Entries by TJ Watt

Avatar Boardwalk Nears Completion

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For Immediate Release

After 4 years of hard work, the Avatar Grove boardwalk near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island is expected to be completed by the end of this coming long weekend. 

This weekend a team of volunteers with the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) will undertake a final stint of boardwalk construction in the Avatar Grove. Volunteers will build a new platform, stairs, steps, and walkways, and install signage, finishing the major project. Located only 20 minutes from Port Renfrew, the Avatar Grove is home to one of the most spectacular and easily accessible stands of monumental old-growth trees in BC and has become among BC’s most popular old-growth forest tourism destinations, featured in numerous national and international media outlets. The completion of the boardwalk will enhance the public’s ability to explore the incredible ancient forest that helped the town rebrand itself as the “Tall Trees Capital of Canada.”

See a photo gallery showcasing the boardwalk construction from this past weekend: https://bit.ly/2vkskEN

See our media release at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=1128

Volunteers Needed – Avatar Grove Boardwalk Construction: July 29-30 & August 5-6-7 in Port Renfrew!

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Volunteers Needed for Avatar Boardwalk Construction! 
July 29-30 & August 5-6-7 in Port Renfrew

The Ancient Forest Alliance is looking for dedicated, considerate, and capable volunteers to help finish constructing the Avatar Grove boardwalk. Volunteers must be able to follow instructions accurately, be in good health to do the work, and act safely and respectfully without exception. Activities may include carrying boardwalk planks, hammering nails, bucketing gravel, digging soil, moving rocks, etc. as well as having fun 🙂 Construction experience not necessary but those with building skills are an asset and we hope you can join us! 

If this sounds like you, please send an email with the subject line 'Boardwalk Volunteer – [your name & dates available]' to Boardwalk Coordinator TJ Watt at info@ancientforestalliance.org 

Please include:
1) Your contact information (phone number)
2) Any relevant experience you may have
3) If you need a ride to Port Renfrew or can offer one
4) Any health limitations we should be aware of

Thanks!

Ancient Forest Alliance welcomes new BC Government and Cabinet

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For Immediate Release

The Ancient Forest Alliance looks forward to working with Premier Horgan and Ministers Scott Fraser, George Heyman, and Doug Donaldson to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and ensure a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry.

The Ancient Forest Alliance welcomes and congratulates the new British Columbia NDP government and its new cabinet after yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony at the Legislature.

The Ancient Forest Alliance is working with diverse partners to protect the province’s old-growth forests and to ensure a sustainable, value-added forest industry, and is encouraged by Premier John Horgan’s picks for several ministerial positions.

See our media release at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=1126

New report: BC government faces no legal or financial barriers to implementing "Pop for Parks" program for land acquisition fund

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Following a growing movement of support across municipalities, recreation groups and environmental groups for a provincial land acquisition fund, a new report has been released outlining one of the ways the government could partially fund such a program. Environmental Lawyer Erin Grey has produced a report on behalf of the Ancient Forest Alliance, analyzing the AFA's proposed Pop for Parks program, which would see unredeemed bottle deposits redirected to the purchase and protection of private lands with high conservation values. The report explores the success of similar schemes to redirect unredeemed bottle deposits for environmental and other public purposes in several US jurisdictions and indicates there are no legal or financial barriers to implementing the program in BC – only a lack of political will.

See the report at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/AFA-Pop-for-Parks-Report-final.pdf

B.C. Greens agree to support NDP in minority legislature

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The first Green-Social Democrat governing agreement in North American history has just been landed in British Columbia. In many nations, particularly in Europe, Green-Social Democrat coalitions have been central in pushing through vast progress for environmental and climate sustainability, social justice, and the expansion of the clean tech and renewable energy industries. In New Zealand, a Green-Social Democrat alliance ended old-growth logging there in 1999 – the Ancient Forest Alliance will work hard with this government to help them achieve this goal, which is in the BC Green's platform and which the NDP's platform includes the framework to allow this to happen. Congrat's to Andrew Weaver and John Horgan for concluding successful negotiations! Though more details are yet to come…

See article here: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/greens-announce-support-in-legislature/article35147472/

Ancient Forest Alliance Featured in Vancouver Island’s Chinese-Language Newspaper

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Vancouver Island's Chinese-language newspaper has run a story about the Ancient Forest Alliance, the Jurassic Grove, and our campaigns to protect old-growth forests, including using our big tree and stump photos. Take note that our Mandarin old-growth ecology walks are just getting underway in the Lower Mainland for the half a million Chinese-language speakers there, but sometime in the future, we hope to get it going on Vancouver Island too.

See the article: https://issuu.com/viweekly/docs/vi_weekly_170524_-_015_-_online_ver

Stunning grove of unprotected old-growth trees located near Port Renfrew

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Here is a new article about the spectacular Jurassic Grove, a stunning old-growth redcedar forest between Jordan River and Port Renfrew not far off Highway 14 in Pacheedaht territory on Crown land. While much of the grove's 130 hectares is protected within a Marbled Murrelet Wildlife Habitat Area, there is an unprotected 40 hectare tract of giant redcedars (no logging plans for now), and the grove would be a natural protected area addition to buffer the existing Juan de Fuca Marine Trail Park and as a vitally important, extremely rare lowland old-growth stand in its own right. 

See the article from Sooke News Mirror: https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/stunning-grove-of-unprotected-old-growth-trees-located-near-port-renfrew/

Ancient Forest Alliance Reaches Global Audiences in Al Jazeera News

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Check it out! We're starting to reach global audiences, as Al Jazeera news (sort of like the BBC of the Middle East) has put out a new photo essay and article about the Ancient Forest Alliance's campaign to protect BC's old-growth forests from industrial logging. It includes photos of the Ancient Forest Alliance staff (Ken Wu, Andrea Inness, TJ Watt, Molly O'Ray) by the protected Avatar Grove, the endangered Eden Grove and Echo Lake, clearcutting on Edinburgh Mountain near Port Renfrew, forest ecologist Dr. Andy MacKinnon, Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce president Dan Hager, Cathedral Grove, and the Catalyst mill in Port Alberni. Article and photos by John Zada. 
 

See: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/04/fighting-save-canada-giant-trees-170429152837200.html

Stunning Grove of Unprotected Old-Growth Trees Located near Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island – Conservationists Hope “Jurassic Grove” will become “Jurassic Park” one day!

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For Immediate Release

The Ancient Forest Alliance has located an impressive grove of unprotected, monumental old-growth trees which we've nicknamed the "Jurassic Grove" for now (and which one day might become the "Jurassic Park" if protected). It is only a 90 minute drive west of Victoria between Jordan River and Port Renfrew. Spanning a 3 kilometer stretch alongside a portion of the 48 kilometre Juan de Fuca Marine Trail Provincial Park, it lies mainly on Crown lands adjacent to the provincial park and its popular coastal hiking trail not far from Highway 14 in the traditional unceded territory of the Pacheedaht. While most of Jurassic Grove’s 130 hectares of old-growth is protected within a Marbled Murelet Wildlife Habitat Area that is off-limits to logging, about 40 hectares is on unprotected Crown lands. As it abuts against a popular provincial park for hiking, it would be a natural addition to the park.

See our media release at: https://ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/jurassic-grove/