Trevor Goward, curator of lichens at the University of British Columbia and author of several books, said in an interview Friday he discovered a new species of horsehair lichen in the mid-1990s in the Hazelton-Kispiox area and a new species of crottle lichen in the Clearwater Valley two years ago, both of them in old-growth B.C. forests.
A botanist from the University of B.C. has donated the naming rights to two species of lichen he’s discovered to two environmental groups. The Ancient Forest Alliance and The Land Conservancy are auctioning off the right to name the species to the highest bidders.
While new lichens are discovered on an almost monthly basis, most of those are in the “dime-a-dozen” category of crust lichens, said Mr. Goward. The two lichens up for auction are from the much more prestigious “macrolichens” category.
“Having your name linked to a living species is a legacy that lasts,” says botanist and taxonomist Goward. "With any luck your name will endure as long as our civilization does. Not even Shakespeare could hope for more than that.”
First Nations people of Eastern Vancouver Island will rally tomorrow against the sale of TimberWest due to lack of consultation within their traditional territories.
The science on forest conservation recommends much greater amounts of forest be protected, and I have confidence that B.C. can meet the challenge. We can produce more jobs and value per cubic metre of forest cut while conserving much more of the forests themselves.
The tree and a small surrounding stand of trees currently receive "soft" protection through an Old-Growth Management Area, but legislated "hard" protection is needed in the form of a conservancy, park, or ecological reserve that also encompasses a much larger buffer area.
A letter writer does an excellent job of de-bunking industry spin regarding raw log exports point by point in this hard-hitting article.
The Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group representing First Nation bands from north of Shawnigan lake to Nanaimo on eastern Vancouver Island is opposing the sale of TimberWest to two pension funds because of a lack of consultation and accommodation of First Nations rights and title interests in the transaction.
Wildlife biologist Nigel Jackett, and environmentalist-musician Jaime Hall have begun a cross Canada bicycle expedition to raise awareness for one of Canada’s most unique but threatened environments: the Pacific temperate rainforest of coastal British Columbia. The two will be raising funds for the Ancient Forest Alliance based on the total number of bird species found during their ride. Make a PLEDGE TODAY!
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