My input on BC's 'B.E.H.F.' draft - Spring 2024

Here's my official input on the draft BC Biodiversity & Ecosystems Health Framework - to be finalized in Spring 2024.  If you care about saving BC's (fast-dwindling, due to clearcut logging & overdevelopment) wildlife habitats -- & who doesn't -- please write to the BC Govt to let them know your views (though the deadline has passed, it wasn't well publicized).  I've included the Ministry's reply below it)

To: biodiversity.ecosystemhealth

Ministry of Water, Land & Resource Stewardship (Ministry of WLRS)

Re:  DRAFT B.C. BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH FRAMEWORK

.

Please include this letter as my input on your well-intentioned Biodiversity (BEHF) framework currently before us.

I had a whole lengthy, carefully researched & well-worded essay -- on which I'd spent hours compiling, duly including points as recommended by the hard-working eco-orgs of which I am a member & remembering to commend your Govt's upstanding efforts in drafting the BEHF.

But I've deleted it, recognizing my optimism felt entirely false -- & my well-considered arguments were mostly repeats of other heartfelt letters I've directed to your offices 'ad infinitum', ever since your BC-NDP Govt was elected in 2017 on promises of Climate action & --yes-- protection of our invaluable ecosystems against Big-Industry extractive pipelines & projects that your leader(s) vehemently denounced & vowed to oppose "using all the tools available"... or some such pre-election hype from your party's promo toolbox..

And it's been one giant disappointment after another observing the reality of your Govt's non-progress on aLL its avowed plans/ promises on Climate action -- ESP. your constant scathing & very vocal derision of the newly-hated Clark-led Liberals, amid non-stop claims that the BC-NDP were different & would overturn the Libs' reckless pro-pollution policies & champion publicly-clamored Climate action instead, like heroes!

How wrong we've been to keep hoping for a sign that our love of, & pride in, "Super, Natural" BC's clean waters, iconic wildlife habitats & globally-rare ancient forests was shared (& protected) by our new Govt!

Instead, despite overwhelming growing public support for fresh new nature-restoring -- desperately-needed -- paradigms of Climate-balancing/ forest-protecting/ wildlife-conserving laws & policies that brought hope for a better, more sustainable future (bolstered by many letters of encouragement to 'do the right thing') your Govt has squandered each & every opportunity to make good on your promised intentions for ecosystems.

Even as evidence of -- & public demos/ protests/ opposition to -- irreversible harms of your pro-BigIndustry stance compounded (which you are finally -- belatedly -- addressing in this BEHF) your party has violated its own newly-adopted UNDRIP laws by fast-tracking clearcut logging (=decimation of our most beneficial & biodiverse primary forests) & fragmented threatened wildlife habitats.  

Your Govt is also to blame for -- but won't admit -- extinction of our last rare Spotted Owls by permitting logging of habitat that should have been protected at all costs.  You've also backed RCMP-led armed raids against indigenous land-defenders' rightful opposition to CGL & TMX violations of their hereditary rights & title.. to the extreme point of violently arresting them & overturning previously-hard-won legal recognition of their hereditary land rights..

More recently, your Govt had the gall to stand by & do nothing for the Fairy Creek forest protectors who were -- shockingly -- criminalized by a judge for their non-violent & publicly-backed defence of an important & beloved old-growth watershed from being unlawfully wiped off the map:  a crime against these Climate-balancing C02-sinking eco-heroes, the best of which still stand unprotected against loggers, thanks to your inaction..

Notably, one of those selfless Fairy Creek defenders is a member of the upstanding Green party (an admirable org. whose generosity & leadership aided your party's political ambitions by legitimising election promises to save old-growth in 2020).

If these caring, committed eco-activists & FN land defenders continue to be shamed for their lawful pro-Nature activism, we'll know for sure just how fraudulent your Govt's BEHF intentions are..

Meanwhile, delaying any beneficial Climate/ eco-measures (& publicly claiming otherwise -- in pricey TV ads touting NON-EXISTENT 'CLIMATE CAPTURE' TECH no less!) has pushed BC's biodiversity/ natural habitats to the very brink of Climate disaster.. & many of your already-approved extractive nightmares have yet to be built!  If/ when they're up & running, if your govt continues allowing these reckless new monuments to rising emissions --  eg. Site 'C' dam, LNG (fracked-gas) development, clearcut logging/ old-growth destruction, Ingerbelle expansion, Blackwater Gold mine, to name but a few -- the colossal damage to biodiversity & ecosystems will be locked in & unmitigated -- ALL ON YOUR WATCH.

So you see, as an informed citizen -- & a Vegan -- I cannot find it in me to commend yet another of your Govt's claims of Climate action/ intentions, since from the start you have repeatedly dismissed/ ignored public calls to action & instead made decisions that:

(A.) SERVE the interests of extractive & polluting corporations, not citizens; 

(B.) DEFY our right to clean air/ water & (govt-pledgd) Climate action; 

(C.) FAIL to meet our Climate goals;

(D.) ADD TO ever-climbing GHGs; 

(E.) DRIVE erosion, flooding, wildfires+++;

(F.) SABOTAGE communities' resilience.

Biologists, ecologists, experts & locals agree:  BC's iconic wildlife is extirpating at alarming rates due to worsening fires/ habitat loss from cont'd clearcut logging & overdevelopment.. as well as the lack of a (promised) proper 'Species At Risk' laws.  Science-advised transformative changes are long overdue, yet your Govt's inaction -- while siding with polluters -- is V worrying. 

I am hoping against hope that this new 'Framework' WILL result in actual, permanent protection of our most at-risk & invaluable old-growth ecosystems with the most threatened wildlife.  But I find it hard to trust a Govt that operates so dishonestly & fails its duties to those who pay your salaries.  That resembles dereliction of your sworn duties, which I cannot pretend to respect/support

*  *  *  *

One pending disaster in the works I feel duty-bound to mention is the Zincton Resort, proposed for the heart of BC's Inland Temperate Rainforest.  At stake, for starters, is the survival of at least 185 known species at risk in BC’s under-protected Inland Rainforest.

The whole area is prime grizzly bear & mountain goat habitat, which this massive unsustainable development would forever fragment & disable by its sprawling size alone.

At this critical point, ONLY clean-energy/ habitat-restoring/ low-footprint/ off-grid/ renewably-run/ sustainable/ zero-waste projects should even be considered now.  Zincton Resort is none of the above -- its proposal outlines a high-traffic, heavy-footprint, high-profit all-season outfit (1,200+ guests daily!) with NO PLANS to benefit/ enhance/ honor local biodiversity/ ecology/ wildlife:  NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!

The Zincton area is one of BC's few wildlife havens left, home to grizzly bears, cariboo, mountain goats & other native species that NEED large tracts of intact wilderness to survive -- & keep away from communities, to prevent more "nuisance bears" from being killed.  Noone wants that.

I -- & almost everyone I know -- vote for the bears++ to stay -- & projects like Zincton Resort to die before they drive more wildlife to extinction & add more GHGs to our ever-rising  emissions (= the very last thing we need now!) 

TXA wildlife impact assessment by registered professional biologist & grizzly bear expert Wayne McCrory has found that the project will significantly diminish, and could eventually wipe out, three provincially blue-listed species: grizzly bears, mountain goats & wolverines. Western toads would also suffer increased mortalities.  This is wholly unacceptable in today's changing climate:  we can, & must, do better!

*  *  *  *

Wolves are another imperiled & unfairly maligned wild species, thanks to misguided (& harmful) 'culling' (= killing) programs implemented by your Govt.  Yet wolves are an important keystone species that help balance ecosystems & biodiversity.  Please watch the documentary 'Return of the Wolves' (2005) which details the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park, a landmark conservation project in the 1990s aimed at restoring natural balance in the park's ecosystem.  The film explores the ecological significance of wolves as apex predators & how their presence has benefitted many species & the landscape itself. As most conservationists agree, CULLING IS NEVER THE ANSWER.  I'd add, it's an embarrassment to your Govt's declared biodiversity goals to continue such cruel & unnecessary barbarism -- not to mention hypocrisy.

*  *  *  *

CLEARCUTTING has turned vast areas of BC into dried-out fire accelerant, incL our globally rare primary forests -- which instead of being protected as they should, continue to be logged & exported to provide PELLETS FOR BURNING FUEL OVERSEAS!! (For example) This unsustainable industry violates all eco-laws & undermines our every effort to save irreplaceable ecosystems, & must end ASAP.

Unknown to most, your Govt continues to issue permits & allow proposals for industrial extraction projects deemed (by ecosystem/ wildlife experts, scientists etc.) to worsen the size/ spread of wildfires & further degrade wildlife habitats.  That the threatened Spotted Owl habitat in Spuzzum was logged instead of protected at all costs, is just one example of extreme malfeasance re. Biodiversity's shrinking habitats driving extinction -- proof that both fed & prov Govts have been derelict in their duties to uphold their duties as stewards.  In the end, the onus is on honest Govt leadership to enact the proper expert-advised measures -- without polluting corps' vested lobbying input -- that will preserve & restore our globally-rare natural ecosystems for generations to come.  The alternatives -- worsened degradation, drought & extirpation of our most valuable natural sustainers -- are unthinkable.  And unnecessary.  We can do this -- but only with your genuine commitment to renewed gd stewardship.

*  *  *  *

One more crucial point:  as a result of BC's increasingly disastrous, record fires -- eg. last summer (2023) -- long-burning & widespread due to clearcut logging/  spraying cutblocks with toxic glyphosate/ replanting monoculture conifers solely for harvest (& largely preventable by policies akin to what this BEHF draft purports to address) -- there exist across BC MASSES OF NOW-BURNT TIMBER in degraded ecosystems.  New enforceable laws under this plan should require logging co's to prioritize harvest of these burnt stands before any more intact forests are cut.  AND such operations must be carried out within 2 years of those fires to have any effect.  THIS of course falls under the revive/restore (urgently needed) part of this new BEHF initiative.

*  *  *  *

To end this input on a (somewhat) optimistic note for the future of BC's biodiversity/ ecosystems, I'll draw your attention to the ironic ease, efficiency & speed with which legislation banning plastic straws was implemented -- the widespread success of which surely proves:  our efforts as individuals on the Climate/ extinction crisis are only effective if bolstered by an accountable & transparent Govt that is not afraid to take charge & make the changes needed to dispel corruption & bring about the better future we ALL deserve & desire!?

The alternatives -- incl. Honing same-old backward last-decade concepts/ dinosaurs -- degrading, ecocidal, extractive, perpetual-growth & wasteful economies -- will only bring more destruction, hopelessness & misery.  Please do the right thing & (finally) PUT THIS PLAN IN ACTION, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE TO SAVE OUR BELOVED NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS & THE BIODIVERSITY WHOSE SURVIVAL IMPLICITLY DEPENDS ON OUR STEWARDSHIP NOW:  let's not let them down! (Please?)

Thank you very much,

Sarah M. Chesterman

AND here's the emailed response I received:

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health WLRS:EX	Feb 2, 2024, 12:50 PM (8 days ago)		Reply
to me

Hi Sarah,

 

Thank you for your email and for taking the time to provide input on the draft B.C. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework (‘Framework’). The input received will support the work to finalize the draft Framework and inform planning for implementation. Once the Framework is finalized, it will be released publicly along with an implementation plan.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Biodiversity and Ecosystems Branch

Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

My response to 'The World Hit Record Temps in 2023..' in The Tyee

Here's my reaction --orig. meant as a Comment-- to this piece by Gordon McLean of The Conversation:  https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/01/16/World-Hit-Record-Temps-2023/

Another ill-timed waste of an oppor'ty to inform/update us on the biggest issue worrying 80%+ of Cdns (& growing) -- bereft of real-life specifics to help us "proactively advance climate resilience" -- whatever that means..

& that's half the problem: Science's refusal to DEFINE Cause/ Effect & Problem/ Solution has left this crisis open to interpretation -- by the very industries most responsible & with the heaviest footprints (whose lobbyists ensure THEIR profiteering 'needs' are met -- in regular mtgs with our spineless govt reps!) 

I.E. That atmospheric levels of C02 & methane "have continued to increase & hit record levels in 2023" means ZIP to most people without specifying exactly HOW they've increased & WHO/WHAT is responsible!!?

Eg. Logging old-growth forests releases all their stored carbon, adding to cumulative emissions (yet is exempt from req'd official GHG reports!?); LNG emits methane gas @ every stage, all up & down production -- yet BC's govt calls this fracked-gas fossil fuel "sustainable" & keeps approving new LNG builds here!!?

(Though this past month alone I've had to tell 2 peops -- 1 a regular MSM consumer -- WHAT 'LNG' EVEN iS!)

It's quite obvious govts & MSM COUNT ON -- if not further -- such widespread public ignorance.  That's just corrupt.. & DISHONEST!

Here's proof:  our govts are spending more $$ to convince Cdns they're tackling these issues -- via pricey TV ads -- than on actually tackling them, thereby making a mockery of indiv'l efforts while guaranteeing more fires, floods & other human-wrought ('Climate') disasters.

Worse, in defiance of urgent IPCC warnings to reduce GHGs & wean off fossil fuels, AB's govt alone has BANNED RENEWABLES -- & the feds persist in flogging (non-existent) 'Carbon Capture' tech as Canada's (non-)solution!!?

HOW can we be motivated to protect our --& our kids' -- thriving future hanging on a thin thread of carbon-sinking ecosystems exploited to extinction by irresponsible corps that refuse to change (along with their corrupted govt. 'secret supporters')? 

And do those of us who ARE still motivated (the numbers of which are growing daily) -- not by flimsy articles like yours but because we can't undo what we've seen 1sthand -- even stand a chance in the face of so much corruption??

NB. It must be noted:  the SOLE Cdn. political entity that refuses to be bought out wholesale by ecocidal Big-Industry corps, the ONLY honest ones who stay true to their clean mission, are the GREENS -- federal AND provincial.

Please:  let that sink in.

Umpteenth plea to SAVE BC's FORESTS

Yup I was pushed --again-- to pen another impassioned plea to the BC Govt to save our priceless forest ecosystems -- which are dwindling disastrously due to cont'd CLEARCUT LOGGING:  THE major cause of worsened Climate catastrophes like the insane wildfires we saw this past summer!  No hyperbole needed - all is 100% verifiable.  You too can customize your own message, via https://sierraclub.bc.ca

                   Pic by me:

My fave old-growth

forest grove in BC

Dear Minister Ralston and Premier Eby, 

The 3-year anniversary of your govt's promises to implement all 14 recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Report has come & gone without meaningful measures taken.  This is unacceptable, since the extreme Climate impacts of 2023 -- & cont'd clearcut logging -- have further imperiled BC's communities & globally-rare rainforest ecosystems.

It's now crystal-clear that protecting BC's last intact unlogged primary, old-growth & mature forests is crucial to maintain natural carbon sinks, reduce Climate impacts & protect biodiversity that depends on these ecosystems.

Yet your govt. has stalled progress on the most fundamental, urgent calls to action -- eg. petitioning the federal govt NOT to issue an Emergency Order to save the last critically endangered Spotted Owl in the Spuzzum watershed (!) -- & instead allowed catastrophic clearcutting of its essential habitat, highlighting your govt's sinister true intentions.      

* * * *

The double whammy of industrial logging & Climate impacts means our iconic forests -- i.e. the ecosystems that draw tourists from all over to experience "Super, Natural BC" -- are fast shrinking, while industrially-degraded forests become parched 'dead zones' that fuel fast-spreading wildfires & jeopardize whole communities as well as entire wild foodchains. 

All so logging corps can keep reaping their outsize profits while denying BCers our Constitution-backed rights to benefit from & steward these irreplaceable LIVING LEGACIES, without which our lives will drastically decline.

* * * *

Your govt. ought to resign 'en masse' for its cont'd failure/refusal to protect the public's interests!

* * * *

In just 50 years much of the interior’s once-bountiful forests are gone, with horrendous consequences for endangered wildlife species such as woodland caribou, who need all that the forest contains, & where a “low-quality” tree for lumber is the highest-quality tree for lichen, without which caribou cannot survive.

The additional forest losses associated with Climate change & its role in fueling more prolonged & intense wildfires, tree-killing droughts, insect attacks & tree diseases, are exacerbating this ecological & economic crisis.

Surely as BC's official representatives in charge of managing our most invaluable (PUBLIC) natural resources on our behalf, you recognize the sheer folly of stubbornly keeping the (obvsly broken, harmful & unfair) status-quo -- along with the urgent need to save what’s left of our critically key forest landscapes!??

By banning ecocidal clearcut logging, protecting & restoring existing forests, & reforming forest practices (for starters), your govt. has the power to fulfill its stewardship responsibilities of supporting critical biodiversity & the health & safety of BC communities!?

* * * *

Therefore I'm calling on you to ACT NOW on your govt's promises to implement aLL 14 Old Growth Strategic Review recommendations, before it becomes even harder to save (once-'Beautiful') BC's life-saving Lungs of the Earth.

The entire world is waiting & watching, in mortal dread of the consequences of cont'd ill-advised corporate ecocide on the futures of those who will inherit the worst of its inevitable disasters:  our kids, & their kids.. & the many priceless benefits BC's native (unlogged & unsprayed) forests bestow on aLL our lives.

Allowing them to be systematically wiped out -- along with their myriad life-sustaining benefits/ biodiversity -- by greedy polluting billionaire corporations (/for export!?) is a crime worse than demolishing the Great Pyramids for the price of their stones:  & one to which your dishonest money-grubbing govt. CANNOT POSSIBLY BE ENTITLED!

Sincerely,  

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

CC: Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Nathan Cullen; Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman

URGENT: SAVE BC's OLD-GROWTH FORESTS! (Letter #50 to Govt)

Photo (from TheNarwhal article): Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program

Fellow BCers, it's become V. clear our Govt officials ("public servants") CANNOT be trusted to carry out their sworn duties as Stewards of our --globally rare-- ancient 1,000++-yr-old primary forests, as they continue to allow clearcutting & to violate all their Old-Growth agreements --eg. It's been 3 years since Premier Horgan made his election promise to implement their Strategic Old-Growth panel's 14 recommendations, & his Govt has yet to act.  The Narwhal recently updated the dire state of Spotted Owl habitat & the case in which Ecojustice, representing the Wilderness Committee, revealed the BC-NDP lobbied to prevent the federal Govt. from issuing an Emergency Order to #EndClearcutLogging to save the Spotted Owl from extinction.  Details on that key case here:

Canada’s last wild spotted owl gets its day in court | The Narwhal

Under the link below is my latest appeal to the BC govt - done via Sierra Club BC's letter-writing tool, which you can access to write one of your own at this link:

Tell the B.C. government to accelerate action on old growth protection - Sierra Club BC

Dear Premier Eby & Minister Ralston, 

I'm writing to express my utter disappointment in your Government's failure to protect BC's invaluable forests & act on the (urgent) Old-Growth Strategic Report of 3 years ago.

The resulting extreme impacts of continued clearcut logging across BC - as well as driving the last of our endangered Spotted Owl to extinction due to habitat loss - make the urgent need to save our forests impossible to ignore.

You ought to know by now that protecting primary, old-growth & mature forests is our best (if not only) hope to maintain natural carbon sinks, reduce climate impacts & protect the biodiversity that depends on these ecosystems. (Throwing $$ at more useless 'C02 capture' research is a proven waste of taxpayer dollars!)

Dismissing public concerns about worsening Climate catastrophes like wildfires, while continuing to serve the rapacious greed of industry co's, is a dereliction of duty by Govt. This summer's disastrous fires show we're facing an emergency that requires action to resolve!

The only way your Govt can show it cares about BC's communities & people is to DO ITS PART to prevent extreme Climate breakdown from wreaking unmitigated havoc throughout once-named 'Beautiful BC'.  Therefore I call on you to:

- Implement all 14 recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Report, on this its milestone 3-year anniversary - IN ADDITION TO: 

- Immediately require all logging co's to harvest burned timber before allowing ONE MORE healthy intact forest to be clearcut!  (Must be done before the 2-year harvestable deadline).

It's no longer economically feasible to allow the status quo of existing preference given to logging co's over protection of the biodiverse-rich natural ecosystems that provide us all with invaluable services such as clean water, emissions reduction, fire prevention... the list goes on of reasons to protect BC's forests NOW.

Please follow through on your promise of Biodiversity & Ecosystem Health Framework legislation, with a clear timeline for at-risk ecosystems & critical species habitat.. PLUS provide transparent, detailed information on ALL BC forestry activity.

Our very survival depends on immediate application of these measures. 

Sincerely, 

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

Vancouver, BC

CC: Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Nathan Cullen; Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman

Emergency in BC's Forests NOW

(Situation:  CRITICAL)

As warned in previous articles on this blog, BC's forests are in deep trouble now due to Govt's dereliction of duty in the cont'd clearcutting --i.e. mismanagement-- of the precious forest ecosystems that make 'Beautiful BC' & which support myriad species of [at-risk] biodiversity, fight climate change/ wildfires, store CO2, clean watersheds:  their lifesaving benefits are countless -- & threatened..

With wildfire season starting earlier, spreading faster & continuing to grow to record sizes throughout summer as never before, we need to ACT NOW & urge our govts to do their duty to protect these last globally-rare forests -- before they've all been logged for TP/woodchips.. (& emitted all their stored C02 into the atmosphere)

To understand what's at stake, quoted from the experts at https://sierraclub.ca:

"Our forests are our best ally in fighting climate change. Old-growth temperate rainforest has the largest carbon storage capacity per hectare on earth. Halting logging of endangered old-growth forest will help reduce BC’s carbon footprint and allow salmon, bears, wolves and many other species a fighting chance to adapt to a warming world." Learn more about forests and climate here.

Clearcut logging -- esp. of Old-Growth forests -- as well as dire SPRAYING OF GLYPHOSATE (= Bayer's Roundup) in forests throughout BC is the #1 cause of rapidly-spreading wildfires, as evidenced by the countless forest fires ripping thru cutblocks, endangering not just invaluable trees but numerous dependent flora & fauna, incl. Species At Risk that should be protected by law..  

We're fighting a war VS. big-industry timber corps (backed by OUR GOVT!) & SO FAR, LOSING.. Forests need us now.  So I'm compiling links to helpful allies defending BC forests, with ways you can join the fight to #SaveOldGrowth, #EndClearcutting & #StopTheSprayBC :

Good intentions aren’t enough to save the last old-growth - Sierra Club BC

Protect Nature - Greenpeace Canada

Tell BC: stop logging spotted owl habitat, permanently | Wilderness Committee

https://stopthespraybc.com/ 

(More will be added)

Following is my latest letter to Govt --1 of MANY-- customized via SierraClubBC's letterwriting tool here: 

https://sierraclub.bc.ca/tell-bc-forest-minister-to-protect-old-growth-forests-now/

Dear Minister Ralston, 

RE:  STOP SPRAYING BC FORESTS NOW! 

To add to the 2 letters I've recently sent to your govt. re. the perilous state of BC forests, I strongly urge you to STOP THE SPRAY PROGRAM YOUR GOVT. IS ABOUT TO IMPLEMENT -- TODAY -- which, along with clearcutting, jeopardizes our natural ecosystems & the many dependant species therein.

Are you aware the destructive spraying of glyphosate (a toxic carcinogen) increases wildfire risks & kills off sensitive flora & fauna that help protect our forests -- & our communities -- against Climate change, pollution, water contamination, wildfires ETC?

The triple whammy of development, industrial logging & severe climate impacts means intact forests -- & esp. Old-growth carbon sinks -- are shrinking faster than ever, while ecological recovery of industrially degraded landscapes is failing.

Drenching these struggling natural biospheres with harmful chemicals that kill off all but the species pegged for harvest by logging co's -- eg. Lodgepole pine -- turns cutblocks into drought-prone wastelands & tinder fuel for spreading fires, devoid of the essential lifeforms found in healthy forests (incl. C02-absorbing ferns & fungi, & fire-resistent deciduous native trees like alder & birch). 

With far too many BC forests felled & sprayed this way by logging co's focused solely on max profits (& blind to the resultant ill effects on harvest trees themselves, apart from the wholesale destruction of beneficial wilderness habitats), vast areas of BC's once-thriving natural landscapes are thus degraded & vulnerable to further harms. 

Global heating is putting the health & safety of communities in danger, & clearcut logging -- esp. of old-growth forests -- is making things much worse, increasing instances of flooding, erosion, fires & landslides.  Adding toxic chemicals exacerbates the number & size of these disasters.

David Eby promised to "accelerate" action on old growth when he became Premier in 2022 -- but to this day, NONE OF THE PANEL'S 14 RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, & AT-RISK OLD-GROWTH FORESTS CONTINUE TO BE DESTROYED AT AN ALARMING RATE!!

You must act quickly to save our remaining intact forests, as they're our best hope for maintaining natural carbon sinks, reducing climate impacts & supporting the wildlife species that depend on healthy ecosystems for their survival.

I implore you to STOP THE SPRAYING OF BC'S FORESTS TODAY.  Not doing so violates Canada's constitution, which outlines forest stewardship as a key responsibility.  Stop allowing industrial practices to dictate your inaction on the Climate crisis, which is 'the Challenge of our Time' & the biggest threat to our thriving future..

It's your govt.'s responsibility to support the health & safety of communities.  Please do your job, by BANNING THE SPRAY immediately -- before the situation becomes even more untenable!

Thank you very much, 

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

CC: Premier David Eby; Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman; Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Nathan Cullen; and my local MLA. 

*Readers, I know it's hard to admit that Climate change is real & caused by us, & that the crisis has only gotten worse due to Big-Industry's outsize influence over our corrupt leaders.  Thanks for caring -- please add your voice to as many forest-saving campaigns as you can, & share widely with your networks!  With enough people-power, we can change the outlook for endangered biodiversity & irreplaceable forests in BC.  But it's urgent -- Govt needs to know that we won'T let our remaining forests be decimated by greedy, profiteering & polluting co's that DONT BENEFIT US AT ALL:  their giant machines do most of the work & employ as few workers as poss while destroying irreplaceable wilderness faster & more thoroughly than ever B4.. But WE NEED OUR FORESTS MORE URGENTLY THAN EVER B4!!

🫒💚🐾

PS. VOTE GREENS in upcoming elections:  the onLy Cdn party that cares about our future, & works for US not for polluting megacorps -- see their website here:  https://www.bcgreens.ca/ 🌿 

#1 ECO-ACTION: BAN CLEARCUT LOGGING & PROTECT FORESTS!

Me @ Hayward Lake park, by Frank V.

Here's a letter to Govt. I customized thru Sierra Club BC - & encourage you to write your own, at this link;

https://t.co/JPeTvZWs7U

Dear Minister Conroy, 

RE:  PROTECT OUR PRECIOUS FORESTS NOW!

Your govt's announced intentions to protect BC's old-growth forests by deferring logging contracts are a step in the right direction, but recent events have shown we need lasting changes on the ground today, not tomorrow. 

The climate crisis is jeopardizing the health & safety of BC's communities -- & clearcut logging is further increasing the likelihood & severity of droughts, erosion, fires, floods & landslides.  

Yet your govt can effectively mitigate & prevent these catastrophes before the crisis worsens by protecting endangered old-growth forests, restoring healthy ecosystems & reforming forest management.

Without immediate action, not enough old-growth forests will be left to sustain the web of life, support a diverse economy & limit the climate risks communities across B.C. are facing right now. 

As 1 of millions of affected citizens, I demand that you:  

- Do your sworn duty & apply the [sizeable] federal grant $$ to its intended purpose of enacting & enforcing BC's long-overdue Species At Risk law, to support threatened wildlife species & their habitats.

- Immediately commit to adequate funding for forestry workers & Indigenous Nations to address the impacts of logging deferrals, as well as conservation financing for effective Science-based solutions.

- Reform B.C. forestry practices & climate adaptation strategies with actual LAWS that PROTECT healthy forest/watershed ecosystems & REDUCE risks of catastrophic climate impacts -- including BANNING harmful clearcutting & spraying of our forests!  

- Expedite real engagement with [rightful hereditary] Indigenous decision-makers to implement all recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review, in line with the B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. 

Your govt's woeful inaction on these urgent measures defies all logic.  In fact, it's inexcusable that few intact old-growth forests remain standing across BC — & worse, that most are slated to be logged despite clear evidence that these forests are KEY DEFENSES against impacts of the EMERGENCY in our midst.  

These deadly impacts promise only to increase in magnitude unless we transition to Nature-restoring sustainability in all sectors now.  Time is running out.

Science says so.  & Science doesn't lie.

I implore you to do the right thing NOW to save our precious forests -- 'Lungs of the Earth' -- & thereby ensure the health & safety of communities across BC.

Sincerely, 

[your name will go here]

[your email address will go here], [your location will go here]

CC: Premier David Eby; Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Nathan Cullen; Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman; and my local MLA.

BC needs to REJECT Tilbury LNG!

In case you haven't heard, the BC govt. is considering a proposal by FortisBC to build new expanded LNG infrastructure @ Tilbury LNG -- another fraught political megaproject that promises increased shipping for the fracked gas along with risky methane emissions & outsize GHGs, as well as exacerbated Climate imbalance -- right between densely populated Richmond & Vancouver, on the Fraser River's threatened habitat of our last few orca & salmon populations.  While the public commenting period is over, the govt's decision is delayed -- so you can still express your opposition to this disastrous project thru StandEarth's letter page.. Click link:  

Tell the BC government to reject the Tilbury LNG jetty (stand.earth)

Here's my own edited letter -- unapologetically lengthy!  Cuz this BC govt needs to WAKE out of its corporate-captured fog & realize exactly what's being proposed by Tilbury LNG..

Dear {contact_data~salutation}{contact_data~lastName},

As a B.C. resident I am appalled that you & your government continue to ignore the overwhelming mass of evidence of the disastrous impacts that will -- not might -- result from approving the Tilbury LNG expansion project, for which this new tanker dock ('Jetty') awaits your immediate permission to ruin BC's future.

How is it that, having received reams of detailed expert opposition to this project's undeniable harms, your govt has not already rejected this proposal & denied FortisBC permits to build another ecocidal monument to climate catastrophe? 

I am tempted to reassert here -- again -- Tilbury LNG's significant cumulative effects & fundamental flaws (including:  Project splitting, Failure to address GHG targets, Methane emissions 86X deadlier than C02, Economic viability incl. dearth of data thereof, Marine shipping impacts incl. likely extinction of southern resident killer whales & salmon populations, Impacts on Indigenous rights & title incl. non-adherence to UNDRIP...) but blah blah right?  You've already read -- & apparently decided to ignore -- the numerous persuasive public comments detailing these ills, including my own posted input, on your govt.'s Tilbury LNG web page.

No, it's clear what you need to read -- not reported by our captured corporate media -- addresses your govt's baseless hopes that future LNG sales will justify BC's expanded natural gas production... & your repeated claims -- echoed by PM Justin Trudeau -- that BC produces “the world’s cleanest natural gas.”

*  *  *

The fiction of BC producing clean fossil fuel originated with Premier Christy Clark’s Liberals -- a claim as dishonest as the one about LNG rewarding the province with one trillion dollars in a “BC Prosperity fund.”  I.E. irrefutably FALSE...

National Geographic examined “the cleanest liquefied natural gas in the world” & concluded it was a hypothetical notion repeatedly promised by political leaders to build public support for the fossil fuel.. Quoted here:

"There’s no such thing as “clean natural gas.” It’s a fossil fuel, and it releases climate-disrupting greenhouse gases all the way up and down the chain of production, from the wellhead to the burners on your stovetop or in your furnace.

"This is especially true for LNG. In order to ship it, energy companies must first chill the gas to -160°C (-256°F) in giant coastal plants that are essentially industrial-size freezers. The process consumes vast quantities of energy. After it’s shipped across the sea, companies then return the LNG to its gaseous state before shipping it off to customers.

"Because of these extra steps, LNG carries a whopper of an energy and carbon footprint compared to unadulterated natural gas." [End National Geographic quote]

*  *  *

Both natural gas producers & transportation companies conceal the true climate impact of LNG. The New York Times reported that shipping produces as much C02 as all of America’s coal plants combined. The newspaper explained why regulation of shipping emissions by the powerful International Maritime Organization (IMO) is so ineffective:

"The I.M.O. is a regulatory body that is run in concert with the industry it regulates. Shipbuilders, oil companies, miners, chemical manufacturers and others with huge financial stakes in commercial shipping are among the delegates appointed by many member nations. They sometimes even speak on behalf of governments…

"Next week, the organization is scheduled to enact its first greenhouse gas rules since Paris — regulations that do not cut emissions, have no enforcement mechanism and leave key details shrouded in secrecy…

"Although some suggest LNG powered ships could moderate transportation harm, the International Council on Clean Transportation determined there is no climate benefit from tankers burning LNG, regardless of ship engine technology." [End New York Times quote]

*  *  *

The Natural Resources Defense Council states:

"Historically, gas has been considered a “bridge fuel”— cleaner and with lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal or oil— and a potential tool to help address climate change.

"However, LNG is neither clean nor particularly low in emissions. In addition, the massive investments in new infrastructure to support this industry, including pipelines, liquefaction facilities, export terminals, and tankers, lock in fossil fuel dependence, making the transition to actual low-carbon and no-carbon energy even more difficult.

"Our analysis shows that using LNG to replace other, dirtier fossil fuels, is not an effective strategy to reduce climate-warming emissions..." [End NRDC quote]

*  *  *

Your govt. is therefore considering inflicting a dirty polluting megaproject on hapless Lower Mainland residents, which will undoubtedly cause health problems & bring deadly risks into the lives of already-stressed BCers.  How grossly unfair..

Clearly, FortisBC don't care!

You must also realize that the EAO has taken steps to ignore clear evidence of project splitting & has accepted unsubstantiated & misleading representations made by FortisBC about the supposed climate benefits of the Jetty.

I implore you to take into account all of the information before you, to arrive at the only decent decision:  for all these reasons, Tilbury LNG (& this Jetty) should be assessed as NOT in the public interest & should be denied all permits. 

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

PS. For more complete & updated info about methane, check out this article on Norm Farrell's excellent 'In-Sights' blog:

in-sights.ca/2022/02/08/economic-interests-rank-higher-than-human-life/

Time's running out for systemic changes to make aLL BC sectors eco-safe & sustainable -- not just talk about 'Just Transition' while pushing status quo, as BC NDP & BC Liberal Party do (& BC Conservative Party treat #ClimateAction like the joke THEY are). In case you didn't notice, the BC Green Party -- led by Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley -- is the sole entity to consistently hold Govt. to task on its #ClimateAction failures, proving she & her Greens work tirelessly for US & not wealthy corps driven solely by profits. So Sonia & Co. deserve our support -- & esp. our VOTES -- for the chance to deliver Greens' Science-backed V I S I O N for #RealReconciliation & the sustainable future we aLL want!! So E M E R G E from your #MSM-fed FOG & learn the DISCONCERTING TRUTH of the BC Govt's 150 years of abrogation of duty, bigotry & malfeasance--->that still prevails today with ecocidal policies that promise only fast-tracked Climate disasters (heat domes, wildfires➕➕) boosted by increasingly corporate-aligned press. Despite #MSM's baseless derision, the BC Green Party stands out with the integrity & smarts to lead BC out of this mess & transition to a livable, prosperous future for every BCer: Science says so, & science doesn'T lie..🐸🐛🐝🦉

🤞

Should Canada lose the UK monarchy?

The death of Queen Elizabeth has prompted The Tyee's 'quick quiz' poll asking if we think Canada should cut ties with the monarchy - @ this link:

https://thetyee.ca/Polls/2022/09/08/Canada-Cut-Ties-Monarchy/?results=true#poll-results

Here's my - kinda lengthy! - (optional) comment explaining why we must CUT THE CORD🤞 (esp. now that Charles the adulterer & his 'queen' are in)

Consider the following truths, which flowed from the gut - & the heart - because keeping well-informed is as essential to me now as breathing..

Canada's govts all talk about 'Reconciliation' without owning the genocidal atrocities VS. 1st Nations people by colonisation - carried out "by the Queen's men". 

Decolonization & honoring U.N.D.R.I.P. are ways to properly "reconcile" with FNs -- by addressing not just burying/ denouncing early colonial Govts' widespread land grabs (= why FN kids were forcibly removed from their families/ homes & put into jail-like residential schools that condemned & replaced their ancestral FN oral histories/ truths with Govts' false narratives of 'valid' control..) 

White 'settlers' were the main beneficiaries of colonial Govts' land-grabs/ power theft, while FNs were victimized & vilified, & corralled into Govt-ordered 'reservations'. Unlike other provinces, BC's founding officials didn't bother signing treaties for unceded FN land - they just appropriated & began enriching themselves by their unsustainable development/ extraction.. 

Colonial Govt-ordered apartheid/ oppression/ segregation of residential schools & reservations produced new generations of compliant Anglicized FN who returned as foreigners to their families, stripped of their elders' culture/ knowledge/ language/ traditions.. 

Many other FN kids were adopted by WASP families in an underhanded process that confirmed Govts' total disdain for indigenous rights - eg. the '60s scoop', info on which most non-indigenous citizens - & possibly many FN - are woefully ignorant.. 

Fast-forward to today & the past few years of Govt-claimed Reconciliation: 

●While backing assimilated pro-logging, pro-industry FN bands, the BC-NDP has steadfastly ignored legit opposition by hereditary FN leaders (jurisdiction holders of vast territories outside of bands, affirmed by the Supreme Court) to industrial mega-projects like CGL pipeline built thru their lands without consent; 

●Govt's automatic response to rightful FN protection of their own lands VS. CGL's many ongoing violations (reported on BC Govt's website: LOOK IT UP & be appalled!) has been to send in RCMP troops in military gear to suppress their eco-activist-backed peaceful protests - by all accounts, the same-old ugly harassment, intimidation & violence as b4.. despite BC-NDP's adoption of U.N.D.R.I.P. into BC law.. 

(It's to hereditary FNs' credit that they've resisted cont'd colonial oppression/ victimization & kept their cultural values, to inspire 'land protectors' of all stripes fighting for healthy communities & ecosystems against all odds: RESPECT)

 Point is, our Govts (& main 3 political parties) have been hypocrites & liars favoring polluting big-industry/ globalization over interests of citizens & communities for too long.. & still push ecocidal, risky & polluting projects on Crown land - in which the Queen has never intervened or shown concern. Clearly, they don't care about Cdns - & it shows. That's unacceptable in 2022! 

Yet when elected, officials pledge allegiance to the Queen instead of to serving their constituents, giving Govts even more of an excuse to work for corporations & not people. A true democracy is governed by its people - not answerable to a distant uninterested monarchy or any other entity.. 

Canada must be the only British colony that hasn't requested independence from the Crown!  And that's a sad reflection of Cdns' apathy/ complacency - of which our govts have taken enough advantage (ie. Screwed us over repeatedly!) 

We have never been so desperate as now to have the Greens - with or without a distant monarchy - lead Canada toward a better, healthier & happier destiny for everyone - but esp. for our kids & future generations...

(Let that sink in)

FOREST BIOMASS: Letter to Govt.

Stand.earth has numerous opportunities to TAKE ACTION on Climate change, which I urge everyone to do now - including their key campaign against the unsustainable destruction of our primary forests for export as pellets that are burned as fuel, called FOREST BIOMASS..

Forest Biomass is an ecocidal & polluting cycle that Trudeau's Liberal Govt. claims is a "Carbon-neutral climate solution" -- another blatant LIE that perpetuates rising emissions & the catastrophic loss of our non-renewable Old-growth forests by irresponsible corps like UK's DRAX INC.

I've written the following letter via this Stand.earth link:

FOREST BIOMASS IS A FALSE CLIMATE SOLUTION - click to add your own letter!  All letters written on this Stand.earth page are sent to:

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal Party of Canada) & The Honourable Steven Guilbeault (Liberal Party of Canada)

Subject:  FOREST BIOMASS is noT sustainable! 

Dear Ministers,

The evidence exposed by Stand.earth is shockingly clear:  our primary forests are being logged to produce wood pellets for global export, to burn for fuel.

Burning forests for fuel is FAR from a "climate-friendly solution" to the fossil fuel economy, & its claims of carbon neutrality have been SCIENTIFICALLY DISPROVEN AROUND THE WORLD.

Industrial use of forest biomass is at odds with national & global carbon emissions reductions goals for a livable planet. 

We deserve true investments in clean energy, & climate protection that does not mechanize away union jobs & devalue/ disrespect our important forest ecosystems!

The time to move away from high-GHG, polluting energy production is NOW, by meaningful consultation with [hereditary] indigenous leaders & scientists -- NOT by pandering to fossil fuels/ logging firms whose historical contribution to Climate change is utterly defeating- & damning. 

We need climate solutions that prioritize healthy ecosystems & local production, to safeguard aLL Canadians' future wellbeing.  It can be done.. but only if you cut Govt's ties to corrupt industry lobbyists & dictatorships like Brazil.

We're watching you closely, because so far you've only failed Canadians on key Climate action:  & that's unacceptable!

Thank you,

Sarah M. Chesterman 

Please STOP SPRAYING OUR FORESTS!

(Updated Sept '22 - see bottom of pg)

Email now: stop the chemical herbicide spray in forests across southern B.C. (stand.earth)

Org's like StopTheSprayBC have been opposing the unethical spraying of forests by BC Timber for the purpose of killing fire-resistant broadleaf shrubs/ trees that jeopardize ecosystem/ wildlife health for years if not decades:  It's GOT TO STOP!!

For more information, Stand.earth have provided these links on their letter-writing page, for review / add more details to your submission:

• Angelina Hopkins Rose from the St̓át̓imc Nation’s letter template
• Stop the Spray BC press release
• Stand.earth statement

Here's my letter, which Stand.earth will send to key decision-makers, including Premier Horgan & Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy:

To whom it may concern,

I am appalled that the province has not fulfilled its responsibility to adequately engage Indigenous Nations & the public at large RE. Pest Management Plan 18597-40/2022-27 proposed by BCTS for the Sea to Sky & Chilliwack Natural Resource Districts on unceded Stó:lō, St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh territories.

"Given the complexity & potential severity of these issues, 30 days is simply not enough time for members of our communities to be adequately engaged & provide feedback." - Excerpt from the letter written by Angelina Hopkins Rose, St̓át̓imc First Nations member

Glyphosate, currently under federal review, is an especially controversial chemical herbicide that is the subject of ongoing lawsuits for potential cancer links.

The potential impacts of this plan are immense & likely to jeopardize local food & medicine sources for Indigenous communities, as well as all wilderness areas:

"The broad-leaf plant species that BC Timber Sales proposes to target with glyphosate, triclopyr & Formula 40 include salmonberry, huckleberry, thimbleberry, elderberry, salal, red raspberry, blueberry, mushrooms, Indian Hellebore, Devil’s club, fireweed.. These are all culturally significant plants & medicines that local Indigenous peoples have harvested & relied upon for thousands of years. Targeting these native plants will have serious negative impacts on local Indigenous peoples, local wildlife, & wild salmon." - Excerpt from the letter written by Angelina Hopkins Rose, St̓át̓imc First Nations member

The protection & recovery of forests, including fire & drought-resistant species like broadleaf trees, must be an integral part of any strategy to mitigate climate change impacts.

The B.C. NDP government has pledged to undertake a “paradigm shift” for forest management, specifically to value ecological & community values above timber values. The continued spraying of chemicals, especially without due public dialogue or transparency, is the very antithesis to this commitment.

Signed,

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

Update Sept. 20th:  important FB post by the knowledgeable Taryn Skalbania:

Taryn Skalbania

17 h  · 

Did you sign this yet? https://www.intotheweedsimpact.com/...

INTOTHEWEEDSIMPACT.COM

Into the Weeds Impact - Home

Official film site for Into the Weeds and information about the ban against glyphosate