Coast Mountain and Environmental Activism

As many past Coast Mountain & Discovery Islands Lodge customers know, Lannie and I have a second life as environmental activists. For more than 25 years we have been active in the fight to save local forests and  protect viewsheds. The byproduct of this work has protected our business interests--and your wilderness experience when you come to the Discovery Islands. We think most of you know that protection of this awesome environment we live in is by far and away more important to us than the function of our business.

We founded Coast Mountain Expeditions 25 years ago because we wanted to stay and live in one of the most beautiful environments in the world. We noticed that many similarly minded friends had to work in the resource industry to be able to stay here and from our point of view, they began to compromise, even destroy the very reason they came here. Determined not to follow suit, we built the lodge and our first kayak expeditions set forth in 1986.

Since that time we have united local businesses and citizens as well as many of our previous customers to help us fight and win many environmental battles. Last year we embarked on a major campaign to save some of the most spectacular tidal rapids in the world from tidal power development...analgous to capping Old Faithful for power production. When we asked you for help, you responded with hundreds of letters sent to the British Columbia government protesting these developments. You, as much as we, played a significant role in the cancellation of these projects.

As many of you know, Lannie and I (mostly Lannie) have taken on the protection of nearby Bute Inlet from Hydroelectric proposals which would destroy this amazing place. You can get more information on this by going to www.ButeInlet.net

Doing this has taken away one full time postion from Coast Mountain Expeditions. Lannie has succeeded, with the help of many others, in delaying the application. The proponants, US multi-national giant GE and Plutonic Power, in the face of major oppostion have had to temporarily back off for one year. But we're sure they'll be back. You can help us, by going to the Bute Inlet website, informing yourself and signing up to be a member. It's free. Contact Lannie at ButeInlet@gmail.com and tell her you want to be kept informed. We promise we won't share your addresss or fill your mailbox with junk and...you won't hear from us any more often than necessary.

More on this in the future!