sears battle ainfo Stories by SALWA FARAH THE KERMODEI BEAR walks a fine line amidst the environ- mentalists, loggers, natives and government now fighting over B.C.’s coastal rainforest. And in the heart of the debated area is the bears’ most frequented habitat, Princess Royal Island. , But a new bear has threatened to overshadow efforts to preserve that area. Greenpeace is campaigning to put a halt on logging all coastal temporate forests, a vast area of B.C.’s mid and north coast they are calling the Great Bear Rainforest. ’ The area roughly spans from Knight Intet, opposite the northern half of Vancouver Is- land, lo as far north as the Alaskan border. But the sa-called Great Bear Forest is not recognized and government agencics in charge of protecting wildermess have received no proposal for it. Greenpeace protesters have set up camp on King Island near Bella Coola, and have stopped the logging operations of Interna- tional] Forest Products. Arrests are expected this week ta enforce a court injunction prohibiting protesters from blocking logging operations. ‘One of the longest standing park proposals in the area is known as the Spirit Bear Wilderness Park, a project of the Val- halla Wilderness Saciety aimed at preserv- ing Princess Royal Island and other nearby inlets, amid for — rest Kermodei stalks map of contested coastline The province’s Land and Resource Man- agement Plan office has agreed to study a portion of the area for possible protection, But of the 265,000-hectare Valhalla proposal, only 85,567 ‘is being protected’ while it’s considered for protection. That number dissappoints Wayne McCrory, wildlife biologist and coordinator for the propased Spirit Bear Park. “We appreciate the recognition, but when, you look at the map, the largest areas are probably only postage stamp sized —- none of which will be ecologically sound,”’ says McCrory about the Central Coast LRMP study area. ‘Tt's totally unacceptable that they’ve left oul critical sensitive areas like Green In- let,””’ McCrory explained, adding that log- ging in the area is on the verge of being ap- proved, McCrory says the logging moratorium there must be expanded to cover a much larger area. Scott Benton, process coordinator for the Central Coast LRMP, says a larger moratcrium is unrealistic. “Tf the province was to put a moratorium on everything that was being proposed, then potentially there would be a large amount of economic activity pul on hold,” said Benton. Valhalla’s Spirit Bear Park proposal en- compasses the lower half of Princess Royal Island including Swindle Island, north west to Campania Island and east to the main- PROPOSED SPIRIT BEAR PARK Hacate Strait ° SY STUDY AREA BOUNDARY ak a: en ancl} oN 100 kilometres oN wtp ea Teds * *. 1 nan hefen follow atterthat. on, oe There are-over 60 salmon streams in the. : georey a ast ~ DOTTED LINE marks the Spirit Bear Park proposal urged by environmentalists. The smaller area within that is the study area being considered by government agencies. Greenpeace protests are taking place near the southern edge of map. Global warming to bring floods, alter forests | MENTION global warming to people in. northem B.C. and the reaction you get is ‘Bring it ou.’ But a new Environment Canada report confirms the theory that the global climate is changing, with harsh con-. sequences, Expect a significant rise — 30 to 50 centimetres — in sea level along the northem coast of B.C., a transformation of foresis and a lot more destructive flooding. “Global warming is a gradual thing that may have already started,”’ says Eric SYMBOL OF TERRACE: This Kermadei bear was flown to paradise — Princess Royal Island — after being captured by conservation officers just north of town. land connecting with Fiordland recreation area. “'The beauty is that it’s the only proposal on the- coast that’s still possibic to protect with mainland valleys,’’ MeCrory said, ex- plaining. the proposed: park would, connect with Fiordland, Kidope and Tweedsmuir provincial parks. , Bruce MacNicol, northwest regional op- erations manager for West Fraser Timber, says the company has logging operations in progress near Princess Royal Island, within 80 miles of the present Greenpeace protests. . ‘It's not that far from our operations,” MacNicol said of the protests. ‘Bul they haven't shown up at any of our sites so Timber from there is barged up the coast to the company’s North Coast. mill’ in Prince Rupert, and a significant amount of it is trucked inland to Terrace to be turned _into lumber and chips at Skeena Sawanills. Logging operations aren't presently going on in the area being sought for the Kermodei bear preserve on Princess Royal Island, Ce MacNicol! says West Fraser plans to build logging roads on the north end of Princess Royal Island — outside the study area, but within the proposed Spirit Bear. Park — i Bea ray ; _ about five years fram’ now. Logging would proposed Spirit. Bear park worth about $800,000 per year explained McCrory. “We've documented the salmon value — the long term value far exceeds short term profits from logging,’’ said McCrory. McCrory added his group is on good terms with the Kitasoo band, whose tradi- ‘tional territory is part of Tsimshian land claim negotiations. But Kitasoo band manager Percy Starr, | who has condemned Greenpeace for its ac- tious and requested protesters leave tlic ter- tilory, says Valhalla is wrong to claim the Kitasoo endorse the proposal. , He said the environmentalists base that on a conversation with one Kitasoo hereditary chic£ that does not necessarily reflect the consensus of the band. ‘Most of the time we don’t see eye to cye with the environmentalisis. We accept the fact that there is nced for a Spirit Bear Park | and we are prepared to look at it,’’ said Starr. o “But history has told us that we've been used and we are saying no more,” he ex- plained, adding that they want to take con- trol over land management that would in- corporate important clements like medi- -onto the next ‘last valley’.”’ cinal plants. Starr slressed that jobs are very important to aboriginal communities. He said thal lalks with Western Forest Products over the past two years will likely produce ‘more employment for the community. — “T myself have lived off the fat of the. land, but times are changing and develop- ment is needed.” While he’s not completely happy with the 14to 16 part time jobs employing Tsim- shian people there, he sees things improv- ing, slowly. “McCrory understands the Kitasoo’s desire for jobs, but argues the jobs provided are only short-term ones, wilh the majority going to the lower mainland. ‘‘What we're saying is if you keep over- culting, then you’re out of jobs,’’ said McCrary. The. Central Coast LRMP land manage- ment process starls in a week and is ¢x- pected to last for two years. ~ Back in West Fraser’s offices, MacNicol is not sympathetic to the Greenpeace and _ Valhalla demands. “lt seems as soon as they get that piece in their pockei, they’re not satisfied, they geo Co awe “1 ays ‘ resgiky oscpeay But he’s also fighting on another front, Ecotrust, an alliance of Orcgon-based conservationists and Haisla natives, was the organization behind the campaign to preserve the Killope River valley a few ycars ago. West Fraser voluntarily and without com- pensation gave up all rights to log the 317,000-hectare Kitlope in 1994 — to the applause of environmental groups and then- Premier Mike Harcourt. Now Ecotrust is angling for preservation of the Kowesas watershed adjacent to the Kitlope. - That’s an irritation for MacNicol, because he says the company had an understanding with the group that no further demands would be made on the- company after preservation of the Kitlope. They don’t seem to recall that conversa- tion,”? MacNicol said. ‘It’s dissappointing. When you do something like thal you don’t really get any accolades for it from the en- vironmental movement.” “Tt seems as soon as they get that piece in their pocket, they’re not satisficd, they go _on to the next ‘last valley’, Tt seems to be a never-ending agenda.” The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 25, 1997 - AS White bear an Ice Age antique Stayed warm on Charlottes LEGENDS OFTEN carry with them a seed of truth trom the past. —— The legend of the white bear goes back to the time of the Ice Age. Tsimshian lore says that the Raven. de- cided to leave a reminder thal once. the land was cov- ered with snow, and he ere- ated the Kermodci bear. It is only now, 270,000 years later, that things have begun heating . up. ‘as biclogists discover the Queen Charlotte Islands was actually a biological refugium. A biological refugium is an area that was nol covered by ice during the Ice Age. This - refuge owas. a sauctuary for plants. and wildlife that migrated into these ice-free pockets, Is now. believed black bears “ were among _ the species that beaded to. the Charlottes lo avoid the Ice Age — and while there some of them developed into Kermodei bears. “Haida Gwaii (the Char- ‘lottes) was thought of as a possible refugium for 50 years now,” says University af Victoria graduate biology student Ashley Byun. The biogeographical study looked at molecular se- quences from coastal bear DNA, Byun said. The research has resolved the long-running debate and concluded the Charlottes and a now-submerged area of continental shelf did pro- vide a large cnough area ta support the survival of a complete ecosystem through the Ice Age. well ye ay tr ote There are different reasons. ;- why tle id neVel mide it a3 * far.as the Hecate Strait, one of which was dryer weather. Two other refugiums have already been established. One to the north in Alaska and another just south of the border in Washington. - “Using DNA’ sequences, we found two very different lypes of black bears,”’ ex- plained Byun, Kermodei bears, accord- ing to this study, are a sub- species of the black coastal bear. In order for a species to develop unique features, there must be a long period of isolation. =: That isolation is believed to have taken place on the Charlottes in the Ice Age. “Tf the (Kermodei) popu- lation are really these glacial relics, then it lends some consideration to conserva- tion efforts,” said Byun about the bears possible stalus as a glacial antique, Taylor from Environment Canada, ‘Tt is somewhat masked from year to year — but the temperature throughout B.C. is rising,”’ says Taylor. Unfortunately, warm air holds more water and that translates to more precipi- tation, explained Taylor. While the Skeena River was nol part of the study, the Kitimat River was, and there has been an annual increase in flow with a projected increase of seven per cent annually. Spring will also arrive several weeks _ earlier than normal bringing with it a Taylor explained that there are many factors involved in the rising emissions. With expanding economies and high - population numbers it is unlikely’ that there will be a reduction. The forestry industry also produces a surge in river flow of about 10'per cent. The burning of fossil fuels is the main culprit responsible for global warming. Cars and manufacturing industries both contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions are only increasing and it is unlikely that they will be stabilized by the year 2000 as projected earlier, fair ammount of greenhouse gas, but it is also responsible for removing one of na- ture’s best air filters — trees. “Studies say that trees do absorb car- bon dioxide, They are known as a green- house sink.: When you cut down trees, they are no longer available to’ absorb gas,’’ explained Taylor. - [t lakes about 30 years fer a tree to be- come an effeclive greenhouse gas scrub- ber. : oe These changes are inevilable, Taylor says, and communities will have to adopt long term plans to deal with the prob- household. lems. The B.C. government is continuing at- tempts to limit gas emissions through en-- ergy efficient transportation alternalives, but there are big forces in the economy at-play. es ‘Car dealers would not be happy,’ says: Taylor aboul the ~ prospect of restricting the number. of. cars per, Taylor also added. that. cities will also have to look into long-term planning to determine the frequency and severity of flooding ani build accordingly. Suzuki disputes second growth miracle By JEFF NAGEL DAVID SUZUKI is denouncing as ir- responsible claims that the northwest can expect its logged forests to grow back way faster than previously estimated, Suzuki, in a wide-ranging interview with the Stendard, took aim at district foresters who last month said intensive forest tend- ing has dramatically speeded growth in replanted areas. The biologist, environmentalist and au- thor said such statements lead people to be- ~ Heve forests can be “managed.’” “He's absurd,” Suzuki said. ‘‘Anybody who says we know enough to marlage 4 forest is either slupid or lying, “Any scientist that makes these claims is absolutely irresponsible,’” Forest ecosystems are made up of soil, in- sects, fungus, microorganisms and probably components yet to be understood, lie said. “We have uo idea what the components of a forest arc,’’ he said. ‘How can anyone say we can manage this? What we have are a group of people who equate a tree planta- tion with a forest, You don’t have to go beyond grade three to know a tree planta- tion is not a forest.” — , Foresters can select species for fast growth and give the illusion of better growth, he sald, but proof it’s sustainable takes more than onc or two crop rotations. He said the same mentality has led to the cutting down of trapical rainforests to be replaced with introduced species. “We think we can treat forests like ‘they’re domesticated plants, But we've had enough. experience in agriculture. and fisheries that we should realize’ monocul- ture is nal the best way fo manage.” Suzuki despises lines on maps that con- found sensible resource management... The Alaskan. panhandle — with -rivers. first in B.C. and later in Alaska — is a. prime ex- ample of things that make no sense, he said. -“7'd like-to see a raiding party go in, snip. (il) off and reclaim it,” Suzuki said of the Panhandle. ‘‘As if our trees will suddenly grow their roots a different way because there’s a border there, or that salmon will behave differently when they cross the bor- der, IVs crazy.” But the real ‘joker’? that threatens every- thing is global warming, Suzuki says. “Global warming: and-climate change is just galloping at.us and it, may. trash the boreal forest anyway.”? _ 7 ‘All models indicate the effects of warm- ing ‘will: be. much ‘more pronounced in northern areas, le sald, leading to more fires, pests, and widespread extinctions, “Plants and animals will have to shift north or die off, he said, ‘‘A lot of ecosystems won't survive — they'll just die oul.” David Suzuki