Newsletter Index
Feb 2000
Dec 1999
August 1999
June 15-30 1999
June 1-15 1999
April 1999
March 1999
November 1998
March 1998

FLOW '99 Conference

The FLOW 99 conference aims to bring together participants interested in protecting drinking water and in building ecologically-sound, diversified economies for BC's forest-dependent communities. Organised by the Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance, the conference coordinating committee also includes forest workers.

Among the speakers and workshop leaders are: Micheal M'Gonigle, U Vic. Law professor, political economist and former Greenpeace Canada chair, Tom Milne, BC Ministry of Forests manager of the Lumby Log sort Yard; Cheri Burda, forest policy strategist for the David Suzuki Foundation; Dr. Fred Bass, health specialist from the BC Medical Assoc.; Herb Hammond, forester, author, and leading-edge proponent of ecosystem-based forest use; Lisa Matthaus, forest policy analyst for the Sierra Club of BC; Merve Wilkinson, legendary Vancouver Island ecoforestry practioner; Professor Stan Rowe, forest ecologist and former research supervisor for the Canadian Forestry Service; Marilyn James, appointed spokesperson for the Sinixt Nation; Robert Theobald, author of "Reworking Success" and renowned speaker and consultant; Colleen McCrory, internationally-recognized grassroots environmental organizer and chair of the Valhalla Wilderness Society; Ernie Niemi, Oregon econo- mist and author of The Sky Did Not Fall: The Pacific Northwest's re- sponse to Logging Reductions; and Rami Rothkop and Ramona Faust, from the Harrop-Procter group just awarded BC's first community forest license to use ecosystem-based forestry.

The conference will also include a weekend-long arts/crafts/trade fair, two evenings of talented local enter- tainment, and children's events. A highlight will be the Sierra Club of BC's Rainforest Education Bus, a flill size school bus transformed into a live, lush forest interior complete with all the smells and sounds.

Conference fee: Sliding scale $60- 150 with $30-SO for conference volunteers. Bursaries available reduce flill weekend admission as low as $15 for those willing to volunteer and who need some fmancial assistance. Advance registration encouraged and re- quired for bursaries, please. To volunteer or to request bursaries, phone (250) 355-2206. All conference proceeds go to the Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance.

 

UPDATE:

FSC

The PRWUA is working with other organizations across BC to develop the standards under which forestry initiatives may be certified. Repre- sentatives from environmental, social and economic groups are giving input into these standards.

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, non-profit, independent organization whose goal is to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the worlds' forests.

To ensure that no single interest or perspective on forests dominates the decisions of the organization, all FSC decision making bodies world-wideare required to be made up of equal and balanced representation from at least three 'chainbers' or interest areas: economic, environmental and social. Readers will find additional information about FSC on the international FSC web site at - http://www.fscoax.org

Ecosystem-Based Planning is on the Ground

By the Silva Forest Foundation

The Silva Forest Foundation (SFF) works with communities throughout the province to develop ecosystem-based mapping that maintains the forest, communities, and the economy. With the recent announcement of the Harrop-Procter community forest agreement, ecosystem-based forest use will soon be implemented on the ground.

Using the approaches first developed in the Slocan Valley, SFF worked with Harrop-Procter to develop ecosystem-based mapping for the watersheds behind the two West Arm communities. The Harrop-Procter community has worked very hard to gain the support of as many community members as possible for the ecosystem-based approach.

SFF has also completed ecosystem-based mapping with the Cortes Island community on the coast. The landscape level plan for the whole island has been applied in the preparation of a management plan and development plans for a woodlot managed by the Klahoose First Nation. SFF has also completed landscape level ecosystem-based mapping with the communities of the Slocan Valley, Denman Island, the Robson Valley (east of Prince George), and Yalakom (near Lilloet). Each community's mapping reflects the ecological and social realities of the area and each community uses the mapping and reports in ways unique to the community.

Rami Rothcop and Ramona Faust of Harrop-Procter, and Herb and Susan Hammond of Silva will be speaking at the FLOW conference.

What's In The Courts?

On September 14th in Nelson the government will be continuing its' lawsuit for trespass against the five Perry Ridge residents; Sandie Blaikie, Austin Greengrass, Frank Nixon, Gunther Retterath and Pam Stevenson. They were selected at random during the 1997 protest against the building of the logging road on Perry Ridge prior to any risk assessments. Most of them were not part of any blockade; some didn't even stand in the protest line. The residents are being represented by lawyer Kenyon McGee and aided by two investigators. It is now asking the court for a new and permanent injunction. The government lost its original injunction against the road protest due to mischaracterization and suppression of technical reports at the time it sought the injunction. A separate action appealing the jailing of other defendants on an injunction that had previously been overturned is also proceeding. This is being handled by Marilyn Sandford, an attorney with Peter Ritchie's office in Vancouver.

Though the Perry Ridge Water Users Association is not involved in the court case, it has helped to pressure the government into funding a risk assessment of logging on Perry Ridge. The recently released report acknowledges high or very high risk to life, limb, property and/or water on much of the ridge.

PRWUA Joins International Community Forestry Movement

The PRWUA has joined a new international community forestry movement and has signed on to an International Statement on community forestry. This statement is supported by over eighty individuals from eighteen countries.

The "Saanich Statement" was developed by top community forestry experts from around the Asia-Pacific region during an international meeting held last October. The Statement lists key principles necessary to sustain forests, communities and cultures around the world.

'This declaration sets out the needed actions and policy reforms at the local, national and international levels if we are to sustain the world's forests and the people that depend on them, says Cheri Burda, of the University of Victoria's Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy, and FLOW speaker. who has co-ordinated the project.

"This new network will work to support community forestry locally and globally in a similar way to the Forest Stewardship Council's support for ecologically rigorous forest certification", says Dr. Michael M'Gonigle.

As well as linking North and South, the network links many sectors including NGO's, academics, policy makers, foresters, government, consultants, community groups and aboriginal groups.

Keep Your Wits About You!

Recently there has been a campaign of misinformation and lies directed against Perry Ridge Water Users Association and its' directors personally, spread by gossip. The reason, we feel, is because PRWUA has been effective in criticising government plans for Perry Ridge.

The coming months promise to be busy for Perry Ridge. With the government court case and the government sponsored planning table, (LRUP) winding down in the fall expect plenty of debate.

When in discussion watch out for some common techniques that try to divert your attention from the main issue or to distort the issue.

These fallacies include ad hominem, the red herring and the straw man."

Ad hominem (Latin for "to the man") attacks are those that substitute personal smears for logical arguments.

Red herrings are unrelated issues dragged in to confuse.

Straw man arguments distort opponents' positions or set up entirely false positions, which are then triumphantly knocked down.

(From: Reasoning Skills: success in 20 Minutes a Day, by Elizabeth Chesla.)