This past week, Friends of Carmanah/ Walbran volunteers have begun re-purposing the six-week witness camp at the bridge over Walbran river, into the Central Walbran valley Visitor’s centre, in the heart of the magnificient  Walbran valley, a still unprotected area of 500-1200 year old trees, spectacular waterfalls, emerald pools and low- elevation ancient forest hiking and camping opportunities, unrivalled anywhere on Vancouver island.

This wilderness facility will provide a base for on- going volunteer trail- building, campsite construction, development of interpretive displays and a welcoming destination for back- country visitors of all ilks: youth groups, outdoor clubs, elders, media, scientific researchers, hikers, campers, fishers, day- trippers, journalists, international tourists, film-makers, artists, wearied frontline activists and urbanites seeking R and R……all joined in the quest to visit the valley with a desire to experience and help out in gaining protection for the 485 hectare unfragmented ancient forest wilderness adjoining the park in the Central Walbran valley.

 A kitchen area including four-burner propane stove, shared sink and counter space is available for public use and plans are underway to build more spacious and attractive common space for folks to enjoy, through the winter season and beyond.

 Please make time to visit the Central Walbran valley Visitor’s Centre!

After a mere sixty-years years of industrial logging by an industry operating on a policy aimed at liquidating diverse native forest ecosystems and their giant timber, fetching prices of an average $40,000 per tree on the global softwood market and replacing them with uniformly-aged

monoculture tree plantations, only five percent of the primary low-elevation ancient temperate rainforests of Vancouver island–some of the most biologically productive forests, attaining higher levels of plant biomass than any ecosystem, on earth–still remain. Continue reading →

On 9 November, after six weeks of camping out in the west coast wilderness, bearing witness to the irreplaceable beauty of the Walbran Valley ancient rainforest and it’s on-going destruction, forest protectors acting independently from any established group, took their witness to the point of direct action, at a checkpoint.  They turned away road building crews constructing logging roads in the Glad Lake area of the Walbran valley.

The Walbran River watershed has long been known as ground zero in a twenty-five year old battle to protect one of the last large wilderness areas of ancient temperate rainforest on the Island.

After weeks of enduring inclement weather, the early morning noise and clatter of industrial machinery, chainsaws, road-blasting equipment, and the repetitive buzzing of company helicopters circling low overhead their rudimentary camp at Walbran River, three people – Dave Cascagnette, Trevor Schinkel and Jennifer Whitehouse have initiated a stand that may very well be a straw that breaks the camel’s back in attracting more people to directly defend the forest.

At the heart of a major public controversy is the approved logging in the pristine Central Walbran ancient forest of an area of steep hill country habitat of 500-800 year old trees, immediately above the salmon-bearing river.  The actions today, targeting logging activities outside the Central Walbran area, are a strong sign of the growing public opposition to the continued industrial destruction of this threatened rainforest watershed.

Friends of Carmanah/ Walbran confirmed that these actions are committed by a group of individuals acting on their own behalf, in a focus area outside of their current campaign to protect the wilderness north of the river from logging encroachment. They also acknowledge that the feelings of frustration from witnessing the environmental degradation from logging and road-building is a valid reason for individuals taking such actions on their own behalf, to protect the old growth landscape heavily impacted by industrial activity.

Hey, it’s time to get the government to wake up to the environmental urgency and wisdom of protecting the rare and irreplaceable ancient forests of the Central Walbran valley, imminently slated for further industrial destruction!!!

All friends of the rainforest, please join the Friends of Carmanah/Walbran at:

Wake up!!! for the Walbran Valley!!!

Tuesday, November 10^th

Ministry of Forests, 820 Blanshard St, Victoria

 8 am (set-up: 6:30 am)

Tuesday morning we will serve coffee and pancakes to the public, and to the Ministry workers as they arrive in the morning to begin the day’s toils.  It’s an opportunity to interact with them, explain our concerns and dreams, and listen to their own. The breakfast will be followed by a noise procession!  This is going to be fun, a chance to let your inner child express him/herself!

Please bring placards, pots and pans, your own cutlery, and any noisemakers with which you would enjoy the opportunity to express your pent frustrations!  (For me that’s going to have to be something really loud.)

See you there!

In direct response to government approval for Teal-Jones’ logging of cutblock 4424 in the intact old-growth rainforests of the unprotected Central Walbran Valley, Friends of Carmanah/Walbran established a witness camp on September 24th, 2015, located at the bridge over Walbran River.

The purpose of the camp is to maintain a continuous wilderness presence, enable the public to see the natural beauty of forests slated for logging and to serve as a gathering place to facilitate community vigil against Teal Jones logging incursions into this rare and endangered ancient temperate rainforest wilderness. The camp is monitoring the start-up of logging activities in the pristine forest area and is maintaining regular communications with concerned citizens in town.

A flood of generous donations and hands-on labour have been provided by supporters from communities across the south island, from Victoria, Gulf Islands, Shirley, Duncan, Port Renfrew, Cowichan Lake, and Nanaimo. This is another encouraging sign of the widespread support for the Central Walbran Ancient Forest, a small 485 hectare area, in the heart of the Walbran valley.

All members of the public sharing concern for the fate of the old- growth forests of the Walbran Valley are welcomed to participate in witness camp activities. These include guided group hikes into threatened forest groves, co- operative work parties building camp infrastructure, public access trail repairs, scientific research efforts and big tree measurements.

The camp supports people’s rights to witness the destruction of these public lands, with its purpose aimed at protecting the forest from further industrial destruction. The camp is directed by a code of conduct that encourages peaceful and constructive activities, commits to safety and respect for all participants and forestry workers and fosters a drug and alcohol- free environment.

To ensure the ecological integrity of the watershed and Carmanah/ Walbran Provincial Park (whose boundaries were drawn up in 1995) this area is urgently requiring protection from acquiescence to timber interests intent on liquidating some of the world’s last giant, millennial western red cedars.

On a warm, rainy Wednesday the Wilderness Committee dropped by the BC Legislature to deliver a message to the Premier and to the Minister of Forests.  And what did vox populi have to say?  It was a resounding “Don’t cut the Central Walbran Valley!”, in the form of about 5300 (yes, really!) postcards bearing this message, and signed by individuals from across this province and beyond.  Well done, Wilderness Committee!!

And well done to you, the people of BC who signed one of these postcards!  May your grandchildren see this valley as majestic and green as it is today.

VICTORIA, BC

Today, members of Friends of Carmanah/Walbran, many involved in protests in the early 90s and current volunteer efforts to provide recreational access to the unprotected old-growth rainforests along the borders of Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park, will be joining in solidarity with the Wilderness Committee on the Legislature grounds at 10 am, for a presentation of thousands of postcards signed by citizens calling for the protection of the Central Walbran Ancient Forest, the Walbran Valley’s 485 hectare area of endangered temperate rainforest, imminently threatened by Teal Jones logging.

For months, volunteers of the Friends of Carmanah/Walbran (FOCW) have been working on providing safe public trail access into one of Canada’s most ecologically significant and threatened old-growth forests, an area left out of the Carmanah/Walbran Provincial Park, when it was created in 1995.

“Friends of Carmanah Walbran are doing the job that should be done by
government, in providing public trail access to a provincial park and in seeking the protection of a rare and non-renewable natural resource that should have been protected when the park was established. We expect the Ministry to step up and extend protection to this irreplaceable natural wonder,” said group spokesperson Erika Heyrman.

FOCW has recently established a Witness Camp in the popular wilderness
recreation area of the Walbran Valley. Volunteers have constructed outhouses, a kitchen shelter with sink and cooking facilities and a communal seating area for people to camp comfortably in all weather. For members of the public who wish to witness the beauty of the forest at risk, the camp provides wilderness camping facilities and weekly guided hikes of the area slated to be heli-logged.

The group has emphasized that opposition to logging in the Black Diamond
Grove is the first stage in a broader campaign to oppose all logging plans for the pristine old growth area. Eight cutblocks in total are being proposed, with 4424 being the first to attain permit. Included in the Teal Jones logging plan for the area are proposals for further road-building and clearcut logging close to the fabled Castle Grove, arguably Canada’s most spectacular remaining old-growth cedar forest.

“To destroy a rare, world-class ecological heritage for short-term profit is pure folly. The industry must transition immediately to renew itself on the second growth wood-base and leave these last jewels of wild nature alone,” said Bobby Arbess, FOCW campaigner.

FOCW cites the significance these last remnants of old-growth rainforest play in stimulating the tourism industry on Vancouver Island, providing economic spinoffs for small rural communities like Cowichan Lake, Honeymoon Bay, Jordan River and Port Renfrew.

“Every time someone travels through one of these small towns en route to the Walbran valley and stops for a bite at a local restaurant, that is an example of the truly sustainable old-growth forest economy. This explains the noticeable shift in support for the Walbran that we have seen in these towns compared to two decades ago” added Arbess.

“I have seen first-hand the economic benefits of Tall Trees Tourism in my
community. People travel from all over the world to come here. The logging of thousand year old trees is not a sustainable economy and has little benefit locally once they are cut. They are worth so much more standing,” said Jon Cash of Port Renfrew.

Friends of Carmanah/Walbran
Press contacts:

Erika Heyrman, Campaign co-ordinator-
(250) 686-1924

Jon Cash
Old-Growth Forest Tourism Co-ordinator
(250) 886-3723

Hey, friends, here’s a wonderful video that TJ Watt put together (and this is in high definition too; use your full screen for this one!).  Well done, TJ!  It’s unfortunate the ending is such a downer, I hope together we can re-write that..

We are setting up a Witness Camp in Walbran Valley to establish a permanent presence in the valley and monitor the logging situation.  This requires a strong volunteer effort both in Walbran valley and at home.

If you are interested in volunteering with Friends of Carmanah & Walbran, please fill out our volunteer form.  If you have already contacted us regarding participation, we will be contacting you shortly.

As I’m sure you have heard CUTBLOCK 4424 HAS BEEN APPROVED IN WALBRAN VALLEY BY THE BC GOVERNMENT. This is not all together surprising, but still profoundly disapointing.

Thank you so much to everybody who has replied with offers
to volunteer in various capacities. We are overwhelmed with all the generous offers and are sorting through them now.

We will be meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23rd at 7:00 pm, 1241 Balmoral Rd. Community Room​ ​to discuss our presence in the Walbran.​

Permanent Presence in Walbran

On September 26th, Friends of Carmanah/ Walbran will establish a continuous presence at a community witness camp in the Central Walbran valley in response to the recent BC government approval of Teal Jones’ logging permits for cutblock 4424 in the Central Walbran Valley ancient forest, given despite enormous public pressure to halt logging in the ecologically significant heart of the Walbran valley watershed.

Cutblock 4424 is located 1 km away from the Castle Giant, Canada’s oldest Western redcedar, in a highly contentious area of ancient trees, with outstanding biodiversity, recreational and old- growth forest values, omitted from Carmannah/ Walbran Provincial Park in 1995, due to it’s high volumes of ancient redcedar, sold on the U.S shake and shingle market, under company claims of “sustainable” harvesting practises.

The Walbran Valley Witness Camp, established near the bridge over Walbran river, will act as a public gathering location from which to monitor logging activities in the area, carry out scientific research and as a haven for concerned citizens who wish to work together to protest further old- growth logging and assert their democratic rights to defend this rare and irreplaceable ancient forest, in Pacheedaht traditional territory, from further industrial destruction.

The Friends of Carmanah/ Walbran support the rights of individual citizens to exercise their freedom of conscience and to peacefully engage in acts of non- violent civil disobedience.

A code of conduct, guiding activities of camp participants, encourages peacefulness, respectful and co- operative self- discipline in an environment free of racist, sexist or queer and transphobic behaviour; and eschews the use of all forms of property damage and tree- spiking as a means to halt logging operations.

Concerned citizens, with time in their schedules and a commitment to peaceful actions ( both lawful and those risking arrest) are invited to participate in this camp in the magnificient Walbran valley rainforest. Camp duties include cooking, cleaning, fire-making, building shelters, trail work. meetings and offering transportation and various forms of support to those choosing to participate in arrestable protest. Individuals and/ or affinity groups are encouraged to come self- sufficient in food, tents and camping gear required for a safe stay in a rainforest wilderness environment and to self-organize their own action plans in defense of the rainforest.

Please let us know if and when you could join the Friends of Carmanah/Walbran Witness Camp. We view the on-going destruction of native ecosystems as a continuation of the process of colonization we seek to end, in favour of a society in balance with the natural world and a truly sustainable future for all. Together, we can protect this amazing world-class heritage. For climate justice, for biodiversity, for clean air and water, for a healthy intact ancient forest web of life, join the Walbran Valley Witness Camp!!!!

Donations

We are gratefully receiving cash (https://www.gofundme.com/savewalbran) or material donations to adequately supply our Witness Camp in the Walbran Valley and ensure the comfort of long-term protectors (Please message me for drop-off location).

Our needs, specifically, are:
-Satellite phone
-Small camping trailer
-“Carport”/ pop-up tents
-Large tarps and rope
-Rock climbing gear ( Ropes, carabiners, jumars, bosun seats)
-Non-perishable food items
-Dry clothes
-Rain gear
-Dry Firewood
-First aid supplies
-Cook stoves
-Building materials

Thank you so much for everybody who has already contributed to our cause. Our deepest gratitude.

​Call for Volunteer

Seeking:

-Reliable, able-bodied and emotionally stable individual(s) to help establish a continuous presence at a wilderness-based witness camp in a contentious area of the Walbran valley.
-Must have solid backcountry camping, campcraft, social and leadership skills, ability to communicate effectively in groups, work in a team, facilitate meetings and deal confidently with conflict situations.
-Must possess the ability to enjoy being in a wilderness environment for extended periods of time.
-Must have their own vehicle.
-Will be supplied with room and board in the form of food support, dry wilderness lodging , video camera and satellite phone and communicate and report regularly to support people outside of the valley.

All interested applicants please respond ASAP​.​

​Thank you to everybody who has responded, written letters, donated, and visited the Walbran.​ We appreciate your dedication and love for this beautiful, threatened forest. Please keep spreading the word on social media and face-to-face, with your friends, co-workers, and loved ones.