Every summer, Coast Mountain kayakers return from the wilderness feeling restored and humbled by the power and beauty of nature. Many people also notice clear-cut logging and other industrial impacts. You have asked if you can help us protect the forests and natural beauty of the Discovery Islands – and the simple answer is yes, please! We have been working at this for many years, and we need outside help now more than ever.
The few of us who travel into British Columbia’s wild places come back with a truth that needs to be spoken. We have witnessed the beauty and the damage and we need to remind resource managers of their duty to protect these temperate rainforests and all their values.
Those of you visiting CME and Discovery Islands Lodge have in fact already played a role: your tourism dollars generate provincial revenue, create jobs, and help us argue the economic benefits of environmental protection. Collaborating with other wilderness tourism operators, Coast Mountain Expeditions’ economic arguments have successfully influenced plans and reduced logging in some small visible parts of the area.
Unfortunately, government seems to have less interest in proposals to protect forests for other important reasons like wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and carbon storage. And the forest industry that’s clear-cutting the hinterlands continues to operate with impunity and little public oversight on vast tracts of public and private lands.
At Coast Mountain we’re in regular communication with government and industry. When forest managers also receive comments from Visitors, it helps our push for action. See Advocacy Instructions, below. Your letter can be quick and it will be effective!
Advocacy Instructions
- Write your letter
Don’t feel small when you write to government; they know that every letter received counts for many, many more voices that remain silent. More letters amplify a message, and a sustained flow of similar messages gets noticed: the civil servant passes the file to a policymaker tasked with creating an appropriate response – and Forest District Managers are supposed to manage the forest for all values. Short is absolutely fine – the most important thing is to send it!
Describe what you saw and how you felt. Speak from your heart. You don’t need to be an expert, because it’s partly just a numbers game: We need the government to hear from many people who share concerns about clear cut logging in the Discovery Islands.
Some ideas for what to say
“I went on a sea kayaking expedition in the Discovery Islands this summer and my experience was…”
I liked/didn’t like__. I expected__. I come from a place where__. I chose to come here because__. I suggest__. Please protect!!!
- Send Your Message:
Derek Lefler email: Derek.Lefler@gov.bc.ca
District Manager, Sunshine Coast Forest District
7077 Duncan Street, Powell River BC V8A1W1 Canada
Hon Doug Donaldson, Minister, FLNRORD email: FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
P.O. Box 9049 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC, V8W9E2 Canada
If you also cc or bcc to us kayak@coastmtn.com then we can reference the public interest.
- Keep checking back for more updates!
We have plans in the works to create new and easier ways for you to help us advocate on local issues. Check our December newsletter for more updates.
Many thanks from all of us at CME!