Battle for Windy Bay

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.06 – No.01 - Winter/Spring 1987

Windy Bay lies on the east side of Lyell Lsland within the proposed boundaries of the South Moresby Wilderness. Click on map to enlarge.

LYELL ISLAND-1974. Windy Bay. only thirteen years ago.

LYELL ISLAND-1986. Landsat photo imagery clearly shows Windy Bay surrounded by claer-cuts.

Dateline

1930-1940s

- Windy Bay watershed escapes high grade logging of its valley bottom because of poor access and lack of a safe log-booming area in its shallow exposed harbour.

1954

- Area is placed in Tree Farm License No. 24 without public consultation or hearing.

1974

- Island Protection Society, a Queen Charlotte Island environmental group, proposes that all of Southern Moresby, including Lyell Island, become a protected Wilderness Area. Active clearcutting begins at Lyell Island; Powrivco logging camp established on northern Lyell Island.

1978

- Ecological Reserve Unit of the Provincial Environment Ministry accepts Windy Bay Dodge Point as an Ecological Reserve candidate.

1979

- Provincial government establishes South Moresby Resource Planning Team to study Windy Bay Ecological Reserve and South Moresby Wilderness Proposal as two separate issues.

1983

- Planning team recommends that all of Windy Bay become an Ecological Reserve. The only dissenting vote is the logging company which supports their option "B" - a leave strip along the ocean and the lower banks of Windy Bay Creek.

1985

- Haida take action to temporarily stop logging on Lyell because of the provincial government's failure to live up to their word to negotiate a settlement of the Haida Land Claim and because the government shows no intention of curtailing logging in South Moresby.

March 1986

- Provincial government appointed Wilderness Advisory Committee which, after a three month consideration of 16 proposed wilderness areas, recommends that the logging company's option "B" Ecological Reserve be established in Windy Bay and that only the area of Lyell Island become a National Park.

September 1986

- Provincial and Federal governments agree to "fast track" negotiations for a South Moresby National Park with a September 1987 deadline established.

November 1986
- Haida build long-house in Windy Bay.

December 23, 1986

- Provincial government Forestry Ministry approves a five year cutting plan for Lyell Island, which includes logging in Windy Bay in 1987 and no slow down in the liquidation of the old growth forests left on Lyell.