BC-NDP KILLing our wiLd COYOTES? NOT on MY WATCH!

Please see my Letter to Govt. (also posted to this blog) OPPOSING their heinous Wolf Cull program - @ this link:

I Oppose BC's UNETHICAL WoLF CuLL: Letter 2 Govt

Culling protected urban wildlife like these cherished coyotes in Stanley Park is NOT a solution to the "problem" (?) of wildlife in our parks, it's yet another abhorrent sign that elected officials are UNFIT to govern this once-thriving province; their every decision spells 'FAIL' for our biodiversity, our precious old-growth forests & our very own Stanley Park urban paradise..

Even Conservation Officers are FAILING US by acting with psychopathic insensitivity toward the many beloved species with which we share our home - for as any true, legit Conservationist knows, CULLING IS NEVER THE ANSWER!

Where's the RESPECT for Nature & all its variety of species (Flora AND Fauna), which Conservationists (& BCers) have a long-held & proud tradition of HONOURING?  Now, instead of prioritizing co-existence with all BC's endemic wildlife (as their jobs dictate) they think nothing of setting barbaric LEG-HOLD TRAPS (which should have been banned years ago) & MASS-MURDERING these blameless creatures, when they should be doing everything in their power to PROTECT THEM, per our Constitution?

What happened to the City's plan to amend Park hours to close it to the public from dusk to dawn - LIKE EVERY OTHER PARK IN BC??  They didn't even TRY to enforce that policy!  Instead, we were suddenly informed of some ridiculously ill-advised 'Malkin Bowl' concerts planned for AFTER-DARK HOURS in Stanley Park!!?  Talk about hypocrites!!!

I'm with Bryan [Adams] 100% - TRAPPING & KILLING urban wildlife is an utterly ABHORRENT, MINDLESS decision by an inept govt. that's woefully OUT OF TOUCH with what makes Vancouver LIVABLE!  Having a giant forest paradise in our midst -- along with other parks & beaches & numerous natural wonders -- inevitably brings abundant urban wildlife to these areas. It's one of the greatest joys of living here, & the vast majority of residents are ON BOARD WITH 'doing our bit' to nurture & respect the thriving biodiversity around us. NOT by feeding/luring them irresponsibly of course, but by enjoying them from afar & LEAVING THEM BE!

The few who act in ignorance -- acclimatizing wildlife to human conflicts/attacks -- should be seen as the problem that needs fixing -- i.e. NOT THE FAULT OF BLAMELESS ANIMALS with whom we've coexisted happily for decades!!? "Getting rid of" ANY of them is unthinkable.

Stanley Park is our JEWEL, & as such should be a protected park, NOT A FREE-FOR-ALL FOR TOURISTS TO ABUSE & DESECRATE!!? Invading its peaceful serenity with inhumane LEG-HOLD TRAPS (which could easily hurt other creatures, not just coyotes) & terrorizing every lifeform sheltered in this forest sanctuary VIOLATES its every purpose & PUTS OUR CITY ON THE MAP OF SHAME!

It's nothing short of an indecent act of terrorism by govt. officials who've lost touch with the limits of their "power" as public servants.. 

PS. If we can't train/inform the population, how can we enjoy our city?  Problem is, people can't be BOTHERED to teach each other to coexist with nature - which is their lame excuse for doing what's "easier" & KILLING OFF whole groups of species in which they've NO BUSINESS INTERFERING!?  That's not progress, it's IGNORANCE!  Canada's constitution enshrines protection of native wildlife - which our govts forget in their blind rush to "get rid of" inconveniences that make our world LIVABLE.. (Wish we'd get rid of THEM, they're making OUR city UNLivable!!)  Fact is, coyotes are V helpful for balancing ecosystems like Stanley Park.. so we're better off learning to live with them, not harming/ killing them.. (We've harmed Nature enough - to the point that our biodiversity & ecosystems & environments are downgrading, FAST.

We need to instill healthy respect for ALL nature's lifeforms in every resident/visitor of BC.  MODIFYING OUR BEHAVIOUR, NOT CULLING WILDLIFE, IS THE ANSWER TO HUMAN-BROUGHT PROBLEMS.

Letter #14 to BC-NDP - Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy

 

Written using Sierra Club's letter-writing TooL (ALways besT to personalize!)  You can write one too, @ this link:  

CLICK HERE 2 WRITE YOUR OWN Letter 2 BC's Forest Minister 

Here's mine:

Dear Minister Conroy, 

I am writing to denounce you & your appalling govt's inaction on Fairy Creek & FAILURE to follow through on promises to fully implement all recommendations from the Old Growth Strategic Review, as an urgent priority in your mandate.    

So few of our iconic, important old-growth forests remain due to clearcutting/ over-logging & egregious clearcutting which has had DISASTROUS results due to the devastation wrought by clearcut logging of whole ecosystems (including the hundreds of species of biodiversity that depend on these forests for survival, many of which are now critically endangered)..

Clear evidence of this needless destruction has been exposed this summer by dangerous -- & PREVENTABLE -- wildfires that continue to burn, despite all efforts to control them..

AS your Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel advised well over a year ago, BC desperately needs a new paradigm for forest mgmt. implemented NOW to avoid an even deadlier fire season next year!?

Without immediate action, not enough will be left to sustain the web of life as we know it & support a diverse economy.  

Last year's election made it VERY clear that the majority of BC citizens want to protect endangered Old-Growth forests before it is too late!  And the majority of us are strongly opposed to the shameful bullying & violence of the RCMP against peaceful defenders in the ancient Fairy Creek stand - despite the injunction granted to Teal Jones (in bad faith & against your govt's stated intentions for our precious forests) as well as overwhelming public support for our heroic Fairy Creek forest defenders..   

The deadlines from your expert O-G Panel have long passed, thanks to your wilful refusal to act on your party's promises, but WE cannot forget our dedicated friends who know the priceless value of these forests --ALIVE NOT LOGGED-- & remain determined to protect them from destructive, greedy & unethical logging corps.

Equally heinous is federal govt's ongoing refusal to intervene on behalf of the Species At Risk which Canada's constitution expressly delineates responsibility to prevent their extinction!!?  At this rate, under your mismanagement, we are set to lose the valuable benefits -- incl. essential habitat provision, C02 sequestration at unequaled capacities, water purification & other essential services -- that only these primary forests can effectively provide.

Allowing these few Old-Growth ecosystems to be exploited, knowing their wealth lies in their preservation (i.e. preventing them from being logged), is akin to violating Canada's constitution -- which YOU can rectify & upgrade by implementing legislated protection for all Old-Growth forests in BC. 

Please Minister, do your job & turn around the fate of our beloved forests & the lifeforms --flora & fauna-- they support.  Shrinking into the background hoping this urgent issue will disappear is what only a coward would do:  Surely you have the knowledge of the requirements of your privileged position to know that banning Old-Growth logging is the ONLY solution with any merit -- along with its assurance of a hopeful future for our kids, the next-gen recipients of results from your actions today.

Please do the right thing & resolve this matter for the best interests of BCers:   legislate protection for all remaining BC Old-Growth & commit at least $1 billion to implement the 14 recommendations, provide funding for Indigenous-led conservation solutions & support transition for forestry-dependent communities.

Time is of the essence.

Thank you very much for taking action -- your immediate intervention will be a proud moment in your career, one in which you can claim a groundbreaking part on the right side of history!!?

But you need to act now to make this happen -- for the health & wellbeing of our communities, for salmon habitat, for essential carbon storage, for tourism jobs & to help defend our communities from fires, flooding & other worsening impacts of climate change. Considering all that BCers have endured of late, it's the least you & your govt. can do to lift some of the worry from our present outlooks!!?

These big, rare old trees are vital to our resilience in the face of climate change - please don't let down our kids' hope for a thriving future!  We're counting on you, because you were appointed to protect these living elders:  a grave responsibility, & one which you should not take lightly.

(Our future health - & that of our sustaining ecosystems/ 'Lungs of the North', without which we are nothing - relies on your urgent action today..)

Sincerely, 

SARAH (SAZ) CHESTERMAN

Vancouver, BC

CC: Premier John Horgan and Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Nathan Cullen 

I oppose BC's unethical woLF CuLL program!

[My letter to the Prince George Citizen]

Re:  CULLING WILDLIFE IS NEVER THE ANSWER!

Dear Editor(s),

I strongly oppose the B.C. wolf kill program.  Sustained killing of wolves, in the absence of protecting adequate caribou habitat, is unjustifiable. This inhumane activity is contrary to the values of most British Columbians.

The Govt. has permitted forestry, mining & other resource companies to disturb & destroy caribou habitat, & now that some herds are on the brink of extinction, wolves are made the scapegoat (again).  It is avoidance of what really should be done, which is to stop destruction of wildlife habitats.

We would be wise to consider that reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park led to a much stronger, healthier & more resilient ecosystem.  In BC these ecosystems evolved with wolves as an apex predator, & they will not function properly without them.

What these systems did NOT evolve to cope with is massive habitat disturbance/loss as a consequence of logging, mining & oil/gas activity.  Approved old-growth clearcutting, Northern Gateway/TMX pipelines, Site C hydro project & various LNG pipelines do more harm to caribou herds than ANY wolf population.  BC's Wolf Mgmt. Plan itself stated that its wolf-killing programs "have not resulted in any measurable benefits for caribou", while Alberta’s wolf cull "failed to achieve any improvement in Boreal Woodland Caribou survival" (Journal of Zoology, Nov. 2014).

Notably, the UN declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration -- to fight the catastrophic impacts of degraded/destroyed ecosystems on biodiversity, climate, food security & water supply.  ALL experts in this field -- from biologists + conservationists to observers + scientific researchers -- have provided overwhelming evidence that HUMAN INTERFERENCE IN WILDLIFE HABITATS IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE HEALTH + LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF WILDERNESS ECOSYSTEMS.  

Recognizing the importance of biodiversity & the lasting impacts of species loss, in 2017 the BC NDP Govt. promised to enact a Species At Risk Law by 2020.  In 2019, Premier Horgan announced that no such law was pending "in the foreseeable future".

Govts. must recognize the intrinsic value of healthy species & ecosystems, & the critical role they play in supporting healthy human economies.  We have a moral obligation to prevent species extinction, first by habitat protection -- based on the knowledge of independent ecologists/ traditional knowledge holders.  In accordance with BC's Declaration on the Rights of indigenous People's Act, the Govt. must work with indigenous communities to develop this law.  Before it's too late.

https://www.raincoast.org/2015/01/voices-against-the-wolf-cull/

BUDGET 2021 - Submission to BC's Legislative Committee

I managed to post my feedback on BC Govt's plans for Budget 2021 by the deadline today, thanks to Ancient Forest Alliance's helpful tool emphasizing the urgency of prioritizing protection of BC's old-growth forests -- at this link, if you're interested:  https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/action-alert-speak-up-for-ancient-forests-submit-your-feedback-on-budget-2021-before-june-26th/  I've copied & pasted my submission (with added highlights) here:

To the Select Standing Committee on Finance & Govt. Services,

To create a truly sustainable and resilient economy, we must protect the natural ecosystems on which we all depend for our health and survival. Many of BC’s important ecosystems are endangered, threatened by the very real hazards of climate change, overdevelopment and widespread toxic spraying which leaves them vulnerable to beetle infestations and wildfires.  These precious ecosystems support large concentrations of endangered species, wild salmon habitat, drinking watersheds, climate balance, important First Nations cultural sites and outstanding recreational/ tourism opportunities.  Protecting BC's sustaining natural assets --of which old-growth forests unquestionably classify as the most valuable-- is a crucial part of the [NDP-promised] Species At Risk Act, which needs to be legislated ASAP to meet our climate-change goals and our requirements as environmental stewards.

BC’s coastal and temperate old-growth forests are vital for sustaining unique/ endangered species, a multi-billion dollar tourism industry, many First Nations cultures, a stable climate and clean water for communities/ wild salmon.  And we are fast losing these key life-support systems to rampantly destructive clear-cut logging whose short-term, private gains do not come close to offsetting the deadly debilitating costs of destruction by deforestation.

Recent independent research shows that only a tiny fraction (less than 3%) of BC’s highly productive old-growth forests --i.e. those capable of growing big trees-- remain standing today.  Studies have also shown that keeping old-growth forests standing provides a greater overall economic benefit than cutting them down - not only for the critical habitats they provide for BC's threatened biodiversity, but for their prodigious C02-storing services that no other element on Earth provides.  We need these forests intact to help keep our GHG levels from rising and to give this province a chance at fighting the worst effects of climate change.  Importantly, it must be noted that ALL of the C02 stored in old-growth forests is released into the atmosphere when logged.  And once they are logged, these important non-renewable natural assets are lost forever.  Allowing our precious old-growth forests to be logged at their current rate is therefore tantamount to criminal dereliction of our duty as stewards of our own sustaining wilderness ecosystems.

I therefore recommend the BC government prioritize the conservation of endangered old-growth forests in its 2021 provincial budget by:

1) Establishing a dedicated $40 million per year BC Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to purchase private lands of high conservation, scenic, cultural, and recreational value from willing sellers to add to BC’s parks and protected areas system. This $40 million annual fund should increase by $10 million/year until the fund reaches $100 million/year.

2) Contributing funding toward the sustainable development and economic diversification of Vancouver Island First Nations communities in lieu of old-growth logging, similar to the $120 million (including $30 million in provincial funds) provided to First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest in support of ecosystem-based management in that region.

3) Allocating dedicated funding toward the creation, planning, implementation and management of a provincial Natural Lands Acquisition Fund to systematically purchase and protect endangered ecosystems on BC’s private lands for the benefit of communities and species alike -  along with Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in BC.  IPCAs are increasingly being recognized as effective mechanisms for conserving lands and waters while also supporting the languages, cultures, health, wellbeing, jobs and economies of Indigenous communities - and therefore must be supported and funded in Budget 2021.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Sarah M. Chesterman

We OWE WiLdLiFe this proTected NationaL paRK!

(LeTTR 2 Minister Catherine McKenna, Govt. of Canada)

content://media/external/file/3585

I am writing to support the creation of Canada's newest National Park in BC's South Okanagan.  I feel this is the very crux of our future direction for the benefit of all species, to ensure the health of our air, land & waters for generations to come..

I urge you to pounce on this opportunity to shape the vision for Canada's newest National Park, in the South Okanagan-Similkameen region of British Columbia -- home to the most endangered ecosystem in the world, of which less than 10% of historic grassland ecosystems remain in their natural state.

I feel it is our DUTY, as responsible stewards of Canada going forward, to help create a legacy in our own backyard that will contribute to global grassland conservation, protect habitat for an abundant diversity of species and secure important wildlife-movement corridors in an ever-changing climate.

Park boundaries must be based on the best available science, and supported by the First Nations within whose traditional territories this National Park Reserve will be established.

All decisions related to the establishment, management, and operation of this National Park Reserve must prioritize ecological integrity.  Key areas for connectivity/ biodiversity adjacent to the current proposal, specifically in the White Lake basin, should be considered for future protection + special management, and incorporated as crucial supporting components of the management of this National Park Reserve.

Please do whatever you can to bring this proposal to fruition, including engagement/ cooperation/ commitment of all relevant bodies to complete the process and reach a legally binding agreement for the permanent establishment of this National Park Reserve.

You may call on me at any time, at any stage, to help realize this Park's success however I can..

Thank you for your urgent attention to this critical matter.

Sarah Chesterman
Vancouver, BC

& as i commented recently on the Park's website, NOTHING is more crucial than protecting our forests, parks, waters & wildlife habitats from development/ industry/ RUIN..  the fight of our lives i've been @ 10+yrs --the onLy wIN worth EVeRyThing.. (Time 2 get 'STuck In' --cuz "it's too late" don't mean a thing but FAIL/FOOL 2 our children, if their legacies are less than what we happily received:  a wild Paradise yet 2 show the ill effects of human greed if left 2 breed & seed without a fight..)
It's noT too late 2 win the good fight if we give back Nature what we've reaped, creating havens/habitats like these..