Join us for these free events which are part of a province-wide movement to change forestry laws.
Prince George, September 28, 2024, 12-4:30, Canfor Theatre, 3333 University Way Prince George, BC
Speakers
- Michelle Connolly, Conservation North
- Herb Hammond, Forest Ecologist
- Jennifer Houghton, Power of Forests Project
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Nelson, October 5, 12-3pm, The Adventure Hotel, 616 Vernon St, Nelson, BC
Speakers
1. Joe Karthein, Save What’s Left
2. Dr. Rachel Holt
3. Jennifer Houghton, Power of Forests Project
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Kelowna, October 12, 12-3:30, UBC Okanagan ASC 140 – Livestream is available – click on the URL below
Speakers
- Dawn Morrison, Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty
- Joe Karthein, Save What’s Left
- Jennifer Houghton, Power of Forests Project
Pre-registration is required.
Click here for links to register for all events: https://boundaryforest.org/problem-solution/
All events will be recorded and shared publicly. Event schedules can be found when you click on the links on the URL above.
(Note: there is no Livestream for the Prince George or Nelson events)
Michelle Connolly – Michelle has a background in ecology and experience crafting and communicating conservation policy. Michelle holds an MSc in Forest Disturbance Ecology from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). She is one of the founders and a director of Conservation North, a 100% volunteer-run community group that promotes the protection of all primary forests for biodiversity and ecosystem health. Their advocacy has helped bring to light the practice of logging primary forests in central BC as a source of pellets to fuel UK and Japan.
Herb Hammond – Herb Hammond is a forest ecologist and nature-directed stewardship planner with 40 years of experience in research, industry, teaching and consulting. He is a co-founder of the Silva Forest Foundation and the project lead for more than twenty-five ecosystem-based conservation plans across Canada and elsewhere. He is the author of the award-winning Seeing the Forest among the Trees: The Case for Wholistic Forest Use and Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth’s Crown: Ecosystem-based Conservation Planning for the Boreal Forest.
Joe Karthein – Joe’s advocacy work grew out of a lifelong love for the outdoors and through witnessing the shocking degradation of BC’s forests. His efforts are focused in on transforming the provincial government’s agency, BC Timber Sales (BCTS). Joe will present the case for why BCTS needs to be targeted for radical reform. He will present local and province-wide examples of BCTS’ unsustainable logging practices and show how BCTS has failed to respond to a hotter, drier climate, or take into account modern forestry science. Joe doesn’t consider himself to be a radical. He is the owner of a small excavation business and his favourite tool is his old, trusty Stihl 440 chainsaw. He believes in a truly sustainable forestry industry: Saving what is left of our undisturbed forests AND more forestry jobs.
Dr. Rachel Holt – Originating from the UK, her graduate studies and research in British Columbia created her passion for the BC landscape and its incredible biodiversity. Rachel is trained in the science of conservation biology and land management, and accomplished in the art of applying science in the land and resource management context. Rachel has recently been Vice Chair of BC’s independent watchdog on forest practices – the BC Forest Practices Board, as well as the board of the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology. Rachel volunteers on the Conservation Committee for the West Kootenay EcoSociety.
Dawn Morrison – Dawn is of Secwepemc ancestry and is the Founder/Curator of Research and Relationships for the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty. Since 1983 Dawn has worked and studied horticulture, ethno-botany, adult education, and restoration of natural systems in formal institutions, as well as through her own healing and learning journey with Secwepemc and Indigenous Elders and knowledge holders. Following the time spent teaching Aboriginal Adult Basic Education, Dawn has been dedicating her time and energy to land-based healing and learning which led her to her life’s work of realizing herself more fully as a developing spirit aligned leader in the Indigenous food sovereignty movement. Dawn has consistently organized time and space over the last 18 years for transformational learning in food systems networks that have been foundational for generating a body of research to support decolonizing food systems in community, regional, national, and international networks where she has become internationally recognized as a published author on the topic. Dawn’s work on the Third Eye Seeing Methodology is focused on creating ethical spaces of engagement, that serves to balance the cross-cultural burden carried by Indigenous Peoples in the interface where Indigenous food sovereignty meets, coloniality, climate change, and the corporate control of the food system.
Some of the projects Dawn is leading include: Wild Salmon Caravan, Indigenous Food and Freedom School, Dismantling Structural Racism in the Food System, and research projects including: Mapping out and Advocating for the Establishment of Indigenous Foodland Conservation Areas, and CIHR funded Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Community Wellbeing Amidst a Pandemic, and the “From the Ground Up” Toolkit for Indigenous Food Sovereignty Train the Trainers.
Jennifer Houghton – After her Grand Forks, BC home flooded in 2017 and 2018, Jennifer became deeply involved in reforming forestry in BC. She co-founded BFWSS along with a small group of locals concerned about the damage from industrial logging to the ecosystems in the region. Jennifer has done extensive filming of the effects of the flooding on the people of the area. She spent time traveling the province listening to politicians, scientists, Indigenous people, loggers, and residents to expand her understanding of the issues. Jennifer was co-author of the BFWSS report Brighter Future for Boundary Forests: The Case for Nature-Based Forestry Supported by a Community Forest Board. She was the lead organizer of Forest March BC, forestry summits, and runs the 3.6K member Facebook group BC Forestry Reform. She continues to speak, present, and collaborate with BC grassroots groups to drive for forest management to prioritize ecosystems and local communities rather than corporate profits. She is the Project Manager and presenter for the Power of Forests project.
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DONATIONS TO THE PROJECT CAN BE MADE VIA E-TRANSFER TO: [email protected]
QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO: Jennifer Houghton, Project Manager, Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, [email protected]
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PROJECT UPDATE ON MILL BAY AND VANCOUVER EVENTS:
The Mill Bay (Sept 17) and Vancouver (Sept 21) events went very well. Great speakers, great audience – engaged with impressive questions and comments.
Mill Bay – attendance in a small community hall was about 30. There were 2 politicians in attendance (David Evans Green Party candidate, Alison Nicholson CVRD Director, Cowichan Station/Sahtlam/Glenora). A few tough audience questions but that helps us to know what our challenges are.
Vancouver – attendance was about 30 plus more on the livestream. Many live attendees were students and some have volunteered to help with the project! Very exciting. Younes’ talk was an explanation in layman’s terms of hydrology, soil stability, and long-term cumulative effects of human activity.
Thanks to our amazing speakers in Mill Bay: Dave Munday and Bernhard Juurlink of Shawnigan Basin Society; and Vancouver speakers, hiwus Calvin Craigan, Sechelt Hereditary Chief, Ross Muirhead of Elphinstone Logging Focus, and Dr. Younes Alila of UBC Hydrology; plus, our Vancouver volunteer MC, Alexandra Cline.
Much thanks to those who have donated at the events! Your support is critical to continuing this work.
Presentation recordings will be available on www.boundaryforest.org
· Nanaimo will be shared by Sept 30.
· Vancouver will be shared by Oct 7.
Five lessons learned so far
1. There are many lay people in BC who are very well-informed on the topic of forestry reform.
2. People are frustrated that government doesn’t listen to them – all levels of government are putting corporate/private interests ahead of public interests.
3. Our New Forest Act proposal requires additional refinement and must address other topics, such as pulp mills, how much wood the people of BC need (e.g. for housing), and the educational system around forestry. We also need very clear branding (anyone with communications and PR experience is invited to help us with this).
4. Politicians have advised that grassroots political pressure is effective. It must be consistent and there must be large numbers of people writing letters about the same thing (at least 100 letters per subject, per politician). Handwritten letters get their attention because they are unusual nowadays.
5. We (allies of nature) must also lobby local and regional politicians about forestry even though forestry legislation is provincial. Local politicians are being lobbied by industry to support industry initiatives and to pressure the Province on their behalf.
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Read and share the proposal, backgrounder, briefing note: https://boundaryforest.org/our-reports/