up.

Preser waits.

for no one

Almost everyone has felt the
fairytale magic of a ‘coastal rain
forest. There are few experiences
in life that can make man feel as
close to nature as the silent,
unhurried pace of a cool mist
rising from quiet streams, sut-
rounded by a moss-covered,
carpet-like forest floor pierced by
rays of sunshine cutting through an
umbrella of aging trees hundreds
of feet tall and centuries old.

There is a "dream-like" quality to
a coastal rain forest, and in fact
"dream-like" might be the most
honest way to describe the scene.
Because in reality these fairytale
forests are only an illusion in time.
These forests are a living, growing
thing and like all nature they grow,
age, decay... and then begin again.
Those age-old trees, cherished by
so mnany, aren’t going to be there
forever. They don’t just sit there
waiting to offer the same experi-
ence.to our great-grandchildren as
they offered to us.

Some people, though, might have
difficulty accepting this simple fact
of life. They want to preserve
these natural wonders for all time
and they will do almost anything
to keep the "vandals" out. In fair-
ness, we must accept that these are
well-meaning people with good
intentions but if we look at the
forests around us we might ques-
tion their views. Are they right in
their efforts to keep indusiry out?
Or are they perhaps trying to pre-
serve these forests for the sake of
preservation alone and harming our
economy while they do it?

~ Let’s look at a few examples of

protected forests. The Cathedral
Grove forest reserve near Nanaimo

is one area where tourists are told

of the wilderness experience. that
awaits them. Hiking trails through
700 year old stands of Douglas

fir... an untouched wilderness.

Obviously a tourists’ dream, well
worth saving... if you. don’t look

This pristine wilderness isn’t safe
for people. The trees are old and

dangerous. Branches, therefore,
‘ have been removed and the tops of

many of the trees have been cut
off entirely about 50 feet above the
ground. Jn reality all that’s left are
dying "stems", and this wilderness
forest is nothing: more than an
illusion. But there was little
choice. The only way to protect
the public was to trim the trees or
keep the tourists out. And no one
is about to accept the latter.

An isolated case? Look around
our own area, specifically at Fur-
long Bay. Since 1978 most of the
large trees have been cut down,
and every year more are cut, Or
Radley Park in Kitimat: 30 trees
were taken out last year and more
are scheduled to go this year.
Exchamsiks River: it was so dan-
gerous here that they moved the
campsite. You can look at the trees
but you can’t walk under them.

‘Prudhomme Lake: what were once

250-foot spruce and cedar have
been cut off at 30 feet... some
have been removed entirely. The
odd large tree has been left stand~
ing at Prudhomme because it was
considered to be safe, but these
will eventually. blow. down., -»...:5:

But we still try to preserve our
forests. There’s the Carmanah

Valley; touted as, "The home of.

the tallest sitka spruce. A national
cathedral forever." Through the
persistence of well-intentioned
people, the Carmanah Valley is
now a wildemess preserve, but not
forever. Once the trails are built
and tourists begin seeking the
"wilderness experience" these trees
too will become a hazard and they
will have to be cut down. In 10, or
maybe a 100 years, The Carmanah
Valley will look like our more
familiar wilderness areas; an illu-
sion of what once was.

So what is a wilderness area?
What are we preserving? It’s diffi-
cult to define because "wilderness"
is an individual vision, a percep-
tion govemed by the interests,
viewpoint and background of each
individual. For most people,
though, the words "wilderness
forest" mean "nature undisturbed
by man". A mysterious place of
natural beauty where you can feel

Pifer . — - continued from page AG

caster Gary Bannerman, was .
the lure:'to being Mr. Togo
from his-lair,: ,
After all; Bannerman was the
only media personality. to take
Peter’s and-Bill’s side. during ..
the headline days, often attack-
ing.new. colleagues. for. “hound-
ing” the two.men... -.
Welcome:back,. Mr. Tes from
all of. us. columnists! ay!

Parting Thought; "During. the
next. three weeks, sports. reparts
from: the: World Cup jn Italy,:.,
will fascinate.milligns, And

here in B.C., the morning
Province will carry regular of-
ferings from one Bob Lenar-
duzzi,.the highly talented and
respected coach of the Van-
couver 86ers, Lo,

So what has this to do with
provincial politics, you. ask? |
Well, all’ indications are that
one of the candidates for. MLA |
from Burnaby, for. the. ruling
Socreds in the next glection, will,
be.tijat Same ‘Mr. West. Coast
Soccer. The : Wot id, Cap.
posure won! >t hurt, ‘will ir Bb,

by Tod Strachan, in consultation with Rod Amold and Doug Davies

close to nature. And it’s usually
located near the Pacific coast
where the majestic spruce and
cedar grow.

But isn’t this a paradox? To feel
this closeness to nature you have
to go there. And when we do,
don’t we leave behind trails,
campsites, outhouses, litter... where
is the wilderness? Perhaps it might
be more prudent to stay away from
these areas, but unfortunately even
then our wilderness forests
wouldn’t stay the same. The would
age and die. And a new forest
would begin.

This leaves us with a bit of a.

dilemma, but not one without an
answer. A simple answer: manage-

ment. And in management, we.

have only two choices: do some-

thing, or nothing at all. And if we.
want pure wilderness, nothing is .

what we have to do. Stay right
away from the area and let nature

Panhandle...
tour
— continued from page AS

15-mile gap between the two
roads. Taylor recounted a state-
ment overheard from a B.C. polit-
ician. "When the road connects up
to the boarder, thousands of tons
of Canadian rock will turn into
tons of Canadian ore and then
we'd be foolish not to complete
the road.” -

With the completion of the road,
it is most likely that bulk commoad-
ities will go out by sea. But, "It’s
a two-way street". Mining activity
has a finite life, but a transporta-
tion corridor will go on forever.
Currently, ali traffic out of south-
east Alaska travels by air or by
ferry, to Seattle or to Prince Rup-
ert. With the ease of exit via a
road from Alaska, it is only com-
mon sense that travel and trade to
Terrace will increase, the Alaskans
say.

Taylor and Parker agreed, "Com-
mon sense tells us there should be
a land link to southeast Alaska —
for public traffic, commerce and
stability. We have to look further
than the mineral properties. We'll
gain some, we'll lose some. Over-
all, we'll both win. We have to
establish protocol in tourism and
investment. We’re a region, not a
province and a state. We stand to
gain collectively by pooling our
efforts.” "

Cominco’ A SNP manager + Merlyn ;

_ Royea says, VAs § a ‘businessman, J
need a road and ¢ don't care: from
which diregtion,* Oy bear vets,

take its course. . The Queen Char-
lotte Islands are a perfect example.
These islands offer a unique eco-
logical system that should be pres-
erved. Preserved, not for the large
trees, but because of the animal
and plantlife that would disappear
forever if the ecology of these
unglaciated islands were destroyed.

But what of management in other
locations? We know they can no
longer be described as wilderness
if we move in. We know that we
will kill the trees if we pile gravel
around their base to build perfect
gravel campsites and trails. We
know that, even without human
intervention, these forests will
change. If managed properly, how-
ever, we can have the best of all
worlds. All we need to do is
change a few of our ideas.

There are some areas that should
be logged. And if it’s done pro-
perly, the tourists can move into a
safe compromise that offers some-
thing of the wilderness experience.

Loggers, campers, hunters, hikers, _

trail bikers... all can have what
they want. But not necessarily in
the same spot at the same time,
generation after generation. Not to

- gay this is an impossibility; just

unlikely. In most cases, moving an
activity to a new location from
time to time might offer something

better than that which already
exists. As nature changes, so must
we,

And while you’re thinking of
managing these areas, forget the
idea that everyone can use the
same mountainside at the same
time. “Integrated management" is a
misunderstood and misused term.
It can’t be a reality. Loggers fall-
ing trees on tents would be shot by
the hunters. But if you can think of
"successive multiple use", you
might have a concept that’s worka-
ble. For this, though, we may have
to wait for society to mature a bit.

Because it is society that must
decide what is most important in
an area and then determine the use,
or order of users, that is most
appropriate. First we need to ask
ourselves, "Should we preserve it?"
And if so, at what cost? Should we
save the plants and give up the
potential wealth of logging? Give
up the recreational experience?
Keep everyone out? Or can we
have ital?

For the answers, the whole per-

ception of the forest industry and

the public has to change. Because
If we save trees simply for the
sake of saving them, eventually
we'll end up with something quite
different than we bargained for.

the Inn of the West.

tree.

a skit by hospital persénnel.

Auction offers vanishing art form

An example of a unique art form, birch bark biting, will
be one of the original treasures that a lucky bidder will ac-
quire at the gala auction to be held Saturday, June 16, at

Angellque Merasty of Bear Lake, Saskatchewan, i is the
last known creator of the art of ‘’biting’’ and her pieces are_
to be found in Museums across Canada, the latest being ac-
quired by the Flin Flon Library for over $1,000.

At the age of 20, Angelique learned the art from Susan
Ballantyne, her mother, an outstanding artist, and has
developed arid perfected her designs. The designs are ‘‘in
her head’’ and each is individual.

The search for and selection of the proper birch tree and
the treatment of the bark are an important part of the pro-
cess. Birch bark selected may have up to ten layers of skin,

_ with perhaps only 5 or 6 usable, and it must be soft and
supple. Sometimes it takes several days to find the right _

But now Angelique’ s few remaining teeth are becoming
loose and she fears she will not be able to carry on. With
no daughters of her own and no young person to teach, she
thinks the practice will die out when she has to stop.

The auction and gourmet dinner is being held to raise
funds for the-R-E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation and will
feature many original and outstanding items, including:
paintings by Roy Vickers, W. Viserman and others; unique
fossils and petrified wood; articles donated by politicians
and well-known people, plus many surprises.

The guests will be able to view the objects, before and.
after the dinner; the entertainment will include singers and

~The aliction and dinnér ticket price is‘ $50" (a $30.00 tax”
-- déductible teceipt may be issued). Tickets,may ‘be-obtained >:
. fron Bill McRae, 635-5320, Marlaine: Webber, 635-6948, or" \
Mills Memorial Hospital, 638-4021": *

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