Outdoors

Wednesday, March 13,1991 — AI6

BOREAL OWL

CY HAMPSON photo

World’s boreal forests in danger

I have been reading everything that
I can lay my hands on in a vain
altempt to keep abreast of what is
happening to the great boreal for-
ests of Canada.

In 1990 alone, an area larger
than Alberta, Saskatchewan and
Manitoba combined were signed
over to logging interests via long-
term leases (McCrory, Canada’s
Future Forests Alliance).

In northern Alberta alone, the
provincial government has com-
mitted an area of 221,000 square
kilometres of boreal forest to cut-
ting. This is an area nearly the size
of the Maritimes and contains a
Japanese pulp mill which is the
largest in the world.

Little has been done in the
matter of acceptable environmen-
tal impact studies upon the great
drainage basin leading to the Arc-
tic via the Mackenzie River.

Will this fragile region regener-
ate? Where is the data? Does the
government have plans for substi-
tute plantations and could such
plantations successfully pinch-hit
for natural forests?

Not a chance! There is little
bio-diversity, which is essential for
the health of all the ecosystems.

Are we really ready to flush
these vast, long standing ecosys-
tems down the drain? Ecosystems
with incredible numbers of inter-
dependent plants, fungi, insects,
soft-tissued animals, vertebrates
and micro-organisms?

To say nothing of the Cree and
other native peoples who depend
upon the region for much of their
livelihood.

Is the public not entitled to
accurate information regarding the
hundreds of thousands of tons of
chlorine based chemicals, includ-
ing dioxins and furans, which will
be released into the rivers, lakes
and oceans from public lands?

What accumulative tolerance
levels are deemed acceptable and
how carefully will the emissions
be monitored? What are the provi-
sions for the enforcement of regu-
lations? Are such regulations real-
istic?

The public has many questions,
but few answers.

The people of British Columbia
and Washington have experienced
many recent examples of uncon-
trolled run-off, resulting in wash-
outs, flooding and excessive erO-
sion of lands.

The presence of forests tends to
store and pay out the release of
such waters over more extended

petiods.

With such vast, planned denuda-
tion of boreal forest watersheds,
what plans for effective water
control do the respective provin-
cial governments have in place?

Are the politicians aware of the
likely results of such wholesale
activities? Are there no reference
points or signposts available to
guide them in the wisdom of their
decisions?

We need only think of the ruin-

ous destruction of the vast forests
of Greece, of North Africa’s coas-
tal forest which is presently a
desert, and the once great forests
of Spain which have been reduced
to dessicated, eroded, unproduc-
tive, uninviting regions.

Current similar problems are
very apparent in Zanzibar, Malaya,
the great Amazon Basin.

Are our decision-making polit-
cians, in general, interested in
historical documentation?

Have we nothing to learn from
such regions as Showlow in Ari-
zona where selective logging is
practised, rather than destructive
clear-cutting?

Meanwhile, on the Peninsula,
several pairs of skylarks may be
seen at the Victoria airport, partic-
ularly in the extensive grassy area
south and west -of the terminal
building — the site of the pro-
posed golf course.

The males are just breaking into
full song. They may also be heard
at the Vantreight farm off Aldous
Terrace in Central Saanich.

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652-1665

DISTRICT OF NORTH SAANICH
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
ZONING BY-LAW NO. 684

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons who believe their
interest in property may be affected by the following By-Law will be
afforded an opportunity to be heard or to present written submis-
sions at a PUBLIC HEARING to be held in the Council Chambers,
Municipal Hall, 1620 Mills Road, North Saanich, B.C. on Tuesday,
April 2, 1991 at 6:30 p.m.

The purpose of Zoning By-Law No. 684, being “District of North

Saanich Zoning By-Law No. 464 (1983), Amendment By-Law

(1991), No. 2,” is to rezone that area described as:
“A rectangular parcel 62 metres long and 14 metres wide,
lying on unsurveyed crown foreshore fronting on the
northwesterly point of Strata Lot 4 of Strata Plan 923, North
Saanich District, and running into Blue Heron Basin on a
bearing of 132 degrees, 18 minutes and 45 seconds, 20
metres distant from and parallel to the existing Capital City
Yacht Glub Water Lease Number 515.” from M-6 Recreational
Zone to M-2 Yacht Club Zone.

3 The Capital City Yacht Club wishes to rebuild its existing deteriorat-
ing breakwater, and to do so, requires the water area to be rezoned
to the M-2 zone before the Ministry of Crown Lands will issue a
Water Lease and permit the required construction. The upland
owner of Strata Lot 4, Strata Plan 923, will be permitted to construct
a small float alongside the breakwater in exchange for granting
permission to the Capital City Yacht Club to carry out the
construction in the foreshore area fronting private property.

“WATER LEASE
Br

Copies of the above proposed By-Law may be inspected at the
North Saanich Municipal Hall, 1620 Mills Road, North Saanich,
B.C., between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday
between March 13, 1991 and April 2, 1991 inclusive, excluding

holidays.
Joan E. Schill

Municipal Clerk