It’s the first week of the month, and that means it’s time for #WalbranWednesday!

Premier Christy Clark has the authority to step in on any provincial issue, and it’s time to demand she does just that in the Walbran Valley.

A few weeks ago, our friends at Sierra Club BC released new research which shows that the current rate of old-growth logging will lead to the collapse of these ecosystems if continued.

Earlier this summer, the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (which represents every municipal government on Vancouver Island) and the BC Chamber of Commerce passed motions opposing old-growth logging in places like the Walbran Valley.

But Steve Thomson, the Minister of Forests, has failed to acknowledge these concerns and explain how the government plans to protect BC’s endangered old-growth rainforests.

So tomorrow, we’re calling his boss.

In the last year, more than 8,000 people have written to the Premier, calling on her to set the Central Walbran off-limits to logging and find a solution that works for the environment as well as local First Nations.

In June, we visited the cutblocks to the south of the Walbran River that Teal Jones clearcut logged over this past winter and spring. What was prime old-growth forest just a few months ago was now completely destroyed – you can check out the devastating photos here.

But this fight isn’t over, and we’re not going to let Premier Clark off the hook.

Phone Number:
            Office of the Premier: 250 387-1715
            Kelowna Constituency Office: 250-768-8426

Email addresses: premier@gov.bc.ca, christy.clark.mla@leg.bc.ca

For those of you on Twitter, send Premier Clark a message: @christyclarkbc

Here are some sample tweets:

1. Hey @christyclarkbc, old-growth rainforests are irreplaceable – listen to the people & stop logging in the Walbran Valley! #bcpoli
2. 1000+ years to grow, minutes to cut down. Old-growth #forests are too rare to liquidate @christyclarkbc, stand up for the Walbran Valley!
3. Old-growth #forests are so much more than timber @christyclarkbc, cancel Walbran Valley cutblocks & help find a solution! #bcpoli

The Premier is a public servant, but her silence on this issue shows she is siding with private interests instead of acting for the public good.

Our goal is to have as many people as possible phone the Premier’s offices during business hours on Wednesday with a unified demand: SET THE CENTRAL WALBRAN VALLEY OFF LIMITS TO LOGGING!

For our Walbran Wednesday phone blitzes, we’re asking participants to keep the tone civil and respectful. We want to send a strong message that people care passionately about protecting this ancient forest, and that stopping the destruction of the Central Walbran Valley is simply the right thing to do.

We’ve provided a sample script that you can use with staff at Premier Clark’s office. The same text could also be used in an email to the Premier. The script, however, is just a suggestion – we know many of you have been passionate advocates for the protection of old-growth forests for years, and that your argument, in your own words, carries so much power!

For more information about the Walbran Valley, please check out our campaign web page or letter-writing tool for more points to use on your call!

We encourage you to give us a call, send us an email or post on the WalbranWednesday facebook page to let us know how your conversation went! You can contact our Victoria office at (250) 388-9292 or email torrance@wildernesscommittee.org with feedback.

Here we go! We know that when we raise our voices together we can ignite true change in our world, so let’s tell Premier Clark to keep chainsaws out of the Central Walbran Valley!

Click here to download the sample script.