Save the old growth from destruction
In response to the March 25 letter saying that our premier should stop the logging of old growth trees at Fairy Creek near Port Renfrew, for the past 30 years I have been urging the various provincial governments to pass legislation to stop all old growth logging in B.C.
Surely there is enough second growth to satisfy the needs of our logging industry, thus saving the last of our old-growth trees.
I soon will reach the age of 93, and I so hope to see such legislation while I鈥檓 still around to know the last one per cent of old growth is saved from destruction.
Daphne M. Taylor
Victoria
We must save our old-growth trees
Last summer we travelled from Victoria to Port Renfrew with our daughters so that they could experience the majesty and beauty of Avatar Grove, the ancient forest.
We were mesmerized by these incredible gentle giants, many as large as 40 feet across and as high as 20 storeys.
It would be a travesty to 颅desecrate these last remaining ecosystems of sanctity.
The forests provide not only beauty for us to look at, but invaluable habitat for many of the animals that depend on it.
Our government has had a report done on handling old-growth logging and must act on this immediately.
Just like the Carmanah Valley protests that took place in the 1970s and 1980s, we must support and encourage the sheer dedication these young people possess.
They recognize the fragility of nature and the need to fight for what is sacred and disappearing alarmingly fast. This a perfect example of a David and Goliath story.
I just pray that we as a society realize it is far better to have more Davids than pillaging 颅Goliaths.
We must act now and start promoting these iconic significant examples of Mother Nature in our tourism sector. They are far more valuable to our province as an 鈥渆co experience鈥� than as a 颅unsustainable commodity.
Rachel McDonnell
Victoria
Great Bear forest has lots of old growth
A letter-writer quoted a statistic often used by environmentalists, that there is 鈥渓ess than one per cent of old growth remaining in coastal B.C.鈥�
What does this mean, exactly? How do they define 鈥渃oastal B.C.鈥�?
I would assume it would include the Great Bear Rainforest, an area more than double the size of 91原创 Island, where 85 per cent, mostly old growth, is off limits to logging.
You don鈥檛 even have to do the math to see that it鈥檚 simply not possible for both statistics to be true.
I have been on the side of saving the environment, including the old-growth forests, for some 50 years. In that time I have seen environmentalists who vastly exaggerate, and outright lie, in their zeal to promote the cause.
I wish they could learn that destroying their own credibility will only continue to make 颅matters worse for the rest of us.
Stephen Pierrot
Saanich
Ample cause for complaint
Complaining about things can be a disagreeable option, but often it can is the correct one.
When things go wrong, the proper response is to identify and try to correct them. The two ladies who were punched on downtown Victoria streets have no reason to regard the city as a safe place; indeed, they would be foolish to do so. Should we deny this problem that is becoming increasingly obvious?
Beacon Hill Park, one of the gems of this beautiful city, has been rendered unsafe for many citizens, including some city workers trying to go about their prescribed business. Should we ignore this, or complain and attempt to remedy the situation?
I鈥檓 a frequent cyclist and driver. I have seen scads of money spent on bike lanes that produce a very small return in relation to cost, while 颅impeding efficient auto traffic in what looks like a deliberate manner. Should I raise the issue, or hold my tongue?
Above all, many people see a mayor and council 鈥� some of them non-residents 鈥� who seem to have decoupled their decision-making from the clearly expressed wishes of the citizenry.
Should those citizens hold in their frustration and anger, or have they the right to express it?
To be a constant complainer is a very disagreeable way to go about life, but to not complain when you have reason to do so is to accede to a life of chronic 颅disappointment and unhappiness.
The citizens of Victoria have ample cause for complaint.
Michel Murray
Saanich
There is a reason why we complain
Her Majesty鈥檚 Loyal Opposition complains all the time. That鈥檚 its job. City council has no formal opposition; that鈥檚 our job.
City democracy relies on the voices of its citizens to act as a check and balance against the tendency of its elected bodies to become authoritarian.
To complain about complaining is to stifle dissent, which is essential to ensure that the powers of the elected are not being abused.
We have a city council that鈥檚 pursuing a radical agenda based on the support of about 40 per cent of the voting electorate.
Where there鈥檚 no consensus, the complaints will come loud and often. That鈥檚 a good thing.
Fortunately, we have a free press; the Times 91原创, for one. So keep it up. Complain even louder. Don鈥檛 give up our city to a smattering of special interest groups.
Kevin Galichon
Victoria
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