Press Release
November 25, 2013
‘Dakota Bowl Bear Sanctuary’ Lives Another Day

Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) is pleased to announce that a BC Timber Sales (BCTS) logging proposal (TFL A79517 – 50.4Ha, or 124.5 acres) in the Dakota Bowl Watershed (Sunshine Coast) failed to receive any bids from logging contractors. BCTS has removed the block until further notice. Since it was first posted, ELF had expressed concerns about the loss of this key old-growth forest and the way it was planned out.

ELF named this forest the ‘Dakota Bowl Bear Sanctuary’ after sighting a high number of potential and active bear den sites. This information triggered a Ministry of Environment biologist to conduct a bear den survey this past October. His report (pending) will examine bear den habitat conditions across the entire Howe landscape unit, and the role this forest plays in providing den options.

The closing date for BCTS to receive bids on A79517 was Thursday, November 21st. Late Thursday afternoon, ELF received an email from BCTS’ Forest Manager, Don Hudson stating: “We did not receive any bids today. We will likely retender next Spring”.

“This is excellent news, as it allows more time for the truth to be told about this forest zone.” Ross Muirhead of ELF says. “There could have been a number of factors why contractors chose not to bid on the block, including the high cost of road construction across very steep slopes to reach the ‘mountain-top’ logging portion of the block. Contractors could have faced big time erosion problems due to 100% slope cuts to gain a road bed. It could have gotten ugly, really fast up there in a rain storm leading to untold shut-downs.” “We also have new information about the forest ecology in here, including finding culturally-modified trees (CMT) – not recorded by BCTS, black bear den sites, record size Mountain Hemlocks, pristine mountain lakes, and the fact that it’s the largest remaining old-growth forest of its type (at this elevation) on the Sunshine Coast.” states Hans Penner of ELF.

“We will continue to lobby BCTS to remove this old-growth block from their plans and focus on harvesting in previously logged areas, of which there are plenty.”

For more information contact:
Elphinstone Logging Focus
604-740-5654
www.loggingfocus.org

To read this current press release in pdf format click below:
ELF Press Release Dakota Bowl Forest Lives Another Day

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Categories: Press Release