This protest by Cortes Island activist Zoe Miles and MTV's Buried Life in downtown Toronto had an Avatar theme, and their focus was on saving the old-growth forests of BC with a particular emphasis on the old-growth Douglas fir stands of Cortes Island (which they dubbed the "Avatar Woods", not to be confused with the "Avatar Grove" near Port Renfrew). We thank them for doing this! - Ancient Forest Alliance
While the provincial government has sectioned off thousands of hectares to protect old-growth forests, none are located in the Alberni Valley. The government sectioned off two types of old-growth forest on Crown land to preserve the natural trees and forestation. On the east side of the Island, about five kilometres were sectioned off to preserve the Coastal Douglas Fir Ecosystem, which is a rare type of ecosystem that only covers a small portion of the Island. Other parts of the Island in the northern central area and southern areas were also protected from future logging and land management.
The message is simple "Hands off the last of the Coastal Old Growth in BC". On Friday morning, Young "Avatars" (giant blue folk - like in the recent movie) will storm Bay Street in a flash mob protest against the logging of the last of the coastal old growth in BC. The protest has caught the eye of MTV and will be featured in an upcoming documentary on the hit show The Buried Life.
It's the best, worst-kept secret on Vancouver Island. A 100-hectare forest wonderland: pristine, untouched and about a thousand years old. But there are real and imminent fears this space may not be long for this world. It is de facto owned by logging company Teal Jones. The firm hasn't applied to the provincial government for a logging permit yet, but activists with the Ancient Forest Alliance claims the company is making plans to cut.
The BC Ministry of Forests and Range recent rejection of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce's and the Sooke Regional Tourism Association's request that the Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew be spared from logging has the Ancient Forest Alliance preparing for a ramped-up battle. The organization already has over 2000 members on its “Save the Avatar Grove” Facebook Group and 7000 members on its main Facebook Groups, and will be working to ramp-up membership in the Avatar Grove Group in preparation for a future “Ancient Forest Week of Action” of protests, events, and rallies (dates to be announced) at various BC government offices in numerous communities.
Big trees would bring more money into Sooke and Port Renfrew than logging a unique, old-growth grove, community groups have told the provincial government. But the province is refusing to budge from its position that sufficient old growth has already been protected in that area.
The province is almost doubling the amount of Vancouver Island old-growth forest protected from logging and development. More than 38,700 hectares on northern and north-central Vancouver Island will be designated as old-growth management areas, meaning the trees cannot be cut.
Port Renfrew is the furthest outpost of my riding. It is a land of extraordinary beauty with mountains that hug a rugged coastline, rivers that run through deep valleys, and a land that harbours significant biodiversity. This area also contains some of the oldest and most majestic living things on our planet. In the area of the Gordon River Valley and further north in the upper Walbran Valley are some of the largest trees on the planet. A few weeks ago, I went into this remote area with a small team from the Ancient Forest Alliance to document these giant Western Red Cedars, Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir that jut out of the surrounding valley floors like spires from cathedrals.
The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is supporting Member of Parliament (Esquimalt- Juan de Fuca) Keith Martin’s proposal to extend Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s boundaries to protect adjacent endangered forests, including the grandest stands of old-growth trees in Canada.
The fate of a small patch of endangered Vancouver Island forest has put local residents and politicians at odds with the province and a First Nations band. The Snaw-naw-as First Nation has been issued a one-time forest licence by the province to cut 15,000 cubic metres of wood west of Nanoose Bay to raise much-needed cash -- even though the rare remnant of endangered coastal Douglas fir forest contains endangered plants and animals.
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