YOUR URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED NOW TO SAVE THE 260,000 HECTARE STOLTMANN
WILDERNESS!
Contact your local MLA today!
February 23, 1996
Your action is needed now to save the 260,000 Stoltmann Wilderness and the other Lower Mainland endangered wilderness areas! Read on to learn how you can shape the future of the Lower Mainland with little more than a pen, piece of paper and a telephone!
Western Canada Wilderness Committee campaigners James Jamieson and Kerry Dawson have been camped out on the Lawn of the B.C. Legislature Buildings in Victoria since January 22. With little more than winter coats and camping tents to shelter them from the elements, they have been out on the Lawn demanding that the B.C. government hold open house public meetings in the communities of the Lower Mainland before the B.C. Cabinet makes a decision on which Lower Mainland wilderness areas to preserve as parkland and which wilderness areas to open to industrial development. So far, the B.C. government remains opposed to giving the people their say.
We believe it is absolutely essential that the government hold public meetings in order that they see for themselves how passionately people feel about preserving the entire 260,000 hectare Stoltmannn Wilderness and the other Lower Mainland wilderness areas.
Western Canada Wilderness Committee has now reached a critical point in out quest to preserve the Stoltmann Wilderness. In order to succeed, we need your help! Please spend time today writing letters, faxing or phoning your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
From left to right: Wilderness Committee campaigners Kerry Dawson, Alison Springgs,Barney Kern (volunteer) and James Jamieson camped on the Lawn in front of the Victoria Legislative Buildings. They say: write, phone or fax your MLA today! Photographer unknown
Here's what has been happening. A government-sponsored Regional Public Advisory Committee (RPAC) has been meeting since Spring of 1995 in an effort to hammer out a system of new parks for the Lower Mainland. The 260,000 hectare Stoltmann Wilderness along with other Lower Mainland park proposals like Chilliwack Lake, Pierce Lake, Caren Range, Statlu Lake, Burns Bog, Tantalus Range, Sockeye Creek, Douglas Creek, Magic Lakes, Callaghan Lake and Mehanl Valley are at stake.
RPAC is made up of thirteen representatives hand-picked by the B.C. government from the timber industry, mining industry, local governments and moderate environmental groups. Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the B.C. Parks Dept. were not asked to participate - we believe because of our strong stands on wilderness preservation. On January 31, 1996, RPAC passed its secret recommendations on new parks up to the B.C. Cabinet for a final decision. We hear that many of the key park proposals have been cut down substantially at the negotiating table because the B.C. government is only willing to look at a total of 104,000 hectares of new parkland. The Stoltmann Wilderness, the crown jewel of Lower Mainland wilderness areas, has been compromised down from 260,000 hectares to only 70,000 hectares! This will rip the guts out of the Stoltmann Wilderness!
We have also heard that International Forest Products (Interfor) has stock-piled bridge building materials in anticpation of getting approval to fling logging bridges over Sims Creek and the Upper Elaho River and bulldoze logging roads into the Stoltmann's last few oldgrowth Douglas firs groves.
Even worse, the B.C. government has said that is has no intention of holding public open-house meetings so that the people can see which areas area being proposed for protection and which areas are being proposed for logging - and then comment on RPAC's plans. We strongly believe that if people were given the chance, they would tell the B.C. government to preserve the entire 260,000 hectare Stoltmann Wilderness and the other Lower Mainland proposed parks.
We have enclosed a list of Lower Mainland MLAs. They need to hear from you (in the form of letters, faxes & phone calls) on how you feel about:
I know the list of politicians is long but you can start with the MLA in your area and then go on from there. It is very important that the politicians here from you now. This strategy worked last year to create the Pinecone-Boise-Burke wilderness park. You acted and government responded!
Will you 'go all out' for Lower Mainland Wilderness? Please send us a copy of your letters & faxes as well as any replies you get. We pledge to keep you informed. If public meeting dates are set we will contact you immediately so that you and your friends and family can attend and speak out in the defense of local wilderness. Phone or fax us if you have any questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Kerry Dawson, Joe Foy, James Jamieson
Stoltmann Wilderness Campaigners
