UPDATE: Since recording this interview yesterday, June 3rd, 2021, the RCMP (Canadian police force) breached the Waterfall Gate, a critical location for preventing the logging and road blasting equipment from moving further up towards the headwaters in Fairy Creek. We are publishing this without knowing what could happen next. Ten RCMP got past the gate in plain clothes, dressed as backpackers… almost unbelievable that they would go to these lengths to cut the last old growth trees in the island.
Every single person who shows up to camp, donates to the gofundme, makes calls, sends emails, and gets involved in what's happening is contributing to protecting these trees.
Show Notes:
Fairy Creek is the last high-production old growth forest in in Pacheedaht First Nations territory, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 10-15 feet thick, well over a thousand years old, these trees are the treasures of Vancouver Island's lush rainforests; only 2% remain standing, and if the saws keep running, it's a matter of a few years until they are completely gone.
My guests today, Carole Tootill and Joshua Wright have been instrumental to what has become one of the longest protests in history, the Fairy Creek blockade. 300 days of direct action, 160+ arrests, and thousands of supporters (now almost 50k followers on IG in less than 10 months)…
There are always two sides of an argument, multiple perspectives to consider and stakeholders to appease. All the forest defenders are asking for is a civil, open discussion. A recent poll in B.C. reported 92% of people disapprove of logging old growth. It is not necessary to cut old growth, but "they do it because they can." - Carole
"As long as there are human beings on this planet, there will be a demand for wood, pulp, and other forest resources, and there will be businesses that endeavor to meet that demand. Furthermore, those people who live and work in forests will always need to feed their families and put a roof over their heads; the stark inequities in our global economy increase the economic desperation that fuels illegal logging and poaching. The only realistic way to conserve our forests is to apply sustainable forest management practices—a conservation-and-livelihoods approach that the Rainforest Alliance has led since the late 1980s, and one that’s already proven successful on nearly half a billion acres of land around the world."
As Elder Bill Jones said, “We now must give a gesture to our Great Mother by saying no. The whole world is being run on a colonist extraction economy and it’s at the end of its “sucking” I call it. There are no resources left. I think we are trying to save the last remnants of our own sensitivities. Once the old growth is gone, there is no connection to our historic past.”
Links:
Fairy Creek Blockade on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/fairycreekblockade/?hl=en
Rainforest Flying Squad Links: https://linktr.ee/TheRainforestFlyingSquad
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/2b337bc5
May 30, 2021 Article: https://www.saanichnews.com/news/solidarity-for-indigenous-claims-over-tree-forest-lot-46-builds/
To contact Kyle, visit kylehuber.com or https://www.instagram.com/adventure_creator
