LetteR 2 BC GovT: PROTECT SKAGiT VALLEY! [UPDaTed]

KEY UPDATES ON THIS HEINOUS PROPOSAL:
The Narwhal: Coalition Determined to Save Skagit Valley
&
The Narwhal: U.S. Senators to BC: Clean Up Your Mining Mess!

To write your own letter, use this LINK:
Wilderness Committee's tool to save Skagit Valley from logging


Here's my letter (sent to Premier Horgan & MLAs)

I am writing to express my horror upon learning of BC Timber Sales' plans to log in Silverdaisy Valley & in 26 Mile Valley this year.  This is devastating news for one of BC's most biodiverse ecosystems & key conservation imperatives..

Both of these valleys, the areas being targeted, encompass beautiful old-growth forests within the Donut Hole (surrounded by Manning & Skagit provincial parks) which contain critically endangered species' habitats & provide clear clean water to the Skagit River system, renowned for its abundant wild fish populations.  Logging this thriving ecosystem --one of the last old-growth forests in BC's interior-- would have calamitous effects on all living species in this area & beyond..

More than ever now, as our survival depends on Nature-friendly non-violent activities, we have a duty to uphold our responsibilities as stewards of the land (per our Constitution) by protecting wildlife & their habitats from severe human-caused degradation which cannot be mitigated.

I am asking the BC government to act now to cancel current AND future logging plans in Silverdaisy & 25 Mile valleys, to place the entire Donut Hole off-limits to logging.. & to extinguish ALL logging & mining tenure in the Skagit watershed immediately.

Please uphold BC's best interests & First Nations Reconciliation with a public show of faith by LEGISLATING protection of the Skagit watershed & surrounding lands, ASAP, to instate a critical addition to BC’s protected area system supporting Manning & Skagit Provincial Parks.  Our future depends on retaining such protective zones to avoid dire loss of biodiversity & critical eco-health, as well as honoring previous agreements with Washington re. groundwater health.

It cannot be stressed enough, strong legislation protecting this important WILDLIFE HABITAT from all forms of development is required by the BC Govt. immediately, in order to ensure reversal of any & all pending destruction via logging--> water pollution etc.

SAVING OUR FORESTS & WILDLIFE HABITAT IS CRUCIAL TO BC's SUSTAINABLE FUTURE:  please prioritize conservation & protection of this key BC wilderness, before it is too late.  Time is of the essence with this urgent initiative!

Thank you very much.

The UGLY REALiTy of TMX [Trans MounTain pipeline]

Being Canadian is a virtual EMBARRASSMENT these days, as we suffer thru an obnoxious new round of irresponsible media - even TV ads! - advocating the [polluting & uneconomical] 'benefits' of constructing the Trans-Mountain pipeline in BC - as if the deadly risks did not exist..

Au contraire, these advertisers are Clearly operating unethically, selling false & misleading - biased & unbased - pro-industry BS to a largely misinformed target market, obfuscating the realities of this TMX Pipeline's intended purpose & belying their own selfish interests & excluding serious, valid concerns - including inherent byproducts like eco-destruction/ poisonous waste which are taxing ecosystems to the max..

  

YES the indisputable science of the impacts of industry on the ecological balance that sustains us pRoves we humans hold the decisive cards of our destiny - ie. We made the mess we're in - severely disrupting the eco-balance which sustains all life on Earth - so we must fix it.. NOT by green-lighting disasters like Site C Dam & AB Oilfields expansion or by subsidizing polluting gigs like LNG, but by legislating protection of our air/ ecosystems/ forests/ waters & transitioning to science-based renewable, sustainable ops in all sectors..

Ie. WE MUST SOW WHAT WE REAP! =ECoLogy 101 

Only those who are paid by polluting industries are [still] denying the facts of Climate Change, tho they must witness firsthand the havoc wreaked by their polluting activities over time!?  Money may make ignorance bliss - for those without a conscience - but the cost of valuing money over Nature risks our FUTURE & WELL-BEING for the short-term wealth of a selfish few..

[GOVTs MUST QUIT GIVING GREEDY CORPS LICENSES 2 KILL - cuz they will!]

Canada's once-lush diversity, forests, waters & thriving agriculture are being threatened by accelerating eco-imbalances/ extinction/ overproduction furthered  by ongoing Govt approval of destructive/ polluting projects instead of financing/ incentivising eco-smart outfits, transitioning to renewable zero-waste energy & properly reducing our C02/GHG counts!?

Where's ouR Govt's progressive legislation ensuring, @ the very least, protection of our most critically important carbon sinks - eg. BC's overlogged ancient old-growth forests [approximately only 3% of which remains unlogged] & our most vulnerable wildlife - eg. Orcas, whose extinction would be imminent if bitumen/oil were to spill into BC's coastal waters..

AS for intended plans for the Trans-Mtn pipeline, currently held up in the Courts for failure to seek/obtain 1st Nations' consent, here are the ugly facts:

[from RainforestRescue.org]
Tankers carrying tar sand oil are a serious threat to the habitat of endangered Orcas. Yet Alberta is planning the world's largest open-pit tar sand mine. If realized, it would wipe out 292 square kilometers of forests and wetlands and be a disaster for the climate. Tell Canada to keep tar sand in the ground!

To: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Environment Catherine McKenna

Teck Resources' planned Frontier Tar Sand Mine would be an ecological disaster with a global impact..

READ LETTER

The pipelines needed to export tar sand oil are environmental disasters waiting to happen: the Trans Mountain Pipeline crosses the Rocky Mountains to British Columbia’s Pacific coast. Oil spills are virtually pre-programmed, and a tanker accident could devastate the coastline and the habitat of 75 endangered orcas.

Further inland, the tar sand mining industry is turning swathes of northern Alberta, Canada, into a wasteland: Forests are being felled to make way for open-pit mines. Tailing ponds contain water laden with heavy metals. Refineries pollute the air.

Tar sand oil is the world's dirtiest fossil fuel, and extracting and refining it requires far greater amounts of energy than conventional oil. This project would make a mockery of Canada’s commitment to protect the climate – leaving it in the ground is the only sane option.

UNESCO is alarmed by the prospect of the mine: the guardians of World Heritage Sites see grave danger for Wood Buffalo National Park at the mouth of Athabasca River. The river is already polluted by existing oil sand mines and its condition would become much worse.

Local people are also impacted by the environmental destruction. The Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations reject the project and have declared the land north of Firebag River to be a no-go area. This has not stopped the mining company from running roughshod over the rights of the indigenous peoples.

An official hearing for the pipeline project is currently in progress. Together with our Canadian partners, we want to bring international pressure to bear against the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet. Please sign our petition: Tell the Canadian government to keep tar sand in the ground!

Teck Resources' planned Frontier Tar Sand Mine would be an ecological disaster with a global impact..

Rainforest-Rescue.org/petitions

Links to pertinent articles: Article in The Energy Mix

The 'Rule of Law' & Notley's/Morneau's misuse thereof..

@

Wildlife 'KILLING CONTESTS': W.T.F. BC? (Letter 2 Minister Donaldson)

I am sick to death of being bombarded by local newscasts featuring the most heinous, repellant activities with provoking indifference, adding insult to injury by interviewing the participants thereof more often than the experts who have dedicated their careers/ lives to in-depth studies of impactful relevance today.  Have fearmongering & sensationalism replaced the tenets of good Journalism as BC's media standard? Or is our trajectory into EVIL hastening our demise, by our media's blasé disrespect toward life itself?

The latest assault on everyone's sense of decency & peace of mind --not to mention deeply upsetting to children who are sensitive to such horrific violence-- are depraved groups who openly carry out & promote 'Wolf wacking', ie. egregious 'Wildlife KILLING CONTESTS'!?  Such blatant harbingers of hatred' make my blood boiL --doubtless due to the inexplicable AIRTIME somehow allotted these murdering creeps, to promote mass killings of the wildlife we are beholden to cherish & protect!?  NO:  this shit is THE depth of wilful depravity/ignorance & the opposite of values we hold dear here.  I don'T want to hear the views of sadistic sickos who revel in bloodsports -- i need to know such disrespect for life will not go on unchecked -- & those involved in/ perpetrating these heinous crimes do NOT deserve to operate freely in BC!

Thankfully, thru the LeadNow group of caring activists i took the opportunity to use their easy letter-writing tool to impart my strong feelings on this topic to the BC Minister of Forests Doug Donaldson -- @ this email, if you are compelled to email him yourself (please do) -- FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca


Minister Donaldson,

I am writing this with a heavy heart, having lately been inundated with overwhelming proof  my provincial Govt doesn'T care about its public (ie. those whose best interests you promised under oath to protect & serve).

Nevertheless i must express my deep concern at the recent gross preponderance of BC news exposing sadistic & un-Canadian acts of violence toward our native wildlife -especially the sickening 'killing contests that defy all sense of decency/ respect.  What appalls me most, Minister Donaldson, is youR publicly casual dismissal of these activities, as if remotely acceptable!?  They are noT.

These contests embody gratuitous violence against defenceless animals, have no cultural linkage or science-based purpose & are thus pure bloodsport threatening the lives of BC’s most beloved wildlife.  BCers CANNOT & WILL NOT CONDONE psychotic delight in killing our wild animals!! (Isn't this a given?)

Doesn't this disrespect of Cdns' lifelong caring/duty towards wildlife (as outlined in our Constitution) TELL YOU SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG HERE?  WHY DO YOU CONDONE WHAT OBVIOUSLY OFFENDS OUR LOVE OF THE WILDLIFE WE ARE BOUND TO PROTECT?  DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN SUCH HATE TOWARDS INDEFENSIBLE WILD ANIMALS, MINISTER DONALDSON?

IF as you say these disgusting killing contests run by murdering haters are perfectly legal, then as a lawmaker you must UPDATE THE LAW to ban them ASAP!

Please do the right thing immediately, in keeping with your position as a lawmaker/ leader/ public servant..

Thank you.

CULLING: Yet AN(OTHeR) iNDECenT PRoPOSaL..

(Response to a CTV News report that our Govt. is considering a proposal to cull --ie. KILL-- harmless local wild harbour seals & sea lions to 'balance' wildlife populations here in Vancouver BC --BC.CTVNEWS/CommercialSealHunt )

Govt. should be advised to heed this article by one of Raincoast.org's expert conservationists:
https://www.raincoast.org/2019/02/seals-and-sea-lions-in-the-salish-sea-are-all-part-of-a-healthy-food-web/

In other words, 'CULLING' or 'HARVESTING' a key link in an important food chain, in this case a food source of transient killer whales as well as predators of chinook predators, would more likely DISRUPT the balance of a key food chain --if not result in fewer not more wild Chinook salmon, with more not fewer predators created..

With extinction threatening countless wild species worldwide due to climate change/ poaching by humans, we should not be considering such baseless proposals as this heinous bid by the so-called 'Pinniped Society' to KILL the very species they claim to study in exclusivity!?  In fact I strongly suggest ANY group that recommends slaughtering our native wildlife be investigated -- and, if necessary, charged with fraud or conspiracy to sabotage our precious wildlife populations, which these days need all the help they can get to simply survive..

On what basis do we count existence of wildlife among us to be anything but a blessing?

TOURISM is one of BC's best employers of the future; tourists flock here for the chance to experience our native wild species in their natural habitats, which we Canadians are proud to protect as their stewards - as written in our Constitution.  Our Govts need to support the more sustainable path of stewardship of healthy diversity --along with protecting wildlife habitats from polluting development..

Haven't we learned WE are the only species driving Extinction, by allowing UNSUSTAINABLE commercial HARVESTING --ie. REAPING WITHOUT SOWING (REPLENISHING) NATURE's abundance-- without taking due care to ensure their continued regeneration?  People aRe realizating we NEED to keep Nature's ecosystems healthy & whole --to eat Organic grains, nuts + seeds as well as fruit + vegetables to be healthy ourselves.  We don'T need to support Culling/ Deforestation/ Overfishing/ Ocean acidification/ pollution for sustenance, which are proven factors driving climate change, GHGs & global warming.  This essential knowledge, however, hasn't led to changes that restore the requisite balance of healthy ecosystems:  rather, we're still supporting the businesses/ industries/ processes/ products furthering the eco-destruction that's killing us!

Alternatives --solutions-- to existing polluting ops are developed  constantly to meet the urgent imperatives demanded by science (eg. to curtail fossil-fuel use, reduce GHGs/pollution, stop deforestation eTc.)   But progress is negatively impacted --if not sabotaged-- by existing processes --let alone new projects being proposed-- that fail to meet the need for sustainability going forward:  that Govts. even consider new projects that necessitate destruction of Nature + wildlife habitats is NOT in our best interests!

Forcing ordinary people to suffer while their needs are siphoned into the unsustainable luxury lifestyles of their self-appointed saboteurs is wholly UNACCEPTABLE!

The only way to evolve out of this 'Climate Crisis' is to protect the delicate balance of Nature --ie. LEAVE INTACT old-growth forests & the wild ecosystems that took centuries if not millennia to balance.. and of course, correct the calamitous human-caused CRIMES against Nature (like CULLING, fossil-fuel extraction & OVER-FISHING) to REVERSE/ SLOW their predicted dire effects on all living species..

Yet our Govts still choose to  ignore the OBVIOUS science --along with overwhelming evidence (eg. GHGs)-- of the UNSUSTAINABLE path we're on, led like lemmings by same-old status-quo polluting wasteful ways-- to the point where if we don't transition NOW into non-destructive, renewable + sustainable sources in all sectors & PROTECT essential ecosystems from Extinction, our own Extinction invariably follows..

(Watching a world leader petulantly insisting on building a pointless WALL to keep out people, instead of joining forces to solve this dire global dilemma, is almost as tragic as watching our own Govt consider CULLING SEALS/ SEA LIONS:  I can't stand having to relaunch this sickeningly familiar fight, one which my mom & I fought hard for 10 yrs --with + without orgs like PETA-- & FAILED each year to #StopTheSealHunt, despite joining campaigns as big as 500,000 supporters!?)

With my mom gone (she died Aug. 2017) I am MORE determined than ever to stop barbaric culling --esp. the grossly inhumane Commercial Seal Hunt, the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth-- forever..

Conservationists agree CULLING IS NEVER THE ANSWER --because humans are always the problem!  It's OUR ways that need to change, not those of innocent animals just being themselves + struggling to live in a harsh human-dominated world.. They deserve the chance to live their lives free from human dangers/ interference..