Entries by TJ Watt

New Spectacular Drone Video of Tree Climbers Scaling Canada’s 2nd Largest Douglas-fir Tree, “Big Lonely Doug”

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Today the Ancient Forest Alliance is releasing a spectacular new HD drone video of tree climbers scaling the second largest known Douglas-fir tree in Canada, “Big Lonely Doug”, in a clearcut on Vancouver Island. Remotely-piloted drones equipped with high definition video cameras are a new tool being used by conservationists like the AFA to monitor and document endangered ecosystems such as Vancouver Island’s old-growth temperate rainforests.

Spectacular video released of three climbers scaling one of the largest and most famous trees in Canada

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CHEK TV has also featured our new DRONE video of climbing Big Lonely Doug and they have brought in our old-growth protection message strongly!

Drone video captures epic climb up Canada’s second-largest Douglas-fir

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Global TV news coverage of the AFA’s drone video and campaign!

Calgary Slideshow: Exploring and Protecting the Old-Growth Forests of Coastal BC (Aug.22)

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If you're in Calgary, come out on Aug 22 to see a spectacular and informative slideshow by the Ancient Forest Alliance's executive director Ken Wu at the Patagonia store (downtown Calgary at Stephen Avenue) about "Exploring and Protecting the Old-Growth Forests of Coastal BC". https://www.facebook.com/events/1058597564218224/

Rare cougar sighting in endangered forest on Vancouver Island

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CTV has run the AFA photographer TJ Watt's still photo of the large cougar and also his video of the smaller cougar in the endangered Upper Walbran Valley:

A conservation photographer has captured a rare photo and video of cougars in the Walbran Valley.
According to a B.C. organization that works to protect endangered forests, cougars on the island tend to avoid clear cut areas.
The Ancient Forest Alliance photographer documented the two cougars, likely a mother with her juvenile offspring, from his car.
“I’ve spent over a decade exploring the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island several times a week, and I grew up here, but I never saw a cougar until this past weekend,” TJ Watt said.
Watt said seeing the carnivores was a “dream come true.”

Rare cougar sighting – Mother and juvenile filmed and photographed in the Walbran Valley’s endangered old-growth forest

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This past weekend in the Walbran Valley’s endangered old-growth forest, conservation photographer TJ Watt of the Ancient Forest Alliance captured a photograph and video of a rare cougar encounter – two cougars in fact, a large and smaller one, likely a mother with her juvenile offspring. In the brief encounter, the large adult cougar casually bounded across the road, pausing in one instant long enough for Watt to get a somewhat blurry photo through his front window, while the juvenile meandered for about 20 seconds along the road, allowing Watt to capture several seconds of shaky video.

Rare sighting of mother cougar and juvenile on Vancouver Island as activists push for forest conservation

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Metro News article on the recent cougar sighting and the need to save the Walbran Valley's old-growth forests!!

What Do You Get When Forestry Workers, First Nations, Environmentalists and a Politician Meet Up At A 7-Eleven In Port Alberni?

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Here's a new article by Alicia LaRue about the recent sustainable forestry rally, organized by the Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union, supported by the Ancient Forest Alliance, WCWC, and Unifor, calling for the protection of old-growth forests, an end to raw log exports, and regulations and incentives for a value-added, sustainable second-growth forest industry.

Please SEND A MESSAGE to Protect Echo Lake Ancient Forest! www.ProtectEchoLake.com

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Hi friends, please take 1 MINUTE to send a new message to the BC government to protect the imminently endangered old-growth redcedars at Echo Lake – some of which are 12 feet wide! Echo Lake is an extremely rare, lowland old-growth forest about 2 hours east of Vancouver between Mission and Agassiz, in Sts’ailes First Nation territory. The area is home to numerous species at risk, is part of the drinking watershed for local people, and is also the world’s largest night-roosting site for bald eagles, with 700+ eagles seen roosting in the old-growth trees around the lake on some evenings during the fall salmon run. The construction of a new logging road is imminent, while initial surveying of the giant cedars for logging has already begun. See the recent media release at https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=1023 and SEND A MESSAGE to protect this unique area at www.ProtectEchoLake.com

Photo Gallery: Timber Workers/ Environmentalists Rally in Port Alberni

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On Friday, July 22, forestry workers from various sawmills and pulpmills from two major unions, the PPWC (Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada) and Unifor, were joined by community members, politicians,first nations, and environmentalists in Port Alberni in a rally for sustainable forest policy in BC.