I would like to thank you for publishing the article “No one in Campbell River seems interested in forestry policy any more” in the Wednesday, Nov. 15 paper.
I am a decade-long resident of Campbell River, and before that enjoyed my home in the Comox Valley. The forests here are a constant source of happiness and wellbeing for me and my family. My homeschooling boys and I spend countless hours roaming the forests in search of new-to-us flora, fungi and fauna.
My boys, ages 6 and 8, know the names of dozens of plants, trees and fungi. We have a billion books on our shelves, and the ones most tattered and warn are our field guides. They have seen more days than I can count under the canopy of firs, pines, cedars, spruce, hemlock, maple, arbutus and alder.
Recently we have discovered that our old growth and second growth forests are home to some brilliant human health allies in the fungi kingdom. Did you know penicillin, Lovastatin and Cyclosporine came from the fungi kingdom? Right here in our own back yard live exciting up and coming medicinal mushrooms including turkey tail, oyster mushroom, the west coast Reishi and Agarikon.
Unfortunately, some of these and many more under-researched mushrooms are not fond of living in forests that have been raped and pillaged. If we aren’t careful, we may lose new, vital medicine to our greedy, destructive logging industry. I’m very concerned that there isn’t much old growth left, and our second growth could soon disappear. Time is running out.
So what can I do? Can you point me to any group or person that might be able to help me find the information I need to be a better forest advocate. Also, I know there are many like myself who are interested in forestry policy.
But how do we get from caring to action?
Chelsea Holley