07
THAT a copy of the letter to the Premier be hand-delivered to the Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests.

CARRIED

328-07
THAT staff consult with SCRD legal counsel and if they are amenable, contact West Coast Environmental Law for advice about who in the legal community would best be able to meet our needs on the watershed issue.

CARRIED

330-07
Recommendation No. 2 - Letter to Ombudsman re: Logging in Watersheds

THAT the SCRD, as a Sunshine Coast water purveyor, write a letter to the Ombudsman asking that mining and logging in the Chapman Creek watershed be halted due to the threat to drinking water quality and request that consideration be given to all community watersheds with the Sunshine Coast Regional District.

Recommendation No. 3 - Logging in Chapman Watershed

THAT a letter be sent to Western Forest Products expressing the Sunshine Coast Regional District's concerns regarding logging in the Chapman watershed and that Western Forest Products be asked to inform the SCRD of their intentions in this regards.

Recommendation No. 4 - Columbia National Investments

THAT a letter be sent to Columbia National Investments (CNI) asking for clarification on the following comments that were made at a recent Public Open House:

• Confirmation that CNI will not be logging in the Chapman watershed
• What CNI considers the "watershed" to be
• CNI's offer to negotiate granting an easement for access to the SCRD water intake

Recommendation No. 5 - Logging in the Chapman Creek Watershed

THAT the Board, pursuant to Section 13 of the Drinking Waters Protection Act (DWPA), notify the Drinking Water Officer that logging and road building underway in the Chapman Watershed presents an imminent threat to the drinking water supply;

AND THAT the Board, pursuant to Section 25 of the Drinking Water Protection Act (DWPA) request the Drinking Water Officer to stop all logging and road building within the Chapman Watershed until such time as a Drinking Water Protection Plan is in place;

AND THAT the Board request that the Drinking Water Officer begin the process of developing a Drinking Water Protection Plan for the Chapman Creek watershed;

AND THAT the Board request a letter of support from the Sechelt Indian Band, District of Sechelt and Town of Gibsons in recommending a moratorium on all logging and road building in the Chapman Creek watershed until such time as a Drinking Water Protection Plan and Assessement Response is completed.

AND THAT the Board send a letter to Western Forest Products, Ministry of Forests, and the District and the District Forest Manager requesting that a moratorium on all logging and road building in the Chapman Creek watershed until such time as a Drinking Water Protection Plan and Assessment Response Plan is completed;

AND THAT the Committee, given the sensitive nature of the issues, direct staff to send these letters as soon as possible, and before the next Board meeting;

AND THAT a letter be ssent to Triton Environment Consultants Ltd. requesting writeen confirmation that there is an immenient threat to the Chapman Creek watershed and Sunshine Coast drinking water due to logging activity by Western Forest Products.

AND FINALLY THAT the Committee consider a press release advising the public of these actions.

CARRIED

336-07
THAT the following resolution be adopted and forwarded to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for consideration at the 2007 convention:

Bill 11

WHEREAS Bill 11 amends the Local Government Act to allow the Lieutenant Governor in Council to designate a resort region and establish a resor municipality without the consent of residents within that area and without consultation and support of the affected Regional District;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Bill 11 be amended so that the designation of a resort region and the establishment of a resort municipality is contingent upon the support of the affected Regional District by resolution and the consent of residents and property owners within the Regional District by referendum.

CARRIED