I hear people say that the Island Timberlands are private property, so what is the point of protest?
Are you saying the stamp of private ownership trumps the environmental responsibility of ownership? This week I returned full circle to protesting logging in the Basil Creek watershed, my Squirrel Cove back yard.
In 1990, I stood on this very same site protesting Macmillan-Blodel’s plans to continue clear cutting these Private Managed Forest Lands. That same year I participated in the logging blockade on M.B Crown lands/ First Nation lands in the Tsitika Valley. This protest was only a few valleys north of where my father was still actively falling trees for M.B.’s Sayward division. My actions felt like crossing a family boundary line but resulted in growing mutual respect, lots of logger hugs and endless support.
Being a strong I.W.A union member he was very familiar with the need to protest and having worked in the forests of B.C. since he was 16 he always understood the need to protect The years following we protesters participated in endless meetings on island, off island, mapping projects, eco forestry workshops, land use planning, political lobbying, salmon enhancement, and more forest actions and protest. For lack of space and trying to stay on topic I’ll just say a tremendous number of events took place and they took place on all categories of land. My point is Crown land, private managed forest land, private rural, residential, reserve land, stolen land! What border line do you walk? Do you cross? The natural world’s boundaries are subtle, molecular and define the evolution of all life. These boundaries once compromised, twice compromised will realize a collapse, regardless of human borders. The salmon, the frogs, the wolves, the Last Nation. What does their survival border on?
Sonya Friesen,
Cortes Island