An Old Forest at risk - Again!
The Conservancy is concerned about plans of the operator of Woodlot W0039 on Gambier Island to begin clear-cut logging the pristine upper bounds of the Whispering Creek watershed shown here. This logging, which will include the construction of a road crossing the Creek, encompasses the area where the two tributaries of the Creek flow off Mt. Killam. The Conservancy is concerned about the loss of old growth trees in the planned cutblock, and the impact that logging could have on the water quality of the Creek and on species that inhabit the planned cutblock.
In response to these concerns, the Conservancy has launched an environmental monitoring project and has already undertaken an ecological survey with the purpose being to determine the presence of and protect any sensitive and threatened species within the area slated for logging. Conservancy director, Mike Stamford, professional biologist and longtime resident of Gambier Island, is leading the monitoring projects. The Conservancy is in communication with the Woodlot owners, emphasizing our concern about sensitive species in the planned cutblock and our plans to conduct ecological studies. We wrote in our letter dated 16 February, that we would be pleased to share this data with her, which she may find useful information to help manage the woodlot.
The monitoring project is responding to concerns raised by the Gambier Guardians, a local group of youth who initially brought to the public’s attention the imminent logging taking place and the values of old growth trees and threats to wildlife and fish. They produced a series of videos which can be viewed on YouTube here. They plan to continue monitoring anything that occurs in the planned cutblock, before, during and after any logging that takes place.
Emmanuel Gorgitiza, one of the Gambier Guardians, provided this interesting blog post for the Conservancy.
On January 25, 2021, Gambier Island Trust trustee, Kate-Louise Stamford, hosted a two-hour Zoom webinar and invited the woodlot manager and the woodlot forester to present the rationale for this logging and respond to questions. Here is an excerpt from her report on the webinar:
“The woodlot 39 Webinar was presented on January 25th to provide information about the Crown land woodlot lease 0039 as well as the upcoming planned cut in the Whispering Creek watershed. More than 70 people were able to attend the presentation by the lease representative, Claire Errico and the woodlot forester, Blair Wriglesworth. Claire and Blaire responded to about 50 questions that had been sent beforehand as well as several questions arising during the webinar. YouTube version here”
Unfortunately, some critical questions about the ecology of the planned cutblock were not addressed in the webinar. In particular, it was confirmed that the woodlot operator had not done any ecological studies of the area and that they were unaware of the documented presence of species at risk, species of concern, and flora and fauna that will be affected by the logging.