My letter to Premier Horgan..

(Via Conservation North's tool - here, so you can write too:  LETTER re. OLD-GROWTH FORESTS)

It's time to act for BC’s primary & old growth forests, some of the world's most important rainforest ecosystems & critical wildlife habitats.  Your govt. won a majority on promises to abide by your OldGrowth Panel's deadlines, & your delay is proving catastrophic..

BC's intact living primary forests have dwindled down to critical levels due to a century & a half of Govts' appropriation of sacred lands inhabited & used by 1st Nations for centuries.  Notably, at inception BC's forests were largely intact & teeming with biodiversity.

What's happened since is Forestry's continual wipeout by logging corps of entire swathes of BC's most precious 'Lungs of the Earth' -- i.e. our oldest living forests -- for the low-balled value of their marketable "timber":   A TRAGIC LOSS of priceless eco-benefits that virtually guarantees BC's failure to mitigate climate change-!?

Only in the last 3/4 decades have the BC govt's dire Natural Resource policies  come to light, & they hardly embody Canada's Constitutional stewardship needs.  But despite steadily-growing heartfelt opposition to BC's disastrous logging practices (ie. clearcutting), successive govts have charged forward in blind ignorance of its public & of science's best info.

Your govt has claimed to  better previous govts re. eco-improvements/ laws that protect BC's best assets & give communities false hope of Climate Action, with vows to "support" our vital forests & nice-sounding words like "decolonization" -- & even promises to implement the "paradigm shift" called for by your own Old Growth Panel -- yet our forests continue to be felled at such a sickeningly sped-up pace (backed by BC's Supreme Court as proof) that makes it clear your govt still supports logging corps' rapacious & unending greed/speed to KILL our ONLY natural climate protectors/C02 sinks.. i.e. FAILURE

Your govt could have begun to 'Build Back Better' by keeping your promises to implement the Old Growth Panel's forward-thinking recommendations - of which protecting Old Growth is KEY to Building Back Better & protecting all BCers' best interests!?

Failing those basic steps is disastrous enough.  But claiming otherwise in the name of reconciliation, WHILE forcing impoverished 1st Nations to participate in egregious clearcut wipeouts of their once-lush & proud great stands (whose pristine abundance had testified to deep native knowledge/ skills  capable of LEADING a renewable industry rooted in nature-based longevity) is grossly unacceptable!  

We will not win unless ALL remaining intact old growth ecosystems are left intact!

The best & newest science agrees:  industrial logging in BC is unsustainable -- & V. worrying, with resultant 'hotspots' causing critical biodiversity loss, droughts & other climate disasters.  Tho less than 10% of BC's old growth forests remain, most are slated to be logged -- which puts aLL of BC (if not the entire biosphere) in jeopardy..

Deforestation exacerbates human errors/weaknesses in this climate Emergency -- eg. Our emissions keep rising & adding to global warming.  In coming months/years, your actions TODAY will define our future -- & being 1 of few 'green' (forested) refuges left on Earth, we wait.. (but the safety-net a Just Transition to sustainability can give us NOW, cannoT!)

Old-growth forests, despite scientists' best efforts/R&D to invent effective C02 sequestration, are still the most -- no, the ONLY -- effective C02 sinks known to humankind. Allowing them to be cleared -- & our multi-billion$ eco-tourist industry to die out along with Old-Growth's threatened biodiversity -- is a sure suicide/ SPECIESCIDE we just cannot afford..

Please SEE how many educated BCers are choosing to be arrested rather than allow our last OldGrowth elders/ lifeboats to be logged like so much wood!? Then fire Katrine Conroy & save our best trees' lives (it's only fair!)

You yourself have said our ancient forests are "worth more standing" -- & you're right:   i.e. Keeping their entirety alive & intact is CRITICAL to mitigating biodiversity loss/ climate change, providing clean air/water, capturing/storing vast amounts of atmospheric C02, regulating ground/ surface water flow, preventing  fires/ floods: the list goes on & on of Old-Growth's uniquely timely qualities:  our living SAVIOURS, which you & (appare only ½) your govt want to deny us/ the world!? 

Right now, BC communities are seeing & feeling the deadly, direct effects of decades of destruction of these MOST IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS.  Yet status quo clearcuts & extraction continue apace!!? & Fairy Creek forest defenders are still being arrested -- proving your govt. is stalling on real Climate Action, with an old-school pro-logging puppet of a Forestry Minister dooming us all to a future of fire & Hell & orphaned investments:  WHY!!? 

At this point, clearing our last intact ancient forests equals the stupidity of demolishing the Great Pyramids for the value of their stones-!!?  (Actually worse, given our ancient forests' invaluable benefits that ensure successful outcomes for us all).  It's up to you & your govt. to intervene NOW with actual laws that protect BC's oldest wettest forests:  our globally-unique temperate rainforests, the giants of global Just Recovery, Beautiful BC heritage, Climate Action & so much more..

The world needs these key forests as much as we do, having cleared most of their own indigenous H²0-/ 0²-supplying forests long ago (which they doubtless regret, having become drought-ridden deserts like the others:  Iran, Iraq, Australia, California.. Brazil..?)

Isn't it time you & your govt SHOW US that you actually care, & have the integrity to do what's right -- for our kids' (& their kids') futures, if nothing else? 

Even industry pro's know climate change is real -- with insurance pull-outs from TMX just the start of the REAL recovery from Colonial oppression's ugly hold on our destinies.  YOU & YOUR GOVT. can put us on top (with our friends Old-Growth) oR doom us to the bottom of a bitumen spill -- but either way, change is coming.. & it won'T be kind to the culprits of Climate's/ Nature's downfall:  ie. polluters & their champions..

Thank you Premier Horgan, for hearing input from one whose family's dedication to the NDP ended with me, as I'm young/old enough to see only eco-INaction from your party, which i can't condone.. (I trust you understand)

Sincerely from my heart,

On encountering bears, by a BC-raised exPERienced animaL..

I was compelled to write this in response to disturbing reports of (what should be rare) attacks by bears on humans here in the Lower Mainland of BC. - the worst parts of which have been the subsequent interviews with 'attackees' revealing they'd followed common advice to "make lots of noise"  on seeing a bear(!?)

I can't help feeling concerned that such misinformation is so widely dispensed - it's irresponsible, & as a hiker/ naturalist BCer who's had many encounters with bears - in the wilderness & (more recently) closer to home in my own backyard - I feel the need to set the record straight.. & hopefully prevent any more unnecessary bear attacks!

First, let's debunk the most obvious myth apparently making the rounds: the 'make-lots-of-noise-to-scare-off-a-bear-as-soon-as-you-spot-one' approach, which in my mind is much likelier to provoke a bear attack than anything! This is especially true if the bear is a mom with cub(s) nearby, of couRse. 

In fact, that myth has led to at least one recent publicly-reported attack on a human, who when questioned afterward said they "did the right thing & made lots of noise by banging on pots & pans" when they saw the bear.  Luckily they weren't harmed - but if they hadn't followed such misinformation in the first place, chances are their encounter would have been incident-free.

Making yourself visible to a bear - without making unnecessary noise - is the best and easiest way to survive bear encounters unscathed, as a bear will usually turn away & take off in the opposite direction as soon as it sees you..

So while bears are considered 'apex predators', black bears (found only in North America) are the shyest & least predatory of aLL the bears - which doesn't mean you can tame one in a day & take it home as a pet souvenir (which is highly illegal!) But bears are omnivores, so they'll get used to eating whatever's most abundant & readily available - including human food, unfortch.  It's sad when people think it's OK to offer food to wild bears - despite being repeatedly & strongly advised not to feed bears, either purposely or inadvertently by leaving garbage accessible/ BBQs uncleaned etc.

That last point is CRITICAL:  from Oct.-March, keep your home & yard food/ scraps/ waste free.. & NEVER offer food to a wild black bear:  once they're used to associating humans with free-&-easy/ reliable food sources, they lose their fear of people & will return to the same spot each year to forage, often becoming aggressive when defending food..

You can find out more fascinating facts about these solitary creatures here:

treehugger.com/surprising-facts-about-black-bears

If you come upon a bear suddenly (eg. Hiking on a trail) assume they're a mom with cubs nearby.  DON'T make lots of noise - that may provoke her to lash out!  Instead, by all means vocalise to warn of your presence, so that with their excellent vision they'll probably see you first & will likely vacate the area.

If you DO startle a bear at close range (which is unlikely, as their hearing is better than ours - but it's happened b4 & prob will again!) try to keep talking calmly as you make sure the bear has an escape-route away from you, & back away from the bear while facing it the whole time.. without making a fuss.

I've read advice that says you must never approach a bear first.  That's not necessarily true:  if you're far enough away from it, that's a way to make yourself visible & give it time to lumber away.  Also, bears are experts at sensing fear & threats:  as long as you don't run at it or start screaming or some other startling/ sudden behavior, bears will in most cases carry on their business & not be interested in you (unless you have unwrapped food on you - NOT recommended!)

After numerous incident-free encounters with bears, I can vouch for these tips to ensure your (& bears') safety in bear country:

(a) Remember you're in their territory (even at home), so be aware & respectful always - of ALL wildlife.  When on hikes/ walks in the woods, never stray from designated paths & walkways.  When at home in bear country decommission bird feeders (bring indoors til Fall), keep all food indoors & well-wrapped, & use bear-proof dumpsters/ garbage cans outdoors.  A few drops of pure pine essential oil scattered around may deter them, as they are said to dislike pine scent.  If you have fruit trees they can access, leave them be if you don't mind their presence on your property (& keeping pets indoors, which is another challenge) - you can't blame bears for finding their very fave desserts to eat!) - believe it or not, this is often your most stress-free option! (Unless of course you live in a built-up, high-traffic urban area:  in that case, you may have no choice but to call your local wildlife conservation service..

(b) REMAIN CALM at all times

(c) Talk in a normal voice to alert bears if your presence, if there's a lack of crunchy vegetation to do the job (they're NOT brain-dead!)  Just like you, bears can find loud obtrusive noises/ irritating too, esp. around their young.  From  their p.o.v. the sole solution is to silence the noise - ie. By attacking it

(d) Just because a bear's 1st instinct is to run away on seeing you, doesn't mean it's scared of you:  if you try & intimidate a bear by confronting it/ imitating it/ roaring loudly/ standing up to it (as I've seen some dumb sites advise) the bear may be provoked or take your behavior as a challenge/ threat, & may lash out at you!  (This may seem obvious - but the fact is, misguided info is circulated regularly!)  Taken seriously - as it's usually meant - could have even more serious outcomes..

(e) The main thing to remember about bears is:  yes they're bigger & stronger than you, but their chief concerns are food (& more food..) & their own families.  As long as you don't try to deter their access/ attention to either, there's no need to freak when encountering bear(s) - say hi & move on.. & they'll likely do the same (minus the 'hi' lol - but they may acknowledge you with a lazy 'wassap' lift of their heads before diving back to their mulberry-tree feast..)🌳

(f)  Don't stick around to get a snapshot if it's close enough to lunge at you/ your camera:  you're already an unwanted intruder in its space, don't push your luck!  Best to keep your distance for photographing these gorgeous creatures- you can always zoom in..