War in the Woods flares up at Elk Creek

War in the Woods flares up at Elk Creek
by Joe Foy Friday October 17, 2003
joe@wildernesscommittee.org ... Cell tel: (604) 880-2580 227 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2K7

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada - A BC community long known as a stronghold of the Social Credit – then BC Liberal Party - has become the latest scene of BC’s long-running War in the Woods. And comments reported in the Chilliwack Times and attributed to the area’s Liberal MLA can only make matters worse claims Joe Foy, campaign director for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

News Release – Friday October 17 2003

War in the Woods flares up at Elk Creek
near Chilliwack BC

Chilliwack-Sumas MLA John Les throws fuel on the fire with comments reported in the Chilliwack Times

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada - A BC community long known as a stronghold of the Social Credit – then BC Liberal Party - has become the latest scene of BC’s long-running War in the Woods. And comments reported in the Chilliwack Times and attributed to the area’s Liberal MLA can only make matters worse claims Joe Foy, campaign director for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Local residents and members of the Cheam First Nation have been protesting in the Elk Creek forest, preventing fallers with Cattermole Timber Co. from cutting down trees there. Cattermole stopped logging for a one-week cooling-off period last week – but yesterday resumed attempts to log the area. Several of the protesters report that they were threatened by some of the fallers and that trees were felled dangerously close to them on purpose.

The people protesting the Elk Creek logging have good reason to be concerned for their safety. In a 1998 protest in the California Redwoods, environmental activist David Chain, 24, was killed when a Pacific Lumber Co. faller dropped a tree on him at a site known as Grizzly Creek.

“The current protest at Elk Creek was predictable,” claims Foy. “When the Chilliwack office of the BC Forest Service asked for public comment 700 people wrote in asking that plans to log Elk Creek be stopped. There was 100% opposition to the logging proposal – yet the Forest Service District Manager went ahead and approved it anyway!” said Foy.

“First Nation people from the village of Cheam liken the forest at Elk Creek to a church – a place where generations have gone to carry out their spiritual practices. What does the government think will happen when you send chainsaws into a church?” Foy questioned.

Environmentalists are concerned because Elk Creek holds a rare remnant of Fraser Valley oldgrowth rainforest and harbours such endangered species as spotted owl and marbled murrelet.

Local residents revere the Elk Creek rainforest’s beauty and are concerned about increased flood, landslide and forest fire risk brought about by logging upslope of their homes.

Yet, instead of coming to the aid of his constituents, Chilliwack-Sumas MLA John Les when told of the dangers faced by those protesting the logging at Elk Creek is reported in today’s Chilliwack Times to have said, "It's clear these people are deliberately putting themselves in danger, perhaps even looking for some degree of martyrdom".

“If MLA Les really said that - then he owes the people of BC an apology,” said a disgusted Joe Foy. “No one in Chilliwack wants or deserves to be hurt or killed at Elk Creek. They just want their rights upheld. Cheam people have a right to practice their spiritual beliefs and non native people have a right to be listened to when there is such strong public opposition to logging at Elk Creek,” said Foy.

For further information about this release contact Joe Foy - WCWC – Cell tel (604) 880-2580

For additional information contact...

Diane Moen, - Elk Creek Conservation Coalition – (604) 794-3812

June Quipp - Cheam - (604) 794-5715

Chilliwack Times web site http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/

Daily updates on the protest at Elk Creek http://www.elkcreekaction.org/

www.elkcreekaction.org/