In 2018 Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) declared that BC’s endangered mountain caribou face imminent threat to their recovery under the Species at Risk Act. The Imminent Threat Assessment acknowledged that not enough habitat had been protected to sustain BC’s mountain caribou populations, and that BC’s ongoing wolf cull in the absence of further habitat protection would not protect caribou.

The ECCC assessment meant that the federal government could issue and Order for BC to protect more habitat, but since the report was released in 2018 BC’s southern mountain caribou herds have not received any additional habitat protection. The habitat protected during the 2007 Recovery Plan left a quarter to more than a third of the remaining core habitat unprotected for some herds and included heavily fragmented areas, steep slopes, burns and high alpine areas of almost no value to caribou. Some herds received almost no habitat protection, and all herds have continued to suffer massive habitat loss at the hands of government and industry, leading to continued herd extirpation.

Just three weeks before public meetings input meetings were to be held across BC, a team of ten biologists, including government advisors, released a paper claiming that previous wolf culls had improved caribou populations, and that changes in forest cover had had no effect (Serrouya et al., 2019). Media exploded with claims that saving caribou simply meant killing a lot of wolves. This led to inflammatory misinformation campaigns that dominated some of the public meetings, and was likely instrumental in Forests Minister Doug Donaldson then claiming that the southern mountain caribou herds would receive no further habitat protection.

During the slaughter of 463 wolves, and the ongoing destruction of caribou habitat, a team of six scientists (Harding et al., 2020) have spent over a year re-analyzing the data claiming that wolf killing should take precedence over habitat protection. Their review of the study found that it had serious flaws. The data showed no statistical basis for wolf culls and maternal pens in the conservation of mountain caribou, and no basis for claiming that habitat protection would be ineffective.

Read the July 16th press release here.

Read the full backgrounder here.

The photo above shows 2019 logging at Trout Lake, in habitat of the Central Selkirk herd of the Deep-Snow Mountain Caribou.

Public review and comment processes for the following forest practices laws are coming to a close. There is just enough time for you to write some comments:

For Crown land logging: the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) — deadine July 15

A government discussion paper and online form are available at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/forestandrangepractices. But it would be better to send a letter to engageFRPA@gov.bc.ca.

2006 logging in the Incomappleux Valley under the FRPA

The old Forest Practices Code was massively weakened in 2004 to produce the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). Now stronger rules are desperately needed to respond to the dual crises of climate change and species loss. These are VWS’s top priorities for amending the FRPA:

1. End the logging of old-growth forests 250 years or older.
2. Five-Year Plans with public access to maps showing the location and size of clearcuts should be restored.
3. Provisions for protecting slope stability and watersheds, such as those in the old Forest Practices Code, should be restored. It used to be illegal for companies to cause landslides, but under the FRPA, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the  Ministry of Environment don’t even investigate landslides.
4. Consumptive-use watersheds should be a distinct category, identified in the FRPA and in logging plans, and protected under law, not under guidelines. This category should have increased protective measures.
5. Waste volumes rose substantially under the FRPA while fines for it declined.  This requires stronger regulation.

For more recommendations download VWS’s full submission to government here.

For Private land logging, the Private Managed Forest Land Act (PMFLA) — deadline July 22.

Government background information and online comment form: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/privatemanagedforest/ However, VWS urges you to write a letter instead, because the online form  skirts the major problems with this law and program. You can send letters to government to PMFLProgramReview@gov.bc.ca. VWS calls for three important changes to the PMFL Act:

1. The Private Managed Forest Land Program should be mandatory for all private land logging.
2. The forest practice regulations for the PMLF Program should be strengthened to the level that is required on Crown land.
3. The PMFLA should not provide participants an exemption from restrictions on logging passed by local governments.

For more information download VWS’s full submission to government here.

Photo: Jim Lawrence

West Kootenays, Trout Lake —The Central Selkirk caribou herd lost another six animals last year; at 25 animals, it is in high danger of being wiped out. Yet BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is logging some of the herd’s last remaining old-growth forest along Trout Lake in the Lardeau River Valley. “I have been seeing caribou tracks on the edge of the clearcuts,” says Jim Lawrence, President of Friends of the Lardeau River and prominent wildlife photographer. “The two governments’ continued disregard for caribou survival is outrageous and makes a mockery of the Species at Risk Act.”

“This has been happening while the federal and provincial governments have spent a whole year talking about how they are going to protect more caribou habitat,” says Craig Pettitt, a Director of the Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS). “Now the BC government says it wants another two years to complete new herd plans.”

Read more

Toadlets found squashed in the road while NACFOR prepares to log

A recent photo and video expedition has revealed thousands of Western Toads are dispersing into their forested habitat that is slated to be imminently logged. The images and video show toads under logging equipment, on logging roads as well as on branch roads into the logging cut blocks. Branch roads were constructed in February 2016. Two weeks ago, NACFOR had started grading the logging roads while hundreds of toads were migrating across it.

“Now they have brought in a feller-buncher, which means logging could begin at any time,” says Craig Pettitt, a director of the Valhalla Wilderness Society. “We recorded young toads all around their machine. We are outraged that the government and NACFOR would allow logging in critical toad habitat when it is clear toads will be killed left, right and centre.”

Read the full Press Release
To View the Video: https://youtu.be/peK9lE8YrWo