Protestors Return to Elaho Valley
11/2/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: PROTESTERS RETURN TO ELAHO VALLEY
Source: Friends of the Elaho
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: November 2, 1999
TIME: 10:00 AM
DATE: Nov 2nd, 1999
PLACE: Elaho Valley, Stoltmann Wilderness, 2 hours north of
Squamish B.C.
At approximately 5:30 am today a man and a woman representing FRIENDS
OF THE ELAHO climbed two ancient trees in the Elaho Valley, in order
to continue blocking Interfor's road building into the area. The two
protesters are occupying platforms hung approximately 75m above the
ground.
This is the second group to actively stop logging since the Sept.
15th violent attack by 100 Interfor employees on a protest camp
located on Crown Land outside of the court ordered injunction zone.
The attack seriously injured three protesters sending them to
hospital, and burning the camp to the ground. Interfor is currently
being sued by the 3 injured protesters.
The company is still denying any wrong doing while shifting the blame
to the individual forest workers caught on camera at the scene of the
incident. However, it has now been shown in court that Interfor
trucks and upper management were present at the attack.
The FRIENDS OF THE ELAHO vow to continue their protest in spite of
the violent actions by Interfor. The group is seeking a moratorium
on logging and road building in the Elaho Valley until First Nations
claims are settled and the national park proposal has gone through
parliament.
The Elaho Valley is located in the Stoltmann Wilderness, the largest
tract of remaining ancient rainforest on BC's southern mainland
coast. It is the southern-most range of the coastal grizzly bears in
North America (they once ranged south to Mexico), and is a refuge for
old-growth dependent species like the long-eared bat and the Pacific
yew tree. The Douglas firs in this valley are the oldest in North
America, some over 1,300 years old.
A bill is currently before parliament to designate the wilderness
area as a national park. It would be the first national park in the
coastal mountain range.
For more information on this campaign please contact: Rob Wynen:
(604) 684-4149 Friends of the Elaho in the Elaho Valley via
satellite phone: 600-700-3651