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' law.  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 or 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, & for 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, incLuding 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 good 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 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

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/ 🌿 

'Letter to the Editor' on BC's last intact rare Old-Growth Forests

A Western Screech Owl, one of many S.A.R.A.-listed species that rely on BC's old-growth forests for their survival.. (Screech owls mate for life, with both ma & pa involved in co-parenting their young)

You can read the CBC article at the link (below screen capture) re. Premier John Horgan's lame announcement on his latest 'Intentions Paper' vis-a-vis his/BC-NDP's 'new paradigm' on BC's precious Old-Growth Forests - which does little to assure forest defenders that these iconic 1,000-year-old forest ecosystems (/C02 sinks/ wildlife habitats) won'T be logged to extinction in 3 years.. 

CBC Article on Horgan's Old-Growth intentions

Dare I say the issue of whether or not to save BC's old-growth forests should not be the decision of any human(s) putting short-term personal gains ahead of larger considerations, ie. Climate Action/ Nature's revival?

To pretend these are not dilemmas facing govt. leaders today is to deny the overwhelming body of science that has been telling (& showing) us the catastrophic results of our century-long ever-increasing crudely-executed/  heavy-handed 'harvesting' of Nature's once-rich, now-reaped bounty -- of which intact rainforest ecosystems are the 'Lungs' thereof.

Literally, BC's untouched 1,000-year-old primary (unlogged) forests -- of which only approx. 3% remain intact -- are among the world's ONLY climate-balancing wilderness ecosystems left to cover the herculean C02-sinking/ O2-emitting job that once was shared by myriad forests all over the globe..

Having picked Earth almost-dry of its invaluable 'resources' without ensuring their ongoing regeneration ('SOWING WHAT WE REAP'), in the process humans have left behind gluts of toxins/waste that continue to accumulate as long as those inefficient processes are still being used to 'harvest' what we need/use to live!?

It's true:  the systems we've developed/installed -- & now rely on heavily to 'keep us going' -- are the same mechanisms fast-tracking Nature's demise, & thus our own..

But Nature -- yes, still! -- provides everything we need to live!  Doesn't it follow that protecting Nature should be everybody's -- incl. govt. leaders' -- top priority? 

 

Scientists recently issued yet another dire warning that the measurable outcomes of continued reliance on our clunky old wasteful ways include warming temperatures which will lock in further degradation of our life-support system, ie. Nature itself.

Govts cite 'jobs' as a key reason for continuing to permit & subsidize industries with the most devastating impacts on Nature's balance -- of which deforestation is among the worst, not due solely to emissions (which are high when huge old trees release the total C02 they've sequestered over centuries) but also to ensuing LOSS OF FORESTS' COUNTLESS PRICELESS BENEFITS, as our ultimate protectors/safeguards against the harmful human processes endangering whole populations now..

JOBS that work to restore Nature's balance -- in conservation, education, renewable energy, transitioning OUT OF polluting industries etc. -- are what's desperately needed now;  jobs that exacerbate the status quo (GHG emitters like logging, mining..) ALL have imminent expiry dates.

(Widely-known) FACT:  the oldest intact forests ARE what's staving off the worst effects of climate change:  the droughts, famine, fires, floods that threaten mass upheaval on a dime -- brought to the very brink by Big-Biz's last 'all-in' mad pillage for profits (by 'extraction'/ logging/ pollution/ whatever they can get away with) before public pressure forces govts. to shut 'em down..

Thus govt's DELAY on legislating old-school harmful practices OUT before Nature-restoring replacement systems are put IN, could be exactly what tips Nature into irreversible decline..

It only makes pragmatic sense to protect our sole defense against this decline AT ALL COSTS -- along with all the non-human species whose lives depend on keeping these [whole] old forests intact!!?  Without their essential habitats, biodiversity will go extinct -- & guess who will be next.

At this point, the prospect of letting these important ecosystems be cut down is as unthinkable as demolishing the Great pyramids for the price of their stones :  as someone said, it's psychopathic - no matter who is doing the cutting..

Thank you.

PS.  Please sign & share my petition on Change.org:  ProtectOurForests!

My [removed] comment on a Narwhal article..

WOW: it's discouraging that this happened in The Narwhal, a paper considered one of the most hard-hitting among 'alternative' media, & one that's gained my respect.. Did I GO TOO FAR/ HIT BELOW THE BELT? Express too much emotional & not enough 'factual' data? Maybe.. [I dunno].. 

FACT IS, I respond IN KIND to aLL an article conveys --& may carry over other built-up feelings/ opinions from recent related articles/info to form a 'Big Picture' gleaned from accumulated sources. And with recent in-depth exposes on the BC Govt. abounding, THIS piece REVEALED iN 3D just how dangerous & dishonest our Govt. iS.. 

Given the BCNDP's obvious heinous disregard for BC's future & acTuaL 'Reconciliation' with 1st Nations peoples --& the false public image with which they (& the corporations to which they consistently pander) MISLEAD the public, again & again-- as a dedicated BCer rallying to protect our native biodiversity & our precious old-growth ecosystems from destruction via BCNDP permits handed out recklessly like candy, I feel my response is MILD in light of Govt's obvious [UNETHICAL & UNJUST] trajectory.. & the clear conclusion that our provincial Premier Horgan & Co. are USING the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to 'get away with' heinous corruption & eco-crimes -- i.e. BIZ AS USUAL for BC Govt's shameful history of corporate pandering & indigenous GENOCIDE.. [Just sayin'..]

EXTREME DISHONOUR & DISRESPECT FORCE EXTREME REACTIONS-!?


The Narwhal piece in question hit me square-on with realization that compounds cumulative essays upon news items upon commissioned reports ETC. over the past year & a half of murderous ECORUIN aided & abetted by the BCNDP [directly opposing their elected platforms/ promises] -- so yes, I responded with blatant honesty & open eyes to the appalling direction the BC Govt. is dragging this province --i.e. DOWNHILL, FAST-- as reported in THIS Narwhal article:

B.C. orders Coastal GasLink to stop pipeline construction near protected wetlands

[Here's my comment:]

Where are the BC Greens when they're desperately needed to step in & OPPOSE the BCNDP's reckless issuance of permits to corps B4 they fast-track catastrophic destruction of important natural ecosystems?

It's SICKENING that Horgan's SHAM BC Govt. (like those b4) are letting forestry/ O&G corps get away with widespread ECO-RUIN --including clear-cut logging of our last remaining precious old-growth forests-- while claiming to be on track with their 'CLEAN BC' "plans": WHERE's Govt's compliance with their self-proclaimed respect for indigenous rights? Where's Horgan's [promised] Species At Risk law protecting BC's threatened wildlife habitats??

Equally heinous is Coastal GasLink's reckless --illegal-- disregard of their own "wetlands mgmt. plan" (?), along with their LiES (eg. "Environmental protection is a top priority for us"). Since CGL have already cleared 80% of the pipeline's "right-of-way" without a single concern for ANY of the 300 protected wetlands subsequently harmed, HOW can Govt's confidence in "resolving these issues" be trusted --esp. as the Wet’suwet’en's opposition IS UNCHANGED?

Bottom line: Govt.'s benefit agreements [/MOUs] coerced from some #1stNations are clearly A FRAUD (proven repeatedly w/ past resource rapes) & Govt's pipeline push --for a toxic LNG-soaked future that refuses 1st Nations autonomy AND reconciliation-- is ANOTHER BETRAYAL THAT DENIES EVERYONE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.. (SHAME)

[OK, i feel slightly better now..]