Callout – Dec 1
Hello Elders,
As we stagger through daily news of flooding, burst dikes, and more, we wait in vain for a provincial government announcement that forest practices will be reviewed in light of this month’s disasters. It’s a lot easier to blame everything on a ‘once-in-100-years natural disaster that couldn’t have been predicted’—a paraphrase of Mike Farnworth’s response to why his government wasn’t better prepared—than to buckle down and look at root causes, such as clearcut logging.
But we’re still here and we’re not giving up. Last Wednesday many of us gathered for a very moving Rise Up For The Fallen procession through the streets to the Legislature, stopping on the way for speeches, drumming, dancing, and recognition of all the trees, people, and species that have been lost in this ‘Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek struggle. The giant slice of ancient 1,200-year-old tree, carried through the streets on strong shoulders and raised at the entrance to our Legislature, was a symbol of our resistance and determination.
Keep it up!
Yours,
Susan & Jackie
PS: Still no word from the three judges weighing in on the injunction appeal. We’ll keep you posted. |
|
Judge Thompson Weighs In
Last week Nicole Jaques was one of the first forest protectors to appear in court, charged with criminal contempt for her actions at ‘Ada’itsx. While she was fined $1,500 by Judge Thompson, it would appear that the judge had nothing but regard for Nicole Jacques. He noted that she is an “upstanding member of the community” who teaches dance, works in a café, helps with shelter and food costs for her partner’s children, and struggles to make ends meet. “She feels despair at the continuing loss of important natural habitat and believes it is her duty to future generations to try and save what remains,” he said, taking into account that Jaques admitted to her contempt early on.
The judge said that as a group, those found to have been in contempt of court under the injunction are “respectful, intelligent, and peaceable by nature.”
“While militant in the sense that they believe strongly and are willing to go so far as illegal action in support of the cause of protecting what remains of old-growth temperate rainforest, they have generally been disciplined adherents to the standards of non-violent disobedience. Ms. Jaques fits this mould,” Thompson said.
“And, following a recognizable tradition of those in the past who have been driven by their conscience and motivated by the common good to disobey laws, she now steps forward without complaint or hesitation to accept the consequences of her civil disobedience.”
(Quotes from a Nov 25 Times Colonist article.)
|
|
Two Actions of the Week
When will our forestry policy be reviewed?
Help our politicians make the link between clear-cut logging, forest fires, flooding, and landslides.
Phone
a) your MLA,
b) Mike Farnworth, Minister for Public Safety, and
c) Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development.
Point out that scientists, foresters, Indigenous leaders, and community activists have repeatedly shown a connection between clearcut logging, forest fires, landslides, and flooding—see Nov 19 Globe & Mail article—and that it’s time to revise the current system of logging, a cause of such devastation in BC.
Old-growth forests are essential in the battle against climate change.
Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders—Rein in the RCMP!
Last week the RCMP, in a military action, arrested many Wet’suwet’en land defenders protecting the Sacred Headwaters, including three journalists covering the conflict. Axes and chainsaws were used to break into the tiny house where many of the defenders peacefully sheltered. Use this LeadNow.ca link for information and to take action.
As well, the RCMP has admitted that they had been previously tracking journalists Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano in a police database. To protest the treatment of land defenders and journalists, use The Narwhal’s link to write the new Federal Minister of Public Safety, Mark Mendicino. Here’s a chance to add your voice in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and in defense of press freedom.
|
|
|
|
Gidimt’en Checkpoint, Wet’suwet’en territory
|
|
Rise Up for the Fallen
~ Jackie Larkin
Thanks so much to all of you who were able to make it to the Wednesday, Nov 24, Victoria Procession to the Legislature, a very moving Indigenous-led event. I hold within so many images, remember the fierce ceremonial words spoken, feel the drum beats resonating.
We gathered at the Victoria Central Library. Signs appeared. A very large, very heavy ‘cookie’ of a 1,200-year-old tree was unloaded from a flatbed onto a small wheeled platform, stabilized by twenty hardy folks. We began moving, slowly.
Throughout, we were held in ceremony by Indigenous Elders, Matriarchs and Chiefs: Elder Bill Jones (Pacheedaht); Chief Ye-Kue-Klas (Sonny) of the Gwat’sinux-Kwakwaka’wakw in regalia, who was accompanied by his mother Tlax-Gwah-Nee (Fran Wallace); Paul Chiyokten Wagner (W̱SÁNEĆ); Grandma Losah (Tla’amin); and Charlotte Jones (Haida). Along the way we were supported and inspired by a powerful group of Indigenous drummers.
|
|
The energy was strong, and we held it in our hearts. Following are a few words from some of the settler Elders who joined:
-
Bittersweet…close to tears much of the time thinking about the devastation occurring in our forests. Good to sing with and listen to the elders.
-
So powerful when Hereditary Chief Sonny began to dance around the cut-log piece and give the energy to it with his staff, to rise it up. I found that circle dance and the determination of…the young people to rise that piece up as the most powerful moments.
-
How much gratitude, intermingled with a shared grief I feel in the midst of you all. The protest yesterday helped me feel less alone in all of this.
-
Moved to tears by the speakers, and it was amazing to witness the installation of the “biscuit.” The banners with the names of fallen trees were a powerful reminder of what we have lost and are losing; hopefully, that will be repeated at all future protests.
-
Walking the streets, following Indigenous drummers while side by side with so many fellow citizens with the same goal to save the last of our ancient forests, was heartwarming. The speeches particularly by our Indigenous leaders…gave me hope for our future.
-
I appreciated the wise words of the chiefs and elders and learnt a lot about Aboriginal education and cultures, particularly of the“W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
-
My heart was sorrowful but filled with comfort to be sharing sorrow with inspiring, committed company.
-
Sometimes, like once in a very, very long while, events conspire to channel great intentions into brightness. That happened last night—the weather, the lights, the people who were needing a boost after almost a year and a half of persistence. The centerpiece was the round or “cookie” cradled like a gong in its sturdy standalone frame weighing one tonne, which is less than 1/300th of the total mass of that tree. Such a massive life form…placed in the seat of our civilization was like a mirror of what we do to ourselves when we “conquer” nature. We take a life form on which we actually depend for the air we breathe and render it inert.
The Elders for Ancient’s placards depicting lost forests and threatened species contributed visually to the event, accompanied by four tall cloth trees waving in the breezes!
On the way, Indigenous leaders held ceremony at three intersections. At the last one, we stopped to honor and remember the fallen forests, the threatened species, and land defenders who have passed. In call-and-response we spoke their names: “We honor, we remember Caycuse….We honor and rise for Eden Grove…We honor and remember Marbled Murrelet….”
The following was posted by Bobby Arbess on FB Walbran Central
The Indigenous-led ceremonial street procession…delivered a cross-section of a 1,200-year-old tree cut down by industry on Pacheedaht territory, installed and left [it] as an early Winter season gift for government in a carefully crafted arch in front of the Legislature—a testimony to the daily tragedy of the industrial extinguishment of the ancient ancestral forests on the occupied territories of so-called BC.
Speakers from many coastal Indigenous Nations shared traditional songs and important teachings; identified the deep and extensive harm inflicted on Indigenous people and lands from the legacy of colonialism; spoke of how the interrelated crises of climate change, wildfires, flooding, and deforestation present new threats to Indigenous culture and food systems, and the continued existence of Indigenous people; and called for unity in fighting to protect what little is left of the old-growth forests.
Toward the end of the event, the procession continued to the restricted Legislature parking lot at Government and Superior, where people occupied the entrance and exit of the parking lot in an attempt to meet face to face with MLAs—who have been MIA in responding to the concerns of their constituents over 15 months of the Fairy Creek blockades and a widespread call for an old- growth logging moratorium.
By midnight, dozens of MLA vehicles remained in their parking stalls, as elected leaders avoided interaction with people and were escorted instead by police into taxis at the other side of the Legislative grounds. VicPD officers, who had earlier threatened to arrest people who had defended their right to protest in that location, left the scene without further incident. Traditional Chief Ye-Kue-Klas (Sonny)…reiterated his call for an outright ban on old-growth logging, supported by the other speakers, including elder Bill Jones, W’SANEC land defender Paul Chiyokten Wagner, Grandma Losah and others.
Unfortunately, earlier in the day the Sergeant-at-Arms had canceled the scheduled Christmas lighting celebrations and children’s choir performances because of the protests, even after Indigenous leaders and event organizers had guaranteed that they would hold their event behind the building and ensure the children’s singing would be undisturbed.
The slab (cookie) delivered to the foot of the Legislature stairs was a magnificent Douglas fir until Teal-Jones toppled the giant at the base of Edinburgh mountain. Facing the front doors, this 8-foot cookie had a message written in forest green for all to see — Bobby Arbess.
|
Watch Rise Up for the Fallen in a 7-minute video from XRTV-Victoria—and please share widely!—and see a 107-minute livestream of the event here.
Harm was experienced within the BIPOC and allied community about the frame that was built to hold the 1,300 lb cross-section of the tree.
A posting on the Fairy Creek Blockade FB page included the following statement of apology and future learning for harm done:
“We acknowledge that organizers of the Rise Up for the Fallen event on November 24 suspended an ancient tree round in a hand-crafted wood frame in front of the BC Legislature which landed with members of the BIPOC community as re-triggering in its resemblance to a public lynching gallows.
It was a gross blind spot of organizers to not see that this installation resembled gallows, and this oversight is a learning opportunity to be more sensitive to the powerful impact of visual symbolism in public performance art. Going forward, we are committed to more inclusion of Global Majority (BIPOC) people in action-planning and to becoming more aware of how our privilege as white-settler activists blinds us to the lived experience of the Global Majority. We thank members of the community for their critical feedback and apologize for the harm done.” |
|
Upcoming Events
Dec 1, 3-5 pm, Wednesday Rally for Ancient Forests+Forest Protectors. BC Leg, Gov’t & Belleville. At 4 pm we’ll decide collectively if we would like to march with the Boat of Truth to the BellMedia building at Pandora & Broad, home of CFAX and Adam Stirling, Victoria’s worst mainstream media purveyor of lies and misinformation about RCMP violence and the ‘Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek blockade. Signs available.
Dec 1, Wednesday, 6-9 pm on Zoom, Grieving in Community, a free online gathering for Fairy Creek Land Defenders, frontline or otherwise, facilitated by Trina Woods and James Pratt. This is an opportunity to grieve what has been lost, and to witness each other, in community. Please email james@prattconsulting.ca for more info and to register. Space is limited.
Dec 8, Wednesday, 4-5 pm, Meet the Ministers, a Zoom chat on nature protection and climate action with Ministers Gilbeault, Murray and Wilkinson, sponsored by CPAWS. Please register ahead.
|
|
Bus to Fairy Creek—Sunday, Dec 5
The bus folks are hoping to have a bus trip to ‘Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek this Sunday, Dec 5, leaving Victoria at 8 am and returning by 7 pm, stopping in Duncan (and at the Harris Creek Sitka Spruce tree) along the way.
There will be lots of volunteer tasks—food, cleaning, organizing, etc.—at the camp.
For details, contact Fairy Creek Bus Service at fairycreekbusservice@gmail.com |
|
Update from the Front Lines
[Edited from Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page]
Nov 14 – Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page, 20th Report – 1168 arrests to date
Bound for Heli Camp, the helicopter’s rotors accelerate as loggers hop in. Their landing skids leave the same ground that once held healing circles and ceremonies at HQ before police destroyed the camps. This week we took back the Landback bridge–a victory we desperately needed. However, industry will stop at nothing to get their saws into every last ancient. When we cut off access to the areas slated to cut old-growth, they immediately start looking for alternate routes. These ecosystems depend on us being one step ahead.
Around 1 am on Nov 14, I gathered firewood on one of the rainiest nights at camp to date….I could barely see a few feet in front of me with heavy rainfall obscuring my vision….While bending to pick up branches, I was startled by a pair of bright yellow eyes staring at me. An owl perched on a branch barely four feet away, curious, watching. After what seemed like a lifetime of studying each other, I slowly reached up to take a photo. It sat still as if wanting its presence to be known by the world as if it came just to let me photograph it as if it knew that it needed to be seen to be safe. This was a Western Screech Owl, one of the threatened species that live in these stands of old-growth that are on the chopping block. This magical moment was darkened by the realization that this owl’s habitat and survival as a species are threatened by the logging that is scheduled to happen by River Camp any day now….
Some days it just feels like we hang out by a fire and do our best to stay warm. The reality is, we are the last line of defense for these towering giants so future generations can see them standing. Without our presence, industry would roll through with ease and these forests would cease to exist. It is our responsibility to tend to the crackling flame under the tarps protecting us from the rain, as RCMP shines their bright floodlights on us through the night, so these forests stand another day. The truth is, we need people on the ground to tend to these fires and to let the RCMP know we won’t stand down.
Weekly Report Nov 21-25: Day 473 of Direct Action Protecting Vancouver Island’s Ancient Temperate Rainforests on Ancestral Pacheedaht and Ditidaht Territory, 1171 arrests to date (+ over 300 illegal “catch and release” detainments).
On the frontlines, it still boggles our mind that we have to remain out in the cold, wind, and heavy rain to prevent corporate greed from ravaging the last of Southern Vancouver Island’s ancient temperate rainforest. We are holding out, even though it is still relatively quiet, likely due to the majority of the CIRG terrorizing land defenders on Wet’suwet’en territory. As we remain strong in the face of adversity there are certain groups, especially critics, who also find our valiant efforts extraordinary and, in some cases, unbelievable. “Who’s getting paid?” An RCMP officer chortled on the frontlines from behind the yellow tape one early September morning.…
Court cases remain ongoing for those arrested in the spring. When concerned citizens risk fines and incarceration as they fight for Indigenous sovereignty, climate disaster prevention, and to protect an invaluable ecosystem, it becomes apparent the system is broken.…”
|
|
Resources
Ecological Discoveries at ‘Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek: Zoom recording of a Nov 2 presentation by biologists at the Cowichan Library. EFAT members Jenica and Michael Waymen write: “This presentation is brilliant. We learned much we did not know about the importance of complete ecosystems. Did you know that an intact west coast forest ecosystem creates an aerosol effect…a sky river that affects rainfall on the prairies?” |
|
| Nov 27, CBC Fifth Estate, What the BC government knew about the flood threat
Nov. 26, Guardian Weekly, Spotlight: From fire to flood, A province battered by extremes “The flooding has been exacerbated by clearcut logging and the rate at which water is absorbed into the ground and the ability of root systems to hold water and stabilise soil. Without trees, heavy rains can wash large amounts of earth into nearby water systems, choking creeks and streams and causing them to quickly overflow.”
Nov. 26, CBC News, Canada’s climate change efforts going from ‘failure to failure,’ says commissioner’s report
Nov 25, Times Colonist, Judge fines woman $1,500 for blocking logging road, praises ‘respectful, peaceable’ protesters
Nov 25, CBC News, RCMP expected stiffer resistance during raid in B.C. pipeline, land rights conflict —a chilling report on the violent methods used by RCMP against land defenders in Wet’suwet’en territory.
Nov 25, Capital Daily, Despite promised reforms, Fairy Creek is far from over
Nov 24, Times Colonist, Les Leyne: Time for government to admit sun is setting on forestry jobs
Nov 24, Victoria News, ‘Just not replaceable’: Old-growth forest supporters march in Victoria for logging moratorium
Nov 24, The Tyee, Punishment for Pipeline Protesters, but Not for Pipeline Firm’s Violations? In the legislature, Green Leader Sonia Furstenau points out a stark contrast. “The B.C. government also restricted press freedom last summer by allowing the unlawful enforcement of media exclusion zones at Fairy Creek, she added. “I think all of us, no matter where we stand on these issues, should be deeply concerned….”
Nov 24, video of RCMP raid on Coyote Camp in Wet’suwet’en territory
Nov 23, CBC’s The Current, Protesters, journalists arrested at B.C. pipeline protest
Nov 23, Energy Mix, B.C. Flood Devastation Linked to Logging Practices ‘Without Question’, Experts Warn
Nov 22, The Narwhal, RCMP tracked photojournalist Amber Bracken in active investigations database
Nov 21, The Narwhal, ‘Put away your power saws’: First Nations leaders, conservationists have a new plan to protect old-growth
Nov 19, Globe & Mail, We can’t ignore the role deforestation plays in triggering devastating floods |
|
Inspiration!
Carol Matthews has written a new version of an old carol for these times in which we find ourselves. (To the tune of O Tannenbaum)
Seasonal Carol 2021
O Mother Tree,
O Mother Tree,
How lovely are thy branches.
Below the ground
And all around
Your threads and roots enhance us.
Mycelium is teaching us,
And new messages
are reaching us
O Mother Tree,
O Mother Tree,
We’ll honour and protect thee
|
|
