January 10, 2021, Unceded Pacheedaht Territory:
The San Juan River, flowing into the Pacific Ocean on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, feels different than most island rivers. This majestic coastal river ecosystem is of a scale one is more accustomed to seeing on the mainland. The meandering braids of the broad estuarine area it shares with the smaller Gordon River, sometimes cloaked in mist that hides the mountains of the surrounding valleys, are home to everything from salmon and steelhead to giant green sturgeon. The area around the watershed is also home to the biggest trees still standing in socalled Canada, such as the Cheewhat Cedar, the San Juan Spruce and the Red Creek Fir.
Since August 10, 2020, grassroots blockades have continuously defended the headwaters of Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) – the last unlogged tributary of the San Juan from being clearcut by Teal Jones Group and its contractors [1]. This is the longest sustained direct action of its kind in this region since the infamous Bear Mountain treesit in Langford (2007-2008)[2].
Continue reading “Five Months of Direct Action Disrupt Old Growth Logging on socalled Vancouver Island”