W. T. Haswell writes: >SLDF (Sierra Legal Defense Fund) is also influential in the US, notably on the spotted owl work in the NW >(and many, many other significant environmental issues). I would characterize >them as representing the public interests in ensuring that existing >environmental laws are followed. Government and industry have been "attacked" >(as Patrick claims), only to the extent that they break the laws. This is nonsense. Their strategy is 1. total anti-forest industry. 2. Demand the impossible 3. Sign off on new legislation and then attack it as useless. 4. Use misinformation and word tricks. 5. Demand legislation that will give lawyers a job for life suing the people who are doing all the work. 6. Live in the city. Don't try to fool people into thinking Sierra Legal is a legitimate organization. It is not. Anyone who can give British Columbia an "F" for logging is simply against logging. As for the World Wildlife Fund, they gave British Columbia an "A" for two years running in 1995 and 1996 because we have the best protected area strategy in Canada. Nothing has changed since then except that WWF has shifted the goal posts and closed ranks with the extremists who will never be satisfied until half the province is a park. >Government policy states that by the year 2000, all of B.C.’s natural diversity >will be "represented" in the protected areas system. But its decisions to date >show a clear bias against protecting riparian areas and lower elevation forests >(the ecosystems most threatened by logging), in favour of protecting higher >elevations and non-forested areas...." It would have been easier to include more forested land if WWF and their friend Al Gore hadn't been so insistent on protecting the 1.1 million hectare virtually treeless Tatsenshini in the far north of BC. The fact is they want it all, trees or no trees. It is also a fact that all of BC's ecosystems will be represented in the protected areas by the year 2000. The statement that there is a bias against protecting riparian areas is simply false. Nearly all the new parks are based on watersheds such as the Stein, Carmanah, Walbran, Kitlope, Khutzamateen, Tat, Tsitika, Northern Rockies (Kechika) etc. WWF is not being honest about this, as they are desperate not to make BC look good even though it has the most aggressive, successful, representative ecosystem protection policy in North America (Show me a better one!!!!!) Cheers Patrick Moore, Greenspirit http://www.greenspirit.com May the Forest be With You Snail Mail: 4068 West 32nd Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1Z6 Canada -----Original Message----- From: <wthaswell@proaxis.com> To: FOREST@listserv.funet.fi <FOREST@listserv.funet.fi> Date: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 4:39 PM Subject: Re: BC FORESTRY FAILING - web sites available >Here is some more complete information on the various BC report cards, for those >desiring information to attack all those "wild fringe environmentalists". > >The complete text of the originally cited report (the "F" grade) may be read >(via Acrobat .pdf file) at this location: > http://www.sierralegal.org/reports.htm >It was issued by the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (SLDF), Sierra Club of BC, Silva >Forest Foundation, and BC Environmental Network, Forest Caucus. About 20 pages >with two pages of end notes. > >This report focuses on rating the logging industry with respect to >sustainability, species endangerment, landslides, enforcement, public >participation, etc. The web page also has about six other reports on various >deficiencies in BC forest practices, including landslides, lack of riparian >protection. Some are quite lengthy. > . My >information is that SLDF normally does not take on suits or work unless there is >a fairly egregious situation in play. > >The World Wildlife Fund (the C+ grade) report may be seen at this location: > http://www.wwfcanada.org/reportcard/index.htm >To quote: "The report summarizes the progress made by governments across Canada >toward fulfilling their commitment to complete an ecologically representative >network of protected areas across the country by the year 2000". A snippet of >the press release regarding the BC grade is pasted below. It would seem that >the same concerns are present in both reports. but the WWF rewarded BC progress >in the Northern Rockies and focuses on the protected lands network, not industry >practices. > >Snippet of BC Press Release regarding the WWF Report Card: > >"...The C+ grade acknowledges B.C.’s celebrated designation of one million >hectares of new protected areas in the Northern Rockies, with an additional 3.3 >million hectares of surrounding lands legislated as Special Management Zones. In >addition, the grade recognizes B.C.’s purchase and protection of the >11,000-hectare Empire Valley Ranch in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. However, the >relatively modest grade also reflects three serious shortcomings in provincial >policy: > >There is a large backlog of new protected areas which have been announced, but >still are not legislated; > >Special Management Zones designed by regional land use planning tables are being >logged at rates that were not intended, degrading important habitat values that >were supposed to be maintained; > > >End of snippet. > >Protecting higher elevation lands was and still is a favorite ploy in the United >States, and a common quotation is to tout the number of protected acres, not >mentioning that they are mostly alpine; important land, to be sure, but far >removed from the low elevation valleys where the "fat" timber is part of the >most biologically rich temperate rainforests in the world. Too bad that the US >has to set this sort of example, and too bad that others follow it..... > >Tom Haswell >541-757-7608 > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: owner-forest@listserv.funet.fi >> [mailto:owner-forest@listserv.funet.fi]On Behalf Of Patrick Moore >> Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 8:51 AM >> To: FOREST@listserv.funet.fi >> Subject: Re: BC FORESTRY FAILING >> >> >> >A Forestry Report Card was recently >> >released by the British Columbian activists and the World Wildlife >> >Fund giving a "F" grade to government and timber industry's forest >> >practices. >> >> This is in error. The World Wildlife Fund report card, which is not related >> to the "F" given by the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, gave British Columbia a >> C+ for protection of forests. The Sierra Legal Defense Fund is basically an >> anti-logging group of lawyers raising funds to attack the industry. >> >> Cheers >> >> Patrick Moore, Greenspirit >> http://www.greenspirit.com >> May the Forest be With You >> >> Snail Mail: >> 4068 West 32nd Avenue >> Vancouver, B.C. V6S 1Z6 >> Canada >>
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