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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Canadian
Women Blockade Temperate Rainforest Logging Road
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Forest
Networking a Project of forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest
Conservation Archives
http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest
Conservation
9/30/99
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
Canada's
Temperate Rainforests on the Pacific Coast are ecological
gems. A very large, intensive primary forest consuming
industrial
timber
industry threatens biodiversity and ecosytems.
Recently, the
Stoltmann
Wilderness in British Columbia has been a flashpoint where
citizen
advocates are practicing non-violent civil disobedience to
protect
ancient forests. The timber industry
responded with
violence,
and now the "Raging Grannies" are on the case. Read on...
g.b.
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TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: B.C. Women Blockade Elaho Valley Logging
Road
Source: Environment News Service,
http://www.enn.com/
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: September 28, 1999
SQUAMISH,
British Columbia, Canada, September 28, 1999 (ENS) - At
five
this morning, a determined group of women began a blockade of
the
logging roads leading to the contested Stoltmann Wilderness in
the
Elaho Valley about 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Vancouver.
The
blockade is in retaliation for the September 15 attack on logging
protesters
and forest conservation researchers by loggers in trucks
belonging
to International Forests Products (Interfor). The assault
sent
eight people to hospital.
Interfor
President Duncan Davies has called for a "cooling-off"
period
at the anti-logging protest in the Elaho Valley 50 kilometers
(30
miles) north of Squamish, for loggers, contractors and
blockaders.
"In no way do we condone violence or vandalism," said
Davies.
But the
women's anger has not cooled. "The recent attack against
environmentalists
at the peaceful protest camp in the Stoltmann sent
Sharai
Mustasia to hospital and left her traumatized by threats of
rape -
a signal that Interfor employees hold conservation issues and
women's
rights in little regard," a blockade organizer said.
Action
against the threat of rape has drawn together people
representing
the Canadian Party of Women, a grassroots women's
network,
who have joined with women from People's Action for
Threatened
Habitat (PATH), Forest Action Network (FAN) and members of
the
Raging Grannies to oppose the destruction of the Stoltmann
Wilderness.
The Raging Grannies are a singing group of grandmothers
who use
their music to support environmental and human rights causes.
It was
the PATH/FAN protesters camp that was attacked and burned
September
15.
Betty
Krawczyk, an activist imprisoned for four months following her
arrest
for logging protests in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of
Vancouver
Island, plans to be arrested on today's blockade "in
support
of environmental justice" in the Squamish area.
Interfor
president Davies said, "All parties must uphold the law. The
numerous
incidents of vandalism by blockaders and the incidents of
alleged
violence by blockaders on September 5 and then by frustrated
workers
on September 15 should be condemned. Our bottom line is that
we must
have faith in democracy to settle our differences and our
actions
must always respect the law. That applies to everyone -
blockaders
and workers."
FAN
spokesperson Jarah West said, "It is well known that men in B.C.
hold
most of the positions of power over our public lands. As we
challenge
this inequality, we also challenge their decision to build
roads
into pristine areas, clearcut and pillage our last remaining
ancient
forests."
In
establishing the cooling-off period for Interfor, Davies set in
motion
a high priority review of the situation that includes the
evaluation
of blockaders' issues, company permits and obligations to
government
in the area, damages to company equipment and operations,
status
and issues surrounding the ongoing police investigations.
"This
is a serious situation that involves more than just a few
loggers,
police and blockaders," said Davies. "The conflict and
confrontation
in the Elaho are taking us back to the 1980s. There
appears
to be no acknowledgment by the blockaders of the public
processes
and approvals that allowed us to harvest here."
"As
a sign of good faith, we will hold off logging in a 25-acre area
in the
Elaho at Lava Creek that has a concentration of about 60 very
old
Douglas firs," said Davies. "We have requested University of B.C.
forest
ecologists to undertake a study to determine the age,
distribution
and condition of these trees."
He noted
that this area is connected to the trail and study area
established
by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.
The
Wilderness Committee is the largest membership-based, citizen-
funded
wilderness conservation group in Canada. One of the victims of
the
September 15 assault is an employee of the Committee who was
working
in the area on lawful research at the time. Wilderness
Committee
founders Paul George and Adriane Carr have sent a letter to
B.C.
Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh requesting an immediate meeting
to
discuss the volatile situation.
George
and Carr allege that Interfor was "complicit" in the September
15
assault and that "the local RCMP did not act with due diligence in
protecting
the rights and safety of our employees, our volunteers and
citizens
in general."
Today's
blockade is outside the injunction zone set up by the B.C.
Supreme
Court around the Interfor logging operation, so the police
may do
nothing. The Western Canada Wilderness Committee tree research
camp is
closed this week for regular staff time off.
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