Basic Communication For Dummies...

So...no good news here...just more crap...Island Timberlands returned to Eagle River this past week and clear cut a significant chunk out of the heart of the forest...it's a bloody mess...at the moment they have left a decorative strip of trees along the ocean...good luck to those trees this winter when the winds kick up...even better luck to them when IT returns to finish the job later on.

The Friends of Eagle River were completely sandbagged by this resumption of logging...we had no idea this was imminent...even though, you know, we are the community representatives for the river...even though Makenzie Leine of IT promised the Regional District recently that she would contact concerned locals...well, we can't find anybody local who was contacted...not a frickin' soul...pretty easy to find concerned locals...but, contacted? Nope, still looking...which is kinda interesting 'cause Timberlands has promised several times in the past to communicate directly with the group about logging plans... Bill Waugh, a senior executive with IT, even admitted so with sweet sounding words to the Peak (Nov. 2007) when his lot surprised the community with an unannounced cut along the river...and I quote the relevant paragraph, "Waugh agreed that the company had committed to letting the group (FoER) know before logging took place in the area. 'We did drop the ball on that'."

Dropped the ball...neato...and what about picking that ball up and trying again? Hasn't happened.

As for what comes next, well, that's a puzzle...so many trees are lying on the ground at the moment...and at a time when the salmon are starting to return to the river...and the bears were to fatten up on them...and so on and so forth...the place looks buggered..but there's always tomorrow and fresh ideas and renewed optimism, I guess...but that's tomorrow...today we get to mourn the loss...and regret trusting peoples words...stay tuned.

Oh, if you wanna read the crap offered as an explanation by Timberlands PR flack then read the October 1st Peak article.

Frogspotting...

My boy and I have been camped out here and there along the river for much of the summer...just hanging out and enjoying the opportunity really...that kinda thing...and the other day, after our early morning swim, we were sitting on the rocks toasting ourselves in the first rays of the sun...well, I was sitting...the boy, being just seven, couldn't possibly keep still and was scampering around hither and yon looking for adventure...and, being seven, he found it...in a frog...a frog doing the same thing that we were doing, I guess...toasting...but, as you'll see, I don't know much about frogs.

Anyway, this frog didn't seem too put out at having a curious kid for company...though every now and then, usually when the kid put the wee fellow too close to his mouth, the frog would leap away into the water...but it always came right back...which is to say that we had a real good look at the fellow...as did a friend who showed up later on...we spent maybe a half hour in total with this particular amphibian...which is a little embarrassing to admit now (even more embarrassing is that we had a camera with us and didn't take a snap) because our little three inch long companion was an endangered species...a Red Legged frog...Blue Listed...officially recognized by even the government as a species that needs to be protected...a rare thing...at one point it even jumped into my lap...go figger...and I didn't even clue in to the possiblities until the day after...well, no offense, frog.

Now I have to find that damned frog again...we need a photo...to catalogue it...to prove it to doubters...so, if you're a Frog-Hugger and you see one out there in your travels on the river (and if you have, say, a camera) please send us a shot of it...but be gentle...if you're gonna touch its skin make sure your hands have been cleaned in the water...they breathe thru their skin and bug spray or sunblock could do some harm.

So, how cool is that...an endangered species right there beneath the falls...of course, the whole river is threatened...but that's a story for another day.

More Crap News...

Hey...just a note to all of you who come to hang out at the river...kinda need your help...with the garbage...I'm hauling about a shopping bag's worth of stuff from around the falls every other day...beer cans mostly...junk food packaging, of course...and a lot of socks...I can't get over the number of socks I've found up and down the river this summer...and every single one of them is white...it's a curious thing.

True story...we were swimming there the other day when this couple arrives...the female half of the equation kept exclaiming how beautiful the place was...over and over...no problem with that...finally her partner, who was standing indifferently up to his hips trying to get used to the water temperature, said, "Ya, it's alright."

Then he chugged the rest of his beer and sunk it to the bottom of the pool.

A little while later my boy and I retrieved, among other things (including three white socks) two dozen drink containers from below the falls...the one I didn't see (because it was shattered glass) gave me a bit of a cut on my heel...I don't know what was worse...pulling the shard out or the lecture I got from my kid about swearing...anyway, that evening a young fellow, maybe 10 or 12 years old, lacerated his kneecap on glass in about the same spot...so, what to do? I reckon the most peaceful way of getting folks to take better care is to lead by example...though part of me wants to scream at those who feel it's okay to chuck their crap wherever they please.

Anyway, I hate to see the place trashed up...but I don't wanna preach...I'm just saying if you could pitch in that'd be cool.

Get The Crap Out...

Hey...Saturday a bunch of us hauled a truckload of detritus out of the river...we got all that we could carry between the bridge and the estuary...a microwave, a laser printer, one tv, water bottles, beer cans, a running shoe, several socks, one ball hockey ball, the remains of two computers, carpeting (I think that's what it was), casters, clamps (I think) and a sampling of McGarbage bits...plus enough broken glass and bent metal to rebuild the aforementioned large appliances that some free-thinkers have been chucking off the bridge this year...we swept up (there was a ton of shattered glass) as best we could with a crappy old broom, but I'd still watch your step under the bridge...funny thing is that once the metal was recycled the fee for the tipping only came to about thirteen bucks...that's all...kinda makes me wish more folks would just take their stuff home with them at the end of the day...dare to dream...cheers.

THE LATEST...AND IT AIN'T MUCH

April 7th...there has been NO activity in the forest along Eagle River lately...unless you take into consideration the movement of hummingbirds and cougars and bears and stuff like that...salmonberry flowers are up...that's always good news...less cheery is that much of the forest to the east of the Corridor has been harvested, as they say...the substantial collateral damage (ex-forest) has been piled into those large beaver dam things...burn piles, maybe...or work for firewood contractors...you can see for miles now...haven't heard a peep from Island Timberlands about their plans...not one...nada...we have been refused an audience with the Corporate Advisory Group this week...so, really, who knows what is going on? Not a clue...which is tricky, but that's also life...Green/Community groups are joining hands to work together through this crisis...FoER, Stillwater, Myrtle Creek, the Grannies...it's growing...more brains, more ideas, more support, more enthusiasm...that's kinda cool...it is pretty clear, in the end, in this sickening and pathetic political climate, that we have to find a way to purchase the lands in question...but that's a long term job...the trick is getting the time to pull it off...well, that's one of the tricks...meanwhile, back at the river, we are prepared for just about anything...ciao.

p.s. there are 2 articles in this months' immanence magazine
http://immanence.ca/

Public Meeting a success!

an estimated 80 folks came out to last nights event at the Community Living Place for a great talk by
WCWC's Ken Wu and people were very moved and upset to see the FOER slideshow that for some, was the first site of
the devastation at Horseshoe River.

Many ideas were suggested, hopefully people will follow through
because it's NOW OR NEVER
with Eagle River and StillWater Bluffs

PUBLIC MEETING / PRESENTATION - Wed. Feb. 27-7pm @ CLP

THE GREAT LAND GIVE AWAY!

Friends of Eagle River, Sierra Club and the Council of Canadians
present a public meeting and presentation by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 27TH, 7PM
Community Living Place
6831 Artaban St

Our local jobs and quality of life are seriously threatened
by the BC governments Forest Land give-away!

Come learn how our public lands have been given to logging companies (privatized) and what we can do to stop the export of our local jobs and devastation of our beloved landmarks!

The Powell Forest Canoe Route
(including Horseshoe lake and river)
Eagle river
Stillwater Bluffs
Sunshine Coast Trail
The Myrtle Creek Watershed
and Millennium Park
are some of the areas that we are set to lose

COME GET INFORMED AND JOIN THE SOLUTION!
Hear how communities on Vancouver Island have united to protect their local forests and watersheds with a moratorium on
sales of forest lands.

POSTER

EAGLE RIVER HIKES!

Every Sunday the Friends of Eagle River go hiking into the bush south of town and we welcome you to join us!

We meet at the pull-off on the northeast side of the bridge above Eagle River at the Stillwater Main logging road and depart from there at 10am sharp! Presently we alternate between trips to the clear cuts up around Horseshoe Lake and areas that are threatened by such activities like Eagle River and Stillwater Bluffs. It’s a good opportunity to not only get some fresh air but to actually see what is happening in our forests.

10am – Hwy 101 @ Stillwater main
What to bring.

1. Some sort of transportation to the departure point and beyond.
2. Sturdy foot wear
3. Water and snacks
4. Always a clever idea to carry rain gear
5. First Aid kit.
6. A sense of humour...and indignation.

Some of the places we visit require travel along logging roads
and some of the places we walk can be slippery...
so, please remember that you are doing so at your own risk.

To RSVP and more info call:
ANDY @ 487.0245

Eagle river (film) at PR film fest FRIDAY

Eagle River Jewel of the Sunshine Coast
film screening at the Powell River Film Festival
Friday 3:30pm
with "River of Life"

Location:
Evergreen theatre
top floor of the Powell River Recreation Complex.
5001 Joyce Ave

WHAT >YOU< CAN DO for Eagle river!

for those who have 5 minutes to spare
take a simple, yet effective ACTION :
post a comment on the following sites:
http://www.islandtimberlands.com/contact.html
D.Sihota, President of Island Timberlands
dsihota@islandtimberlands.com 

http://www.brookfieldproperties.com/contact/

Nicholas Simons, MLA
#109 4675 Marine Ave. Powell River
nicholas.simons.mla@leg.bc.ca

phone Colin Palmer Powell River Regional District
chair and director of area "C" 604-487-4470

PHONE Powell River Energy
tell them to regulate and mimic natural flow
of water being released from the Lois lake Damn
Fish need consistent flows of water
(this year salmon were spawning and their eggs went dry and died)

Powell River Energy Inc
(604) 485-2223

for those with more time
mail a letters to:
Island Timberlands Limited Partnership
5th Floor, 65 Front Street
Nanaimo, BC Canada
V9R 5H9
Fax: (250) 755-3540
(FYI Powell I.T. is owned by Brookfield.)

Brookfield properties
Brookfield Place
181 Bay Street, Suite 330
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2T3
Tel: 416.369.2300
Fax: 416.369.2301

Powell River Energy Inc
(604) 485-2223
201-4400 Marine Avenue
Powell River, BC, Canada
(FYI Powell River Energy is owned by Brookfield too...)

on FaceBook?
join our SAVE EAGLE RIVER group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8119102430

Gordon Campbell presiding over destruction of BC forest industry say Steelworkers

Jan 17, 2008
CNW Group
By Stephen Hunt

United Steelworkers' (USW) Western Canada
Director Stephen Hunt said Thursday that BC Premier Gordon Campbell is
presiding over the destruction of the province's most important employer and
economic engine - the forest industry.

Campbell, who is to make a keynote address to the Truck Loggers'
Association's 65 Annual Convention on Friday, promised the revitalization of
the BC forest industry at the same convention five years ago. Since then,
permanent closures of wood-processing facilities and woodlands operations have
spun out of control.

This week another major coastal woodlands contractor, Munns Lumber of
Duncan, declared it could no longer operate on the BC Coast. It was the fourth
major contractor on the Coast within the last year to declare that it could no
longer meet costs.

"Since Gordon Campbell took power in May 2001, there have been over
20,000 industry jobs lost in the mills and woods, including the permanent
closures of at least 43 wood-processing facilities in province. Another
6 mills are down indefinitely," said Hunt. "The unwritten future legacy of the
Campbell government promises to be the hollowing out and destruction of the BC
forest industry."

In the same seven-year period, some 30 million cubic meters of raw logs
have been exported from BC, assisting competitors in the U.S. and economic
development in foreign countries.

"We agree with the TLA that Campbell's forest policies have transferred
too much power to the few major licensees that operate on the BC Coast," said
Hunt. "TLA member companies and USW members have paid a high price for a
distorted market system, uncontrolled log exports, unprecedented wood waste
and high-grading, the loss of cut control and appurtenance provisions, and
uncontrolled tenure transfers.

"We also agree with the TLA that non-timber values are driving government
policy. Without any public scrutiny, BC Forest Minister Rich Coleman, who is
under investigation by the Auditor-General's office, has allowed the removal
of private lands from tree farm license administration to be used for real
estate development.

"Unfortunately the destruction of the province's most vital industry has
been portrayed in the mainstream media as a result of the rising Canadian
dollar and low lumber prices. Meanwhile, the premier refuses government
intervention and allows the backbone of many BC communities to be demolished
at the same time as it pockets refunded border taxes from the Harper-Bush
softwood lumber agreement."

THE IRONY...

Early in November I helped haul a dead eagle out of, oddly enough, Eagle River...I doubt the poor bird appreciated the irony...for me though it was a pretty interesting experience...naturally, I would have far preferred to see it swooping down on a salmon or something...but such was not my lot on this day...my hiking partners and I looked for clues as to what have might have killed the thing...nothing obvious presented itself...no bullet holes, no signs of disease or hunger...other than being, you know, dead it looked gorgeous and healthy...well, being stumped for a probable cause (and sentimental) we gave it a decent burial and moved on.

It has since occurred to me that we missed the most obvious cause of death...suicide.

This happened the very week that logging began along the Eagle River...Island Timberlands contractors brought in their machines and trees were falling at an impressive rate...and in my dark heart I can picture this glorious eagle soaring high above, surveying the carnage...not only along the river, but far into the back country (where all hell has broken loose) and saying, "oh, bugger it."

Island Timberlands made a cut into the Greenway Corridor...then backed off when FOER protested...but they'll be returning to cut down the rest of it, the whole enchilada, in the Spring...though they refuse to define what Spring actually means to them...could be the sight of the first daffodil...could be the vernal equinox, March Break or maybe just the warmest, driest day in February...hard to say...I guess there's no point making a real commitment 'cause then they'd have to live up to it...you know, like I teach my kid to do.

Anyway, interesting times...personally, I'm not ready to say. "oh, bugger it" just yet...ever, actually...so...if solutions can't be found, if the community is not respected (and fat chance of that), I'm willing to put myself in front of the machines (and hopefully not pee my pants)...what's another year in court? I wouldn't ask anybody else to do it...but it would be good if it did come down to that last desperate stand that there were witnesses...it's your river, not theirs...the government stole it from us and gave it away...cheers.

HORSESHOE RIVER SLIDESHOW