Nanoose Bay, British Columbia - Members of the Wilderness Committee will be conducting a photo and video tour in the Nanoose Bay Forest (also known as DL33) starting at noon Saturday December 16.
The activists will collect images of the damage caused by the ongoing logging of the 64-hectare forest and wetland. The Nanoose Bay Forest, which is known for its abundance and diversity of plant and animal species, is a rare remnant of the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) ecosystem, which is endangered in Canada.
Conservationists were shocked and angered earlier this year when the BC government issued a permit to log this rare and endangered forest. When the logging started in November, people began to protest. The company then applied for and got a court order preventing protesters from interfering with their operations.
Since that time logging has been ongoing.
"We are conducting this tour because we have heard that members of the media and users of the trails have been denied access to this public forest by the logging company. However, the issued Forest Licence states clearly that access to the forest trails by users cannot be denied," said Annette Tanner, Wilderness Committee Mid Island spokesperson.
"Furthermore, when Mr. Justice Johnston was asked in the Supreme Court of BC, on November 25, whether or not there would be access for filming and documentation of the logging impacts, the judge clearly stated to the courtroom that the public could do as much filming as often as they wanted as long as the logging wasn't obstructed. And that's what we intend to do - fully document this crime against nature that the BC government is committing," said Tanner.
Video and photos will be posted on http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/
People interested in joining the tour, including members of the media, are asked to meet at the Nanoose Bay Petrocan (on the Island Highway) at noon, tomorrow, Saturday, December 17.
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For more information please contact Annette Tanner, 250 752-6585, 250 240-7470
