Monday, October 26, 2009

Will Olympic Torch Carriers and Athletes know or care about this?


1. Cathedral Grove, one of the last remaining stands of ancient temperate rainforest on the planet and a favourite destination for tourists from around the world, is being destroyed ....

and

2. Compliance Coal Corporation wants to build a new underground mine ...





1. LOGGING IN CATHEDRAL GROVE

For a google map to see location of logging, the park or the helicopter log dumping sites, please let me know and I will send more information via the overhead maps and photos. All photos are by Scott Tanner with permission to use freely.
Thank you,

Annette Tanner, 250 752-6585, cell 240-7470

Wilderness Committee, Mid-Island
Box 442, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K lS9,
ph. 250 752-6585, fax: 250 752-7085 email: wcwcqb@shaw.ca
cathedralgrovecanyon.com
Press Release
Monday, October 26, 2009- for immediate release -
„Community Rally Heading to Island Timberlands‚s Nanoose Office Tuesday Morning, as the Off-shore Company‚s Week-long Logging of Cathedral Grove Continued over the Weekend

Qualicum Beach, British Columbia ˆ The Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC ) will be joined by many local community groups as its Ancient Forest Rally heads to Island Timberland‚s Nanoose Bay office this Tuesday to confront the Provincial Grovernment‚s lack of an Oldgrowth Strategy, that is allowing Island Timberlands to log one of the last remaining areas of the famous ancient forest in Cathedral Grove.

„We heard the horror of the helicopters all through the grove and in the park, all week and into the weekend, and saw how the helicopters removed one of Cathedral Grove‚s last few remaining patches of oldgrowth forest growing out of the steep, rocky terrain above the world-famous park,‰ explains Annette Tanner WCWC‚s Mid Island spokesperson.

„Repeated requests for the BC Liberal government to undertake a comprehensive provincial old-growth strategy to inventory and protect what remains, especially in a high priority, high profile and high tourist visibility area, such as the internationally famous Cathedral Grove, have gone unanswered over the past six years while Island Timberlands continues to log and flag the last remaining oldgrowth trees in the Grove,‰ Tanner continues.

„This special oldgrowth forest will be gone forever unless the provincial and federal governments take steps to support the local communities and regional governments by indicating that they care about conserving this remarkable heritage as a legacy not only for future British Columbians, but for Canadians and for the countless visitors that come here from all around the world.‰

The Ancient Forest Rally to protect Cathedral Grove starts at 11:00 am tomorrow, Tuesday, with the many speakers to include Ken Wu, executive director of Victoria‚s WCWC branch, as well as many other concerned community groups. The intersection and traffic lights at the highway in front of Island Timberlands is located one kilometre past the Esso Station on the top of the hill when travelling towards Parksville.

- 30 ˆ
- -for more information, contact Annette Tanner 250 752-6585
- - cell 240-7470 ˆ
- - photos: Scott Tanner -

2. NEW COAL MINE PROPOSAL

Compliance Coal Corporation plans to have a new coal mine up and running in the Comox Valley within 18 months. They think the public is in favour of the mine, but Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition has a lot of unanswered questions about this mine.


In brief, the mine would be an underground mine starting above Fanny Bay and reaching to Baynes Sound, producing about 2 million tonnes a year of coal with 700,000 tonnes of waste. We must know how much water the mine will use, where they will get the water, what they will be doing with the polluted water from washing the coal, and what the mine's impact on water, wells, and aquifers will be.

The mine is having their first public open house this

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28th at the
Fanny Bay Community Hall from
4 PM to 9 PM.

They will be asking what they need to cover in their environmental assessment. If you put your questions on the record, they will have to answer them.


Coal's responsibility for Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming are not part of the environmental assessment, but that doesn't mean those questions should not be raised. BC has a carbon tax on heating fuel for your house, but we sell lots of coal to add to global warming.

Please attend this open house and show the company that we are concerned!

Delores Broten,

For Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition