....for peacefully trying to stop the clear-cutting of the coastal forests of Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island, Canada. Over 1000 people got arrested in the following years to stop the logging of these incredibly beautiful ancient forests. It was a campaign that went all over the world and to the Supreme Court of Canada where 3 out of 5 judges ruled that Aboriginal Title existed, that the forests were proof of their traditional use (the trees held the markings of use for canoes, bark stripping, etc.) and that their history was being destroyed. Aboriginal Title in Canada went down in the history books then and has been used in many court cases since.
But it didn't stop the logging. 35 years later, the last 2% of these ancient forests remain on Vancouver Island. There are many First Nations People who for care for the land and try, often alongside non Native people, to stop the destruction, while government and industry divide and conquer. Jobs at any cost.
I was among the first of the protestors in the 80s to get arrested. I was given a fine or jail time and I chose to go to prison. The Attorney General at the time declared that if we were going to do time, we were going to do hard time.
Off I went, handcuffed in an airplane, to maximum security at Okalla prison, notorious for its decrepit standards and hard nosed women inmates. We (there were 6 of us) were put into a cell with two institutionalized women who would rather kill someone than be released. If these two tough lovers even walked down the corridors to go to the gym or other facility, the whole prison would go into lockdown.
I was sentenced to 8 days for inciting the media and was one of the last to be released. So I fasted, called the media when I could and otherwise learned a whole lot...an experience I recommend for every politician.
A tremendous amount of time, energy, money and dedication has gone into trying to stop the destruction of the forests, land , waters, wildlife, etc. especially in the 80s and 90s. Here and now, on Vancouver Island, people are being pitted against loggers, police and First Nations in a battle to try to protect one of the last unlogged watersheds.....Fairy Creek. The Rainforest Flying Squad, as the protectors call themselves, are stationed at a few places where some of these last giant trees still stand (the RFS have been there all winter) and have decided not to pack up and go home after the logging company got an injunction against them. One local First Nations Elder has supported them throughout it all.
It is disgraceful that the government, after study upon study, (a great stalling tactic) where 94% of B.C.ers supported an end to the logging, has allowed things to come to this.
What is the saddest part of it all is that these incredible giant trees and forest, that have withstood thousands of years of extreme coastal weather conditions, are being destroyed within hours. Along with them go the night time flying squirrels, the giant salamanders, Marbelled Murrelet nests, owl dens, heron, eagle and osprey nests and so much more wildlife, plant, insect, mushroom and other species that depend upon them. That is a huge book with still much undiscovered.
If, after all these years and not much has changed, if these last species go, then it is possible we will be going down that same path.
Driftwood Hangings……These driftwood hangings show the beauty of how time and the coastal elements shape and mold the trees to their environment. These twisted pieces of wood hold stories of growth throughout hundreds of years. I find these pieces on the shores of remote beaches or lakes, nothing is harmed in the use of these. I love the beauty of these ancient forests and once gone, they will never exist again.
It was an honour to stand for the trees with you and your family but saddens me greatly that not much has changed to save the old growth forest....sigh. You cant say we didnt try!