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‘eco-tourism operators, fishermen,

INSIDE
SPORTS. MENU C2

Wholistic forestry

ATURE, to be commanded, must be
obeyed. -Francis Bacon (16th
Century)
Let’s cut down the trees and create
jobs. ~Bill VanderZalm (20th Century)
The recent trek by loggers and industry types to

_ the legislative buildings in Victoria was a pathetic

exercise demonstrating how far we have to go if
we are to loosen the death grip the forest giants
have on our forests and halt the ruin of resource,

Singing the cleverly orchestrated Forest Al-
liance hymn, Our Local Communities Shall Suf-
fer, with its monotonous refrain, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs,
labour, management, and local chambers of com-
merce linked arms and inveighed against the
green meanies who, in the minds of the hard
working men of the forest, are out to cripple the
economy — despite overwhelming evidence that
technological change, international market forces
and over exploiiation of this province’s forests are
the real villains. ©

Whether they realize it or not, the message of
the marchers is essentially selfish since it calls for
the continuance of forestry practices which serve
the needs of industry — their industry — over the
needs of indigenous peoples, water users, tourists,
sportsmen,
wilderness users, artists, smail rural indusiries,
trappers, ranchers, scientists and future genera-
tions of British Columbians.

Make no mistake, logging as it is presently con-
ducted seriously impairs the activities of all those
beneficiaries of the forest- resource; and, more im-
‘portantly, a large’ and growing body of scientific
opinion strongly suggests the way we log is un-
dermining the life support systems which ensure
the continuance of healthy forests, and, “by exten-
sion, a healthy planet.

“This is an exploitive ethic rooted in a short term
economic view. that can only measure economic

_ wealth in board feet —-'a view that leads to the
- continued plunder of ecosystems: until absolute

proof is shown that such action is bad.
We know thousands of species are lost every
year due to clear cul logging. Scientists strongly

~ suspect that biological diversity is essential for

our survival, but, because the exploitive ethos is

still dominant — because one special interest

group. controls our so-called” publicly owned

“forests — we continue to clear cut extensively.

It is clear an ancient rain forest is a forest work-

ing.at its best. Ala glance one can see the ancient.

forests, like any thriving biotic community (in-

‘cluding our own) contain many generations. Yet

the exploiters, in their zeal to increase profits,
take all the trecs from a stand of old. forest then

- teplace them with seedlings of one generation.
‘Given this practice, can we reasonably expect

healthy forest to regrow on clear cut land? A tour
of clear cuts, so many populated with withered
little saplings, many of them not even from the
same genetic seed stock, will provide the answer.
To mask the disastrous effects of exploitive log-
ging practices, industry apologists have advanced
the argument that logging mimics nature. This as-

~sertion is so far off base it verges on the obscene.

Clear cut logging hits the environment harder
than any natural phenomenon, No force in nature
takes all the trees, builds roads that continue to

_ undermine the environment long after they have
. been put to bed, burns the soil, and trucks the

largest trees off to a mill.

Before going on your next vacation try this ex-
periment: lift the hood of your car. You will be
famillar with some of the parts; you'll know what
the radiator looks like, and probably recognize the

"carburetor, but chances are there will be lot of

machinery whose function is obscure, Pull out
some of these small parts and throw them away.
Tell me how your trip tumed out.

Absurd behaviour? You bet. Yet we do same
thing when we clear cut hectare upon hectare of
ancient forest. We have the greatest biomass in
the world in our old forests. Scicntists are just be-
ginning to understand ihe importance of some
Species to the overall well-being of an entire
forest; only recently, for example, we have dis-
covered the importance of certain kinds of fungi
to mature {rees. Clear cutting ‘either impairs or
wipes out all kinds of creatures, plant and animal,
whose significance is not yet fully understood,

Everything we know about wilderness tells us
everything in it has some connection and beating
on everything else. In the forest the swamp is
connected to the meadow and in turn to the old-

- growth stand by riparian corridors, but we ignore

the fact that the dynamic of the forest plays out

. over the entire landscape by carving it up into

blocks, blocking those vilal life-sustaining cor-
ridors in the process,

Foresters talk about 80 and 100 year rotations
and indulge In all sorts of suspect practices like
slashing, burning and pesticides to speed up natu-
ral processes, Forests don’t work that way: a short
cycle is about 200 years and long one. 1500 or
more. To assume you “can shorten: this cycle
without adverse effect is foolish, We must

_ Tepudiate the politics of exploitation.

More next week.

EIEIO EEE

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 18, 1994 - C1

SECTION C

MALCOLM BAXTER 638-7283

All eyes on the north

RESPECT: that’s what northwest
gymnasts arc petting these days
from their southern counterparis.
With resulis like those achieved
at the May 7 ‘Provincial B’ B.C.
championships, it’s no surprise.
‘ Results like the zone 7 team
gold medal in the Tyro division

and Peaks gymnast Leah Graham '

taking third overall in the Open
division.

The Tyro- gold is all the more
significant in that the zone only
had four gymnasts that qualified
for that group, the minimum re-
quired fora team.

Eva Mateus and Kelly Julseth
of the Peaks joined Smithers
Saltos Catherine Mercier and

Kiara Schwab to take the title by
more than 10 clear points.

And Mateus missed a bronze in
individuals by the narrowest of
margins. Peaks spokesman Peggy
Julscth explained Mateus finished
-in a four-way tie for third.

-However, ties are nol allowed
in provincial championships ‘so
the result-went’ to a count-back
system which relegated her to an
‘official placing of sixth. —

“Tt could just as casily have |

been third,” Julseth said.

And that would have completed
a zone sweep of the medals, Mer-
cier and Schwab having finished
one-two overall,

**All zones had teams in, ” Jul

seth said, noting some would
have had more than 1500 pym-
nasis to choose from when put-
ting together their quartet.

In contrast, the northwest has

only cight ‘Provincial B’ gym-.

nasts and was therefore fortunate
to even be able to field a team. ©
With the Tyra and Graham ‘per-

formances following on the heels -
of regular Peaks medal-winning -

performances at other meets, Jul-
seth said southern.clubs are. now

-asking just what we’re doing up

here to achieve such results.”

Not that it was any great secret,
simply several years spent steadi-
ly developing an effective pro-
gram and a Jot of hard work, she

‘also. received more

added.

*‘Now we’rt starting to see the
resulls from alt that wor

For the Peaks, the leap forward
had almost taken them by sur-

_ prise. Explaining ihe immediate

goal had been to try and reach the
middle of the provincial pack, she
added, ““We went right by it
without even naticing.’’

It. was noticed. elsewhere,
though, ‘All the better meets are
now inviting us,’ she pointed

“out.

Julseth also noled the north had
tangible
recognition, Saltos coach Marcel
Dubroy being named B.C, Gym-
naslics coach of the year.

Soccer girls to face B.C.’s best

YOUTH SOCCER is in full swing these days with some of the most entertaining games being
played Saturday mornings. Abave, action from last weekend's Under-8s game between Team Y

and Terrace Chrysler. For results of last week's games, see the SCOREBOARD on page C10.

street is swept

In track

THE STOCK CAR season is only
one mect old, bul Dianne James
has already thrown down the
gauntlet in the ‘C? Street division.

James, behind the wheel of
#226, swept all three races in the
Mother’s Day opener, making it

clear she intends lo finish better _

than last year’s third,

And #226 was to lake the
chequered flag twice more before
the day was out, Jack Osborne
taking the ‘B’ Strect Trophy Dash
then producing a fine Gnish to the
day in the Jamboree. —~ ,

John Cloakey (#776) and Mark

Hogarth (#594) took the Heat and |

Main respectively to get. ‘B’
Street off 10 a tighi start.
Shane Meier opened with a

victory in the ‘A’ Street Trophy —
Dash, but. the rest of the aay

belonged - to Dennis Darby in
#594, .

» Opening day fAL
produced a couple of ‘more two-
time _ winners, Gord’ Klassen
taking the Heat and Main, Jules

Hobby.

opener

LaFrance the Dash and Jamboree.

Albert Weber, favourite in this
year’s Sportsman Class, also
compleled . a Dash-Jamboree
double while Dan  Thickett
crossed first in the ‘B’ Hobby
Dash and Heal,

Thickett and LaFrance finished
second and third respectively in
last year’s Hobby standings but
no longer have winner Brent
McCarron to contend with: he’s
moved up to Sportsman.

-*C’ Hobby saw a_ three-way
split between Elizabeth Cloakey
(Dash), Sharon Fagan (Heat) and
Dawn Tomas (Main).

‘The rivalries are expected to
shake down this weekend when

_the association stages a double
header at the speedway track, off
the Old Remo Road. —

Saturday's -iime trals go at 6
pm, . with .racing — getting
underway an hour later.

On Sunday, time trials go at 1
p.m. with racing starling at 2
pa Ti.

UNDER-14 GIRLS soccer
teams face a silff test this
weekend,

That's when Terrace, Prince
George and Ketchikan,
Alaska, take to the Christy
Park pitches to pit their skills
against the B.C, Under-14
Squad,

Its all part of the Skeena
Valley Jamboree which takes
place Saturday and Sunday,
Co-sponsored by the Kitimat,
Terrace and Prince Rupert
youth soccer assoclations, the
event also features Under-16
action with the home town
girls facing opponents from
Hazelton, Kitimat, Prince
Rupert and Prince George.

For further information,

3710,

Soccer
school |
back

highly successful Credit Union.
soccer school, scheduled for.
July at Christy Park

Participants will be grouped
according to their age and
ability for sessions . with
professional teachers and

Canada Soccer Association
coaches,

The cost is $60 for those
, Tegistering before June 15, $75
" after that date. Apart from 15

“hours of instruction, each
participant also goes home with
a leather soccer ball and soccer.
school T-shirt,

The Terrace school runs
Monday to Friday, July 18-22,
from 9:00 a.m. until noon each
day. For more information and
regisiration form, contact the
Terrace and District Credit
Union.

a m Opening wind- -up
FASTPITCH '94 got off to a sun-soaked start at the North-

west Community Collega field over ihe weekend. See next
week's paper for results of the two-day ball battle,

call George Bujtas: at 635-

BACK AGAIN this year is the ~

pain
,