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

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.