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April 15, 2003

10th Anniversary of Infamous Clayoquot Land Use Decision Environmentalists Still Fighting Industrial Logging in Clayoquot Sound...

Tofino, BC - The most dramatic expression of Canadian will to protect our natural heritage occurred during the Clayoquot Sound protests ten years ago, after BC premier, Mike Harcourt, made the unpopular Clayoquot Land Use Decision on April 13, 1993. Nevertheless, ten years later, industrial logging continues in Clayoquot Sound, threatening its pristine valleys.

This is the tenth anniversary of a government decision that carved the spectacular Clayoquot forest up: one third for the environment, two thirds for logging. That fateful decision sparked a protest and a campaign that changed the nature of forest economics and political debate in the province. Environmentalists, unable to achieve conservation goals through local channels and facing continued clearcutting, shifted focus to European and American customers of McMillan Bloedel (MB). The launch of international markets campaigns was followed by the largest civil disobedience in Canadian history and the building of a movement that carried through to work on the Great Bear Rainforest and other international ancient forest campaigns.

"Clayoquot has been at the forefront of a forest revolution," says Maryjka Mychajlowycz of Friends of Clayoquot Sound. "This beautiful place holds tremendous promise as an environmental model if government and industry move to secure legislatively the gains that have been made and to protect Clayoquot's pristine valleys which are critical for biodiversity conservation on Vancouver Island." Clayoquot Sound contains the largest cluster of unlogged valleys on an island that is three quarters clearcut.

Over the years and under pressure from environmentalists and First Nations, Clayoquot has been the testing ground for alternatives to clearcutting methods, has seen the exit of industry giant MB, has shifted one of the logging tenures to a majority First Nations logging company (Iisaak) and has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
However, Interfor continues to log at twice the rate of the First Nations company on half the land base and plans to cut in some of the last pristine valleys in Clayoquot Sound and on Vancouver Island.

"We want to see the Liberal government move forward, not backwards with Clayoquot Sound and protect its pristine valleys. On the ten year anniversary we hope to be celebrating successes with them rather than rallying against back-sliding," says Lee-Ann Unger of Friends of Clayoquot Sound.

Environmentalists remain concerned about proposed 'Working Forest' legislation being applied in Clayoquot Sound and Interfor's planned logging of pristine valleys such as the Sydney and Pretty Girl watersheds.

For more information contact:
Lee-Ann Unger or Maryjka Mychajlowycz (250) 725-4218

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