Nigel Kuzemko, CEO of Steelhead LNG, writes that critics of his company’s proposed Malahat LNG project (“Malahat LNG plan includes extensive consultation,” comment, Feb. 27) are making “inaccurate claims about the project and about LNG itself.” He fails to identify the inaccurate claims and offer corrections.

His commentary is as vague as the public presentations about the project offered by Steelhead LNG over the past six months. Little information about the project has been made available by Steelhead. We critics are doing our research so we can effectively engage in a “discussion based on facts and science,” but unless the “myths and misconceptions” are identified, it is impossible to respond.

Steelhead fails to adequately address many “concerns and interests” that have been raised. For instance, when they state Malahat First Nation purchased the Bamberton property making them a partner in the Steelhead project, they fail to acknowledge that the Saanich Inlet is a shared territory with the other W?SÁNEC´ people who have long and well-documented treaty rights to their territory.

Last October, the National Energy Board granted Steelhead LNG a licence to export six million tonnes of LNG per year from their Bamberton site. The project will require tremendous amounts of power and air or water for its cooling systems. No matter which technology they finally settle on, Malahat LNG will negatively affect the quality of marine and human life in the area.

Steelhead calls the Saanich Inlet an industrial site. What they fail to recognize is that the inlet has been in recovery for more than 20 years. In the past decade, the owner of Bamberton undertook a comprehensive and award-winning site remediation, costing a reported $12 million.

Local residents have been proud of the work we have done to minimize our impacts on the inlet. It is highly unlikely the people who invested in property near the inlet consider it industrial.

The Saanich Inlet is not well suited for an LNG facility. It is a highly populated area, with a well-developed local economy and a narrow, shallow entrance. An existing deep-water port and proximity to international shipping lanes hardly justifies this proposal in this location.

There are many other opportunities that Malahat First Nation could consider for their Bamberton lands that would provide benefits to the community, and generate revenue, jobs and prosperity.

Kuzemko’s hypothetical jobs need to be considered in the context of the real and thriving economy that already exists in the inlet, based on property values, recreation and tourism. How will the cumulative emissions affect Butchart Gardens, one of the area’s largest employers? What will be the cascading effect on tourism in the southern Vancouver Island region? And how will the plant affect the planned recovery of the inlet waters and the return of a viable fishing industry?

Make no mistake; the company is not looking for permission or approval from the communities. Steelhead LNG is only looking for an approval from provincial and federal regulators. Steelhead’s community-consultation process is an exercise in assessing the obstacles. Every point raised by critics will be mitigated and as long as the proposed mitigation measures are deemed to be reasonable by the regulators, not the community, the box is checked.

On Feb. 16, the Saanich Inlet Network sent a letter to Steelhead LNG requesting copies of all their completed studies and technical designs as soon as they were available and, in addition, a timeline of when we can expect to receive this information.

Kuzemko’s charges of inaccurate information cannot be addressed until he identifies his specific concerns. For now, all we can do is respond to his vague references as best we can.

The Saanich Inlet Network (saanichinlet.net) is a volunteer-driven local group that is working hard to research LNG in B.C. in an effort to gain a better understanding of the industry and the implications of a project of this scale in our community.

By Adam Olsen
Adam Olsen is a member of the Tsartlip First Nation and the Saanich Inlet Network.
Website: www.adamolsen.ca

More on the proposed Malahat LNG project
Saanich Inlet Network: www.saanichinlet.net
Blog Post: WSANEC First Nations stand opposed to Malahat LNG (March 1st, 2016)
Blog Post: Paddle for the Inlet with the Saanich Inlet Network (October 6th, 2015)
Blog Post: Wake Up! Stand Up! Protect Mother Earth! (September 3rd, 2015)
Blog Post: Keepers of the Air, Land and Water (August 17th, 2015)

Norway’s salmon-farming industry is hitting a wall. Because salmon farming began earlier there than in British Columbia, I wanted to get a glimpse of where we might be headed if our industry continues on its current path. This is the reason I organized the Wild Salmon Delegation to Norway, which spent two weeks there this month.

What we found is an industry beset by problems such as disease outbreaks, sea-lice infestations and farmed-salmon escapes. The situation in Norway is dire — one headline we saw read: “Five years left to save wild salmon.”

Norway’s fisheries minister Per Sandberg spoke at the Wild Salmon in the North conference in Alta, Norway, acknowledging “the mid-Norway situation has been very serious since the end of December.” The crisis is so bad that the Norwegian industry is making headlines by beginning to shift to closed-containment.

B.C.’s industry is over 90 per cent Norwegian-owned, uses the same methods to rear fish and is plagued by similar problems. Will a shift to closed containment in Norway lead to a similar shift here?

The place where I live — Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — is renowned for old-growth forests and the battles to protect them. But not many people know there are 20 salmon-farm tenures in the sound, with 15 of them held by Cermaq, a Norwegian-based company.

The global salmon-farming industry originated in Norway in the 1970s. By the ’80s, Norwegian salmon-farming companies began to move into British Columbia’s pristine waters. Today, B.C.’s salmon-farming industry is over 90 per cent Norwegian-owned.

While overseas, we learned about the similarities and differences between British Columbia and Norway, heard the emerging Norwegian consensus that open-net pen salmon farming is a dinosaur technology, and witnessed the tide change unfolding daily in major Norwegian media.

Dan Lewis (third from right) of Clayoquot Action with the Wild Salmon Delegation in Norway. Photo: Clayoquot Action Tofino

Norwegians were surprised to learn about the nitrogen pump in B.C. — wild salmon transport ocean-based nitrogen up rivers and fertilize the growth of ancient temperate rainforests. This connection between wild salmon, monumental cedars and the bears, wolves and eagles was novel to them. They also wanted to learn about the importance of cedar and salmon to indigenous cultures throughout B.C.

Delegate John Rampanen, a citizen of Ahousaht First Nation, met Sami indigenous people of northern Norway, who have depended on reindeer and wild salmon for millennia, learning that they are also negatively impacted by industries such as salmon farming and mining.

Some things are different in Norway, where, for example, the biomass of farmed salmon is 1,000 times bigger than the biomass of wild salmon, and the wild-salmon economy is a thing of the past.

In British Columbia, the wild-salmon economy is eight times bigger than salmon farming — supporting indigenous, commercial, recreational and sports fisheries, as well as a $1.4-billion ecotourism industry. Salmon farming puts this pre-existing economy at risk.

A clear consensus emerged over the two weeks in Oslo, Bergen and Alta, through meetings with wild-salmon advocates, academics and journalists. When asked the question: “How can Canada avoid the problems Norway is experiencing with open-net pen salmon farming?”, without hesitation every person we asked replied: “Shifting to closed-containment production is the only way forward.”

Signs of a tide change beginning to sweep the industry were breaking daily in major Norwegian media. Dagbladet, the country’s second biggest paper, ran a story pointing out that catches are plummeting in the Alta, “the world’s best salmon river,” as the amount of farmed salmon in the nearby Altafjord increases. The production manager of Grieg Seafood’s operations in Alta was quoted saying: “The only solution is to get the fish into closed containment.”

The following day, the front page of the Bergen paper read: “CEO of Marine Harvest prepared to invest US $100M: if everything works as planned, closed-containment systems will replace open-net pen salmon farms.” It has taken decades for this industry to acknowledge that their problems will only be solved by isolating farmed salmon from wild salmon.

Young Pink Salmon with sealice infestation in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia. Photo Copyright: Alexandra Morton

The question for Canada is, do we wait another couple of decades before acknowledging that salmon aquaculture has undesirable side-effects?

While B.C. salmon runs are greatly diminished from historic levels, what is left is world-class and definitely worth fighting for. Wild salmon face a multitude of challenges, but aquaculture is one that is entirely within our ability to regulate.

Moving salmon farms out of the ocean into closed containment will allow wild-salmon populations to rebound and continue to support cultures, economies and ecologies throughout the province as they have for millennia.

By Dan Lewis
Executive Director
Clayoquot Action
Article reproduced with the kind permission of Dan Lewis.

Contact Information
Clayoquot Action
Box 511, Tofino, BC, V0R 2Z0
Email: info@clayoquotaction.org
Phone: 1-877-422-9453
Website: www.clayoquotaction.org

More Information
Alexandra Morton
For nearly forty years, Alexandra Morton has dedicated her life to restoring the balance between the people and the wild salmon off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Photo Credit
Feature Photo: The Wild Salmon Delegation in Norway. Photo: Clayoquot Action Tofino

Conservationists Measure Near Record-Size Cedar in the Endangered Central Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Conservationists with the Ancient Forest Alliance have located and measured two huge western red cedar trees, one of which makes it into the top 10 widest red cedars in BC, in the endangered Central Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Tolkien Giant comes in as the 9th widest western red cedar in BC, according to the BC Big Tree Registry.

The Tolkien Giant has been tentatively measured at 14.4 metres (47 feet) in circumference or 4.6 meters (15 feet) in diameter, and about 42 meters (138 feet) in height. Another tree, the “Karst Giant” has been tentatively measured at 12.1 meters (40 feet) in circumference or 3.9 meters (13 feet) in diameter (no height measurement yet) and although it does not make the top 10, it is still an exceptional tree.

See photos online here: Ancient Forest Alliance

“In the giant trees and in the soil, the old-growth temperate rainforests on Vancouver Island store more carbon per hectare than even tropical rainforests do – and massive amounts of carbon are released when they are logged and converted into second-growth tree plantations, which will take 200 years of growth to re-sequester the lost carbon,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

Not only are old-growth forests important for the climate, but also for tourism, endangered species, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures. TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance

“Poor forest management and destructive logging are one of the largest greenhouse gas emissions sources in the province and at a time when Christy Clark is touting her climate change record in Paris, the province needs to come up with a science-based Old-Growth Protection Plan to save the endangered ancient forests of Vancouver Island and beyond.”

“Not only are old-growth forests important for the climate, but also for tourism, endangered species, clean water, wild salmon, and many First Nations cultures,” stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer. “The Central Walbran Valley includes the grandest ancient red cedar forests in all of Canada, in large part because the region has the finest growing conditions in the country. But its days may be numbered unless the BC Liberal government wakes up.”

The Tolkien Giant lies within a narrow and tenuous forest reserve (an Old-Growth Management Area), but logging is planned in the old-growth forest on the adjacent slope, including in the grove where the Karst Giant is found. The Karst Giant is found exactly on the boundary of a proposed cutblock and it is unclear whether or not it will be cut or left standing (but even if left standing, it would be exposed to being blown down by the fierce winter winds through the adjacent clearcut).

Ancient Forest Alliance
The Ancient Forest Alliance is a British Columbian organization working to protect the endangered old-growth forests of BC and to ensure sustainable forestry jobs in the province.
Website: Ancient Forest Alliance

Source Article: Ancient Forest Alliance, December 4, 2015
The source article contains more information on Ancient Forest Alliance’s calls on Premier Clark to Counteract Climate Change by Protecting Old-Growth Forests.

Related Posts:
Why Vancouver Island’s Walbran Valley Rainforest Matters
Drones used in BC Old-Growth Forest Conservation

Photo Credits
Featured Photo: AFA’s Ken Wu measuring the Tolkien Giant in the Central Walbran Valley.
Photo by TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance
Bottom Photo: TJ and Ken beside the Karst Giant in the Central Walbran Valley.
Photo: Ancient Forest Alliance

Join the Saanich Inlet Network on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre to discuss what Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) means to our neighbourhoods and the alternatives for Victoria’s Saanich Inlet and British Columbia.

Steelhead LNG is heavily promoting its proposed Malahat LNG project, whihc would process 900 million cubic feet of fracked natural gas per day and store it in a massive floating offshore facility at Bamberton, just on southern Vancouver Island.

We hope to see you there!

When: December 9, 2015 at 7pm – 9:30pm
Where: Shawnigan Lake Community Centre, 2804 Shawnigan Lake Road, Shawnigan Lake, BC V0R 2W0

Please RSVP for the event here.

Contact:
Chris Clay: chris@chrisclay.ca
Saanich Inlet Network: www.saanichinlet.net

Related: Malahat LNG project
Blog Post September 3rd, 2015: Wake Up! Stand Up! Protect Mother Earth!
Blog Post August 17th, 2015: Keepers of the Air, Land and Water

Spirit of the West Adventures is one for the bucket list. Not only do they kayak to some of the world’s most beautiful waters, off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, but the company is doing their upmost to protect the places they visit. Their website is very thorough, with lots of information on all aspects of their kayaking trips in BC. Guests acknowledge and are held accountable to their company philosophies and environmental actions. These philosophies are part of the reason guests choose to kayak with Spirit of the West Adventures.

Their list of green actions is impressive; from the wood-fired hot tub at basecamp to wild salmon dinners, solar charging en route to campaign against deforestation, and nurturing relationships with First Nations groups. This company has earned the gold-level certification from Green Tourism Canada for their efforts, and are leaders in their sustainability actions.

What’s Green About Spirit of the West Adventures?

There are many ways that Spirit of the West Adventures tries to minimize their environmental impact on their kayaking trips, as well as in their general operations. Some of their major initiatives include reducing their fuel consumption and contributing to non-profit organizations like One Percent for the Planet.

While kayaking, they practice minimum impact camping in order to preserve the nature of the coast, and they abide by all whale-watching guidelines and do their best to avoid disturbing wildlife during their normal behaviour in their natural habitat.

More ways Spirit of the West Adventures reduces impact on the earth:

• Hot tub is heated with scavenged waste wood from local beaches rather than electricity.
• Use only 100% recycled, unbleached paper, and always print double sided.
• Use CFLs and LEDs, as well as natural lighting as much as possible.
• Purchase clothing and products from ethical sources (Me to We T-shirts).
• Use as much local and organic food products as possible (from local farms, fishermen and bakeries), and serve locally roasted, fair-trade organic, shade grown coffee from Aroma Specialty Coffee Roasters on Quadra Island.
• Compost all organic waste and recycle everything they possibly can.
• Use eco-friendly yard maintenance practices (native species, electric mower, rainwater collection and pesticide-free gardening practices).
• Energy-efficient washer and dryer, plus hang drying clothes.
• Low-flow shower head and taps, and low-flush toilets.
• Use only biodegradable and phosphate-free dish soaps.
• Offer free use of rechargeable batteries on trips, along with solar charging.
• Give every guest a Spirit of the West re-usable mug to use while on their trip, which encourages continued use of a travel mug once back home.
• Plan trips to maximize commuting and carpooling so fuel consumption is most efficient.
• Strong connection with the community: fundraising, loaning transport vans, giving back and staff volunteering

What’s Next for Spirit of the West Adventures?

With so much achieved so far, and a strong personal environmental philosophy, it is now a matter of continuing to lead in order to to maintain their gold award. Having some longer term goals will be a focus, such as solar PV and hot water. Green Tourism recommends they use guest feedback to understand how to solve issues like improving commuting, energy efficiency and reducing food miles even further. Connecting with guests on this level also becomes an additional mechanism for communicating all the other excellent initiatives the company has already implemented. All in all, Spirit of the West has done a great job in creating a truly sustainable business.

Learn more about this fantastic company and the great people who run it: Rick Snowdon and Breanne Quesnel.

Spirit of the West Adventures
P.O. Box 569
Heriot Bay
Quadra Island, BC
V0P 1H0

Phone: 250-285-2121
Toll Free: 1-800-307-3982 (From Canada/USA)
Fax: 1-888-389-5736
Email: info@kayakingtours.com
Website: www.kayakingtours.com

Source Article: Green Tourism Canada, December 1, 2015

December 2015, leaders of the world will meet in Paris during COP21 to reach a global agreement for action on climate change. Let’s help them out with addressing this important issue. On November 29th, 2015, the day before COP21 begins, at 12pm at the Legislature in downtown Victoria, British Columbia the Victoria chapter of The People’s Spark: Igniting Climate Action at COP21 will bring people together to encourage our leaders to take extreme action towards healing the planet.

Participants are planning to carry a red cardboard flame, forming a moving, shifting inferno of human beings; together shining a light on the issue of climate change. Leading up to the event the organizers will be having “flame-building-workshops” and they encourage everyone to think about the following question:

What do you see as the solution(s) to climate change?

These answers will be written on the other side of each bright flame, to inspire others with all of our different world-views and solutions. And maybe even start conversations about what we can do as a group and as individuals now and in the time after COP21.

The Victoria chapter of The People’s Spark: Igniting Climate Action at COP21 are grateful to organize this event on unceded Lekwungen and WSANEC territories.

The question of climate change is big and complex, and this can make it difficult, and even depressing to think about, but you are not alone. This is our chance to come together, and start decreasing the gap between the world we have and the world we want.

We are the ones we have been waiting for, let us work together and ignite the movement!

What: Creative action
Where: British Columbia Legislature, 501 Belleville St, Victoria, BC V8V 2L8
When: Sunday, November 29th, 2015 at 12pm
What To Bring: Cardboard flame. If you do not have your own, we have one for you (come before 12pm to write your solution statement)
Wear: Orange, red, and yellow clothes if possible

This event is part of a world wide movement, to read more, go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/event/globalclimatemarch/?slideshow

Accessibility and Inclusion Statement:

The People’s Spark seeks to incorporate peoples of many different heritages, educations, beliefs, races, incomes, religions, genders, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, and physical or mental capabilities, as part of the movement for climate action. We do not tolerate discrimination, including hate speech or crimes, of any kind.

The People’s Spark organizers prioritize making this event accessible and barrier-free for those with both visible and/or invisible disabilities.

If you need an alternative to the stairs the Inner Harbour can be accessed by ramp by the Royal London Wax Museum or by elevator at Tourism Victoria Building.

This event will include loud noises, movement, crowds, and multi-coloured props. There is a possibility that people will have their pets in the vicinity.

A public washroom is available under the tourist information centre.

This event is free to the public.

If you have any concerns or accessibility needs please contact People’s Spark at peoplesspark@gmail.com.

Sources:
avaaz.org
http://www.facebook.com/peopleclimatevictoria/

A new Sierra Club map of B.C.’s southern coastal rainforest shows why the Walbran rainforest on Vancouver Island matters, and what we stand to lose for species, carbon and beauty, if the proposed logging goes ahead.

A few weeks ago, the B.C. government issued the first of eight logging permits for the Walbran requested by logging company Teal Jones, despite a public outcry and opposition from many environmental groups.

In the last few days, activists have reported on social media about road crew and helicopter activity near cutblock 4424, indicating that Teal Jones could start logging any day.

To defend the issuing of the permit, the B.C. government has stated that a large portion of the Walbran remains protected in a park. This is correct. But to allow further logging of the remaining old-growth in this area is inexcusable considering that the Walbran is literally the last place on Southern Vancouver Island with old-growth rainforest of this type, size, and intactness.

The state of the awe-inspiring, “big tree” old-growth rainforest ecosystems on Vancouver Island reflects what author J. B. MacKinnon has described as our 10 percent world. Globally, there are now countless examples which show that we have reduced the original biological richness of our lands, oceans, ecosystems, plants and animals by about 90 percent.

The same happened to the biggest ancient trees in the rainforest valleys in the southern portion of the B.C. coast. About 90 percent of the most productive forests with the capacity to grow the largest trees have been logged and converted to young forests. Today, there remain very few old-growth areas that are big enough to support healthy populations of salmon and endangered species like the marbled murrelet.

Map of the Central Walbran Valley showing recently approved cutblock and Black Diamond Grove.
Geoff Senichenko, Wilderness Committee.

In fact, our analysis shows that the Walbran Valley is the most urgent opportunity to increase protection of contiguous, old-growth rainforest and habitat on Vancouver Island.

We examined 155 landscape units on Vancouver Island and B.C.’s south coast (landscape units are areas of land used for long-term planning of resource management and usually 50,000 to 100,000 hectares in size).

Only three percent (five landscape units), including the Walbran, remain primarily covered by “big-tree” old-growth rainforest with the highest level of intactness (with over 70 percent old-growth). Vancouver Island is home to four of these five remaining “big tree” old growth landscape units. Three of them are mostly protected, but almost 40 percent of the Walbran landscape unit with 4,500 hectares of the remaining old-growth remains unprotected.

Our analysis focused on the remaining percentage of good and medium productivity old-growth forest, i.e. types of forests that are characterized by towering trees and high bio mass and carbon storage per hectare. Of these types of forest, combined, less than 30 percent remain as old-growth on Vancouver Island and the South Coast, and only about six percent of the original old-growth has been set aside in protected areas.

North of Vancouver Island, the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements are expected to protect the ecological integrity of one of the largest mostly intact temperate rainforest regions of the world. In Clayoquot Sound, northwest of the Walbran, the Ahousaht First Nation announced in October an end to industrial logging in their territory, which spans most of the intact rainforest valleys in this region.

But we must not allow these important refuge areas for species that depend on ancient rainforests to become isolated from other old-growth areas. With its outstanding intactness, the Walbran represents the only remaining opportunity in the southern half of the island to save a more contiguous area of productive old-growth rainforest, create connectivity and allow species like the marbled murrelet to find quality habitat between Clayoquot Sound and the Olympic Peninsula.

A larger protected area would give species that depend on this rainforest at least a fighting chance to survive, considering the level of degradation and fragmentation of rainforest on Vancouver Island. And only larger areas are resilient enough to withstand increasing climate change impacts like stronger droughts, stronger storms and other extreme weather events.

In addition, old-growth coastal rainforest store record high amounts of carbon per hectare, accumulated over thousands of years, and steadily sequester more carbon from the atmosphere. Clearcutting old-growth releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

A recent Sierra Club B.C. report revealed that, over the past decade, B.C.’s forests as a whole have shifted to being net emitters of carbon. This contrasts starkly to their historic role capturing huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. While the mountain pine beetle and more wildfires have tipped the balance, our analysis shows that destructive logging practices have been, and remain, the biggest factor contributing to B.C.’s forest carbon emissions.

Lastly, B.C.’s coastal temperate old-growth forests are a global treasure and spectacularly beautiful. Parks and protected areas offer immeasurable recreational joy for visitors and tourists from near and far and support our billion-dollar tourism industry.

Many are shocked to see the sea of clearcuts they must traverse to access the remaining larger, less developed rainforest wilderness areas on Vancouver Island. The Walbran with its unique intact ecological rainforest values is one of the fantastic areas people on Vancouver Island care about and want to see fully protected.

Sierra Club and Wilderness Committee activists explored the area slated for logging in September and found monumental cedars, massive Sitka spruce, hemlock, amabalis fir, and Douglas fir trees. They named the area Black Diamond Grove for its steep slope. The crown jewel of the Black Diamond Grove is the Leaning Tower Cedar, a cedar approximately three metres wide at its base and probably as old as 1,000 years.

The Leaning Tower Cedar. Photo Torrance Coste, Wilderness Committee.

With so little left, how can our society allow logging the last of the endangered old-growth on the island, instead of protecting it for our children, for example my friend Leonie (11 years). She wrote a letter to the Times Colonist and asked the B.C. government to protect the endangered rainforest in the Walbran. I am standing with Leonie: we should protect all of the Walbran.

Sierra Club B.C. is calling for a provincial government action plan to protect and restore B.C.’s forests in light of climate change impacts. Protection of rare and endangered old-growth rainforest ecosystems on Vancouver Island and the south coast is particularly urgent, because once cut, old-growth as we know it will not grow back. B.C.’s forest industry must shift to harvesting sustainable levels of second-growth forest and value-added manufacturing. The transition will not be easy, but in a 10-percent world, denial is no viable option. The logging permit for the Walbran should be our wake-up call.

By Jens Wieting
Jens Wieting is the forest and climate campaigner for Sierra Club B.C. He will speak about conservation and connectivity from the Great Bear Rainforest to Vancouver Island on November 17 at the University of Victoria. Reproduced with the kind permission of Jens Wieting – Source Article on The Georgia Strait

Photo Credit
Featured Photo: Worksite in the Walbran Valley. Photo by Torrance Coste, Wilderness Committee, BC.

The Ancient Forest Alliance on Vancouver Island is building a boardwalk at the Avatar Grove near Port Renfrew in British Columbia. Significant progress was made in the Lower Avatar Grove in September and October, with close to 25 metres of new boardwalk and bridges constructed over the area that is prone to flooding – just in time for the heavy winter rains!

The Ancient Forest Alliance’s TJ Watt was generously assisted by two dozen volunteers, including students from Pearson College in Metchosin, who also added traction to stairs and portions of the boardwalk, restored parts of the trail that were showing signs of wear, and helped mark the route more clearly. There are still several key sets of stairs and bridges to be built and signs to erect, particularly along the lower loop trail, but they are making great headway and aim to finish the boardwalk by early summer 2016.

Avatar Grove has become one of BC’s most popular hiking trails, and is perhaps the second most heavily-hiked old-growth forest in BC, after Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park. The boardwalk is vital to protect the delicate understory, to enhance visitor safety, and to improve access to this majestic grove.

Avatar Grove is located near the community of Port Renfrew on southern Vancouver Island, accessed by a paved road from Lake Cowichan, or from Victoria along West Coast Highway 14, passing through Sooke and Jordan River.

Ancient Forest Alliance
The Ancient Forest Alliance is a British Columbian organization working to protect the endangered old-growth forests of BC and to ensure sustainable forestry jobs in the province.
Website: Ancient Forest Alliance

Photo Credits
Top Image: BritishColumbia.com
All other Images: Ancient Forest Alliance
Additional Images: Ancient Forest Alliance on Facebook

As a naturalist onboard our whale watching vessels, I often get a lot of questions about the otters we see in Victoria, British Columbia. Although we do have a healthy population of otters living around the rocky shores of Vancouver Island, most of these cute furry mammals are actually river otters adapted to living in salt water, rather than the true sea otters most people are familiar with. Although similar looking, river otters tend to be skinnier and less furry than their sea otter cousins, and spend much of their time running around on land as well as in the water. Over the past few years however, we have had the exciting chance to view true sea otters near Victoria, as an increase in their population has brought them closer to home.

Sea otters, (scientific name Enhydra lutris), have had a troubled past off the west coast of British Columbia. Due to their thick fur, sea otters became a major target of the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th century. By the early 1900’s, sea otters had become completely extinct in British Columbia, with only small populations remaining in Alaska and California. Today, however, the news on sea otters is much less grim. Due to a ban on hunting, and reintroduction of a small population back into British Columbia, the sea otter populations off the west coast of Vancouver Island have been slowly increasing. This year, during many of our whale watching excursions, we have had the amazing opportunity to view these adorable marine mammals close to Victoria.

Sea Otter hanging around in Bull Kelp of the West Coast of BC. Photo credit: Christine Roper

Sea otters are perfectly adapted to living in their cold water environment here off the west coast of British Columbia. Unlike their river otter cousins, sea otters spend almost their entire lives in the water, rarely coming onto dry land. In order to withstand the cold water in which they live, sea otters have the greatest density of fur of any mammal. Depending on the location on their body, sea otters can have as many as 170,000-1,000,000 hairs per square inch! Unlike many marine mammals such as seals and sea lions, sea otters have no insulating fat layer on their body to keep them warm in the water, therefore their amazingly dense fur serves to insulate them and keep them from becoming hypothermic. This thick fur needs to be clean however, in order for the insulating air layer to be maintained between the water and their skin. Sea otters can often be seen blowing into their fur and pushing it around with their paws, which traps the air in the hairs around their body and helps keeps them warm. An adult sea otter can spend up to 15% of their day simply grooming themselves!

When not grooming, sea otters spend a huge part of their day foraging for food. Their diet consists of a wide variety of organisms, including crabs, clams, snails, and sea urchins. An adult sea otter consumes approximately 25% of its body weight each day in order to maintain its high metabolism! Amazingly, sea otters are one of the few mammals on earth that utilize tools to help them feed; a skill that was once thought to be possessed only by humans. Sea otters can often be seen using rocks, driftwood, or even empty clam shells to help them break into the tough shells of their prey. While feeding, sea otters drift on their backs and use their stomachs as a “table” which they can hold their food on while they crack open its shell. Although tool use seems like a fairly standard behaviour for us humans, determining which tool will help the otter open its food requires forward planning, problem solving and learning skills, all linked to complex cognitive ability. Therefore, sea otters must have relatively advanced structures within their brain to make these connections.

Sea Otter off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Photo: BritishColumbia.com

Not only are sea otters one of the most adorable mammals found in our ocean, they also play an essential role in their marine ecosystem. Known as a keystone species, sea otters have a greater effect on their environment than other organisms within that system. As predators within their food web, sea otters help protect important kelp ecosystems by controlling the abundance of herbivorous invertebrates such as sea urchins. Without predation by otters, sea urchin populations can grow so large they will devour the kelp forests. These forests are essential ecosystems because they provide an important habitat, nursery, and food source for many marine organisms. Therefore, sea otters play a direct role in the survival and protection of many other animals within its ecosystem. In addition, sea otters also play an indirect role in the reduction of carbon emissions into our atmosphere. By protecting the kelp from being entirely consumed by sea urchins, kelp forests are able to flourish and remove carbon, which they use for photosynthesis.

Although they are one of the smallest marine mammals we see in our area, sea otters are one of the most charismatic and well known animals in the Pacific Northwest. Their interesting anatomy and key role within their ecosystem also make them a popular mammal to study. Although sea otter populations are continuing to increase around British Columbia, they are not out of the woods quite yet. Anthropogenic – or human caused – events such as oil spills, fishing net entanglement, and habitat degradation are a serious threat to sea otters, and can have major impacts on their population. Conservation strategies such as increased net regulations and reduced chemical run-off from land are good first steps that can be taken to help protect these marine mammals. Nevertheless, we are thrilled to see that the sea otter population is increasing around Victoria, and hope this adorable new addition to our area is here to stay!

Written by Christine Roper, Naturalist
SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours
1119 Wharf Street
Victoria, BC

Website: www.victoriawhalewatching.com
Phone: 250-384-4444
Toll Free: 1-800-470-3474

Featured Image (Top): River Otters on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Photo: BritishColumbia.com

Central Walbran Valley Logging Conflict Escalates

A logging permit for the first of eight proposed cutblocks in the Central Walbran Valley was issued in September by the government of British Columbia to logging company Teal-Jones. The Central Walbran Valley, near Port Renfrew, is Canada’s most spectacular old-growth forest, and one of the largest unprotected old-growth forests left on southern Vancouver Island in BC.

Conservationists are preparing for an escalation in the conflict, and are employing remotely-piloted drones, a new tool in the battle to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests. The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is using a small drone equipped with a GoPro camera to monitor and document the endangered old-growth forests of the Central Walbran Valley. This has allowed the organization to capture aerial video footage of old-growth forests threatened by logging on steep, rugged terrain that otherwise would take hours to hike to.

Helicopter-based logging, or heli-logging, is expected for several of the eight proposed cutblocks in the Central Walbran Valley, including the first approved Cutblock 4424, due to the difficulty of road access in the mountains.

View Video of the Central Walbran Ancient Forest that includes recent HD Drone Footage.

“Drones are a new tool in the tool box that are helping us raise the environmental awareness about remote endangered areas that are normally out of the public spotlight, where companies believe they can log with little scrutiny. Plus it allows us to get some spectacular footage of our magnificent but endangered old-growth forests from vantage points rarely seen”, stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner who shot the Walbran videos.

“Teal-Jones and the BC government have committed themselves to an intense battle by aggressively moving to log southern Vancouver Island’s most contentious ancient forest. The logging companies have already clearcut the vast majority of the richest and grandest old-growth forests on Vancouver Island – over 90% – and now they’re complaining that they’re running out of options. They’ve boxed themselves into a corner through their own unsustainable history of overcutting the biggest and best old-growth stands – and now they’re contending that it’s the conservationists’ fault and that they must log the last unprotected lowland ancient forests to survive. The one thing the BC government must not do is to reward unsustainable practices with more unsustainable practices – but that’s just what they’ve done by granting the first cutting permit to Teal-Jones in the Central Walbran Valley. It’s a myopic government facilitating the demise of an ecosystem for a company intent to go just about to the very end. Instead they need a quick transition or exit strategy to get completely out of our last ancient forests and into a sustainable, value-added, second-growth forest industry,” stated Ken Wu, Ancient Forest Alliance executive director.

A 14-foot Stump in the Upper Walbran Valley, with Castle Grove in the distant background.

The 500-hectare Central Walbran Valley is one of the largest contiguous tracts of unprotected old-growth forest left on southern Vancouver Island (south of Barkley Sound) where about 90% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged. It is home to the Castle Grove, perhaps the most extensive and densely-packed monumental western redcedar groves in Canada. The upper reach of the Castle Grove is threatened by several of the proposed Teal-Jones cutblocks. Species at risk include Queen Charlotte Goshawks, marbled murrelets, screech owls, and red-legged frogs, while coho salmon and steelhead trout spawn in the rivers.

The Central Walbran is popular for hikers, campers, anglers, hunters, and mushroom pickers, and is located on public (Crown) lands in Tree Farm Licence 46 near Port Renfrew in Pacheedaht Nuu-chah-Nulth territory. About 5,500 hectares of the Lower Walbran Valley were included in the Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park in 1994, while about 7,500 hectares in the Central and Upper Walbran Valleys were left unprotected.

Conservationists are escalating pressure on the BC government and the company through protests and public awareness campaigns, calling on the company to back off and the BC government to protect the two ancient forests. Teal-Jones Group is a Surrey-based company that logs and sells endangered old-growth forests – including ancient redcedar trees – for pulp, paper, and solid wood products.

Environmentalists are calling on the BC government to protect these areas from logging through expanded Old-Growth Management Areas (OGMA’s), core Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHA’s), and Land Use Orders (LUO’s).

On BC’s southern coast (Vancouver Island and SW Mainland), satellite photos show that about 75% of the original, productive (moderate to fast growth rates, forests of commercial value) old-growth forests have been logged, including over 91% of the valley bottoms and high-productivity, lowland forests where the largest trees grow. Only 8% of the original, productive old-growth forests on BC’s southern coast are protected in parks and Old-Growth Management Areas.

In a recent Vancouver Sun and Province article, the Teal-Jones spokesperson was quoted as claiming that “only 11,080 hectares of