bake aging plans Stories by. JEFF, NAGEL "TERRACE. The 't names" ring - like. gongs in the -hearts’ of‘ en- -. =vironmentalists: | os ‘South’, Moresby, “Lyell Island, * the Khutzeymaieen. Add to that «list the: -Kitlope River valley. “Theissue is the same — to log - or not to log the province’s old- “Browth forests. ., But this. time the battlefield is :ip our own backyard. -Environmentalists and “forestry ‘companies are already - squaring off for control of the -Kitlope,:. a '317,000-hectare watershed south of Kemano, at the end, of Gardner Canal. West ° ‘Fraser’s Skeena “Sawmills wants the old-growth “timber i in the valley for its Ter- =tace operation. ‘A collection of two-year ‘moratorium. on logg- ig.in-the valley, .Conservation International ce-president’ Spencer Beebe “h-says the ‘organization has iden- ws tified, .two. areas of “‘global in- : erest’” in’ B.C, — the Clayo- “quot * Sound: area north of Tofino’/on.the west coast of -Vancouver Island, and the : cKidops. “The Kitlope. isa really ex- traordinary. place on a global, Antetnational cbasis,’’ Beebe TERRACE — The price of réserving the Kitlope River alley would be paid in the jobs forest industry workers in erracé and Kitimat, Skeena ‘Sawitills officials say. ceed. in blocking logging in th valley’ ‘south of Kemano, the omnpany’s ‘cutting plans will be med: upside ‘down, 27; Woods | ‘ manager. A s' tree. farm licenicé., stimated five, “million Carmanah, “That at- - “Uf environmentalist groups . ace a said. When Iwas there I saw a * place that would, in most coun- tries of the world, be a national or international park, It’s so big and so special that 1 think we as a people need to treat this place it.” . Beebe said although Conser- vation International has added 1. its name to the list of groups calling for a moratorium on log- ging, it has no immediate plans to take any other direct action in the Kitlope. “Our organization does not go around the warld telling peo- ple what to'do. All we can do,is support focal interest and in- itiative. People in British Col- umbia will: have to make up their own minds what to do.’* Meanwhile Skeena Sawmills plans are stalled until its 20-year development plan for the valley ‘gets approval-in-principle from the forests ministry. General manager Don Chesley said road construction is to begin next year and more detailed cutting ; plans prepared if the long-range plan is approved. ; And, Chesley notes, the valley isn’t entirely unlogged. A small Haisla Indian reserve at the environmentally-sensitive mouth of the Kitlope River was logged after the Haisla sold cut- -ting rights for the timber to a © ’ private logging firm. Haisla leader Gerald Amos said natives were forced to sell logging rights to the reserve land there — which he described as less than 30 hectares in size — because of financial difficulties 15 or 20 years ago. Kitimat-Stikine regional district director Les Watmough says any move by environmen- tal groups to turn the region in- to another ; Carmanah; ity pe Conceding the area does have prime grizzly bear habitat, he maintains logging and bears can co-exist. And Watmough says the undeveloped Kitlope would make the perfect test case to prove that. “It’s pretty much virgin country there, so what they do in there has to be done careful- ly," Watmough said. ‘But things can be done right in the Kitlope.’” The Khutzeymateen valley north of. Prince Rupert is already under moratorium from logging while grizzlies there. are studied, Watmough noted. “They have the Khulzeyma- teen — it’s a similar valley, it’s - not that far away, and they've already got that one locked up — until the studies are finished,’’ he said. ‘‘The Carmanah is uni-_ que — there’s.no question about that. I don’t think the |.~ Kitlope has anything like that. We're -not talking about the same scale of things.”" Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 12, 1990 — Page AB AARMANAH?. differently — we shouldn’t log * wi a Ppt vad _-Gritobell § Aha Watmough :warned ap - moratorium or ban on logging: the Kitlope valley could result in’ layoffs and cutbacks in the nar- . thwest forest sector. “That's going to have a ma- | jor impact-on .the logging. in- dustry here,” he: said. ‘You can’t tie up every vailey on the coast — it just doesn’t work.” a year for the next 50 years, That, Maskulak says, is 13 per cent of its Terrace mill's yearly: requirement for the foresecable future. “If you were to, ‘také.out<13 per cént of our annual-zequire-, ment for this plant it would cer-. tainly impair. the economic viability of it,” said. Don Chesley, general manager. of Skeena Sawimills. Mee away. ae ‘pet cent ‘a “something, it’s -going to: ‘hurt.’ lt could of: the 317, 000-heciare water, - skulak. sald -1 Marca! Taos KW V/ CAPACITY ya : 7 . of VALLEY . KITLOPE RIVER that — about 8,600 hectares’ — ‘it considers commercially operable, _ And Maskulak said areas identified as environmentally ~ Sensitive have already been ‘Femoved from the cutting plan. “He said the company has ‘Spent'more ‘than $200,000 on ‘consultants’ to carry out several Studies“ on the valley, ranging from the river hydrology and floodplain olichan:‘and:: bear habitat. The-’farest: service says there has’ not been ag-much detailed : analysis as this conducted by a forestry. company in the Prince Rupert-district,”. he added. hesley warned. preservation’: uld ‘also affect: imat> pulp” mill, ie eck ee mma ma mt anh pe ees AMM etd] addr diem eons ees ects ce ne Surveys; to studies of - which will rely on the valley for a substantial portion of its future pulpwood. He said a cur- rent chip surplus is only tem- porary, and without the Kitlope, Kitimat pulp mill workers could also face cuts. The vice-president of one of the environmental groups pushing for preservation of the valley sympathizes with the economic problem. ~-understand the company’s point: of view," said. Spencer Beebe, of the American-based . Conservation International. “They needa log supply. They have a big investment there and " alot.of people depend on that. I appreciate that, and that has to : be resolved.’ Bey “He suggested tourism benefits’ Company says local jobs threatene could in part forestry jobs. “I think you could make a lot of money for Terrace and Kitimat if this area was pro- moted as an ecotourism destina- tion,” he: said. “‘This is the definition, the epitome of what you guys call ‘SuperNatural B,C,’ The Kitlope is the most ‘SuperNatural’ ecosystem watershed in temperate rain- replace lost forest in B.C; and probably the. world. - Wit ome. care and planning: d-be made an important ‘growing part of your “tourism business, 1 think that’s: But. Cheile: sd the = bottom: lines that ¢ :Kitldpe “is” “ preserved the 100,000 cubic: metres) a: Year’ else. if it doesn’ t the, do F.wood: Skeena.. Haisla to block logging | TERRACE — Haisla natives will block any attempt to log the Kitlope River valley, chief coun- cillor Gerald Amos says. And Amos promised — last week they will use whatever tac- tics necessary — froni court: ‘in- ‘junctions to ‘Toad: blockades’ - ~ “to ‘thwart logging plans. “The Haisla joined groups calling ‘for -a moratorium on logging there. “There's going to be a huge - fight over this,"’ he said. “I will do my utmost to see that. they don’t log it. [ feel so strongly ~ about the Kitlope — as I know others do — that I will literally - do whatever it takes. to make ‘, sure it isn’t logged.” He: said. the Kitimat-based natives will exhaust all legal ..p avenues before resorting to ‘| more extreme tactics. ‘We're "_ going to give the existing system a chance to do its work first.’” But Amos doubted the old- . growth strategy — a provincial — ‘government task force that con- siders logging moratoriums in sensitive areas — would preserve the area. “‘I don’t have - ahell of alot of faith i in tlie old- growth strategy.” ‘Ray Travers, a former ‘en- vironment ministry habitat specialist, echoed that “skep- ticism. a “It's. gerierally a foregone conclusion that an area is going to. be logged, ”’ ‘said Travers, who quit the environment ministry last year after 15 years of what he described as ineffec- tual efforts to protect habitat. “The system for allocating B.C.'s forests provides a pre- determined outcome for everything that happens. Not without an. enormous. amount of public support can “that be altered. ia Amos said if a moratorium isn’t ordered, the tribal council will reply with court action to get logging stopped. He said the Haisla will use both — their unresolved land claim and the recent Supreme Court Sparrow decision on native fisheries to force a court injunction against logging in the valley. If that fails natives will resort to direct action. “They need to build roads up there,”’ Amos said. ‘I think in that case, our people are com- mitting themselves to stop the road-building — in terms of blockades and blocking the equipment.” “T view it as a huge respon- sibility for us to protect it,’’ he said, “Especially a. place like Kitlope.” He said some Haisla would probably support logging in the area after a settlement of their native land claim. “T think we have elements 'i in our own community that would like to take advantage of these economic opportunities in: any. logging area,” Amos - said. “That’s human. nature — everybody needs jobs, -.and we're no different. But.f’m sug- gesting there’s another way, through tourism, of the Haisla using that area to provide jobs other than logging it.’’ “Don Ghesiey : Sawmills. is: counting : on" will have to come. from somewhere cits ‘employees;’ and: Industry, workets: here. wi