Learn to Draw Marbled Murrelets
In this session, we’ll be learning to draw marbled murrelets—an endangered seabird who depends on old-growth forests to thrive—with scientific illustrator Dr. Julius Csotonyi! Grab a pencil and join the fun!
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Teal Jones has begun logging in area with confirmed endangered marbled murrelet sightings
/in Featured Story, Forests, Media Centre, Press Clips, Press Releases /by Sierra ClubThis summer alone, there have been over 300 marbled murrelet sightings in the area that Teal-Jones is now logging.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 14, 2021
VANCOUVER / SOOKE xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səlilwətaɬ AND t’Suk TERRITORIES — Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee have received reports on the ground that Teal-Jones is now logging near Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) in confirmed valuable habitat for marbled murrelets, a federally-listed endangered seabird.
This weekend, Teal-Jones contractors moved equipment into the adjacent watershed of Granite/Renfrew Creek to access BC Timber Sales (BCTS) approved old-growth cutblocks, even though aerial surveying produced by the B.C. government showed the area to be a highly suitable potential nesting habitat for marbled murrelets. In early July, birders raised the alarm that marbled murrelets were nesting in the area. This summer alone, there have been over 300 marbled murrelet sightings in the area confirmed by marbled murrelet experts, including a recent survey.
Early Monday the RCMP escorted falling crews who began immediate active logging near ‘Heli-camp,’ a spur off the Granite Mainline forestry road, just outside the Fairy Creek Watershed Old-Growth Deferral Area. Marbled murrelets and their nests are ‘protected’ under the federal Migratory Birds Act and the provincial Wildlife Act, but protections are only triggered if a nest is found. Marbled murrelet nests are difficult to find because they’re located on top of moss-covered branches of old-growth trees, at least 40 feet above the ground.
“These laws were created without species ecology in mind, making them weak. Even when species are known to occupy an area during the breeding season, without a confirmed nest, there’s no habitat protection,” said Conservation and Policy Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee Charlotte Dawe. “Marbled murrelets build nests to be undetectable to predators like falcons, with eyesight eight times better than humans. It is ridiculous to think we’d be sufficient enough to locate every nest.”
Under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), a clause allows the federal government to take over provincial land management if they believe the province fails to protect the critical habitat of a species at risk effectively.
“Marbled murrelets will not recover if their critical habitat continues to be destroyed by logging. We need the federal government to act,” said Dawe.
On July 19, wildlife consultant Bernard Schroeder carried out a radar survey for marbled murrelets near this exact cutblock and observed a total of 97 murrelets within two kilometers of this location. The radar was able to detect murrelet activity at the top end of Granite Creek and into Fairy Creek watersheds, with at least 10 adults circling, which indicates proximity to a nesting location.
“The intact nature of the Fairy Creek watershed is unique in the southern Vancouver Island region and could provide significant refugia for nesting marbled murrelets in this area,” Schroeder outlined in his final report to Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee.
His report also highlighted the decline of marbled murrelet populations across all six conservation regions in B.C., with the most severe decline found in areas that have the most significant levels of old-growth forest removal.
“When old-growth forests are destroyed for short-term economic profits we lose critical biodiversity habitat forever. B.C. is Canada’s most biodiverse province; sadly it is also home to the most species at risk and is one of only three provinces that lacks an endangered species law,” said Britton Jacob-Schram, Sierra Club BC’s Grants and Partnerships Manager.
“The B.C. government committed to enacting species at risk legislation back in 2020. It’s beyond frustrating to know recovery for a unique, charismatic bird like the marbled murrelet will simply fall through the cracks of faulty election promises and government heel-dragging on protection for old-growth forests,” added Jacob-Schram.
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A map showing the marbled murrelet habitat ranks, cutblocks, and radar station location for the July 19 ornithological survey can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14JujFhzt0ZU3sQ5ITf6wp-wFyD37yPlC/view?usp=sharing
Images of marbled murrelets can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bpTGqvF_-TunhaKSij08UInE2JS397rJ?usp=sharing
Media contacts:
Charlotte Dawe | Conservation and Policy Campaigner, Wilderness Committee
778-903-3992, charlotte@wildernesscommittee.org
Britton Jacob-Schram | Manager, Grants and Partnerships, Sierra Club BC
250-220-0683, britton@sierraclub.bc.ca
Photo by Eric Ellingson (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Sierra Club BC reacts to police violence against old-growth forest defenders on Vancouver Island
/in Climate Justice, Featured Story, Forests, Media Centre, Press Releases /by Sierra ClubSierra Club BC statement in response to police violence against old-growth forest defenders on Vancouver Island
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 24, 2021
Sierra Club BC is deeply disturbed by the increasingly aggressive tactics deployed by the RCMP and captured on video in Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek). These acts of violence come less than two weeks after the B.C. Supreme Court found the RCMP’s use of exclusion zones, which place certain areas off-limits to protesters, members of the media and observers, to be unlawful.
“Once again, in ways that echo the police raids on Wet’suwet’en territory in 2019 and 2020, the RCMP is being deployed to violently protect corporate interests. This is a shameful abuse of power that militarizes the police against Indigenous youth and other land defenders that are choosing to act as the provincial government fails to uphold their promises on Indigenous rights, climate action and old-growth protection,” said Sierra Club BC Executive Director Hannah Askew.
The B.C. government made an election promise in the fall of 2020 to implement the recommendations from its own Old Growth Panel “in totality.” Delivery of this promise would have resulted in a solutions-focused path to protect at-risk old-growth forests like Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) across the province and assured concerned citizens that the provincial government was acting in the public interest. The violence we are witnessing is the direct result of government inaction and broken promises.
“The images of police violence against peaceful protesters seeking to save some of the last ancient forests on the planet from destruction for corporate short-term profit would be shameful for any country in the world calling itself democratic, at any given time. The fact that this is happening during the rapidly escalating climate and extinction crises of 2021 makes this political failure even more unbearable,” said Sierra Club BC Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting.
Almost a year has passed since the B.C. government committed to protecting endangered old-growth ecosystems yet almost all at-risk forests remain open to logging.
“The lack of action, funding and proper timelines for the implementation of B.C.’s Old Growth Panel recommendations is resulting in battlegrounds like Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek), where land and water defenders are putting their wellbeing on the line to do what Horgan’s government promised to do. We are calling for an immediate halt to the violence against youth and others courageously standing up for our collective future, and demand that all levels of government act swiftly and meaningfully to protect old-growth forests in this time of climate emergency,” added Askew.
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Media contacts:
Hannah Askew, Executive Director | Sierra Club BC
hannah@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 880-6286
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312
Endangered seabird found in old-growth forest slated for logging near Fairy Creek/Ada’itsx
/in Featured Story, Forests, Media Centre, Press Releases /by Sierra ClubFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 5, 2021
VANCOUVER / PORT HARDY xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səlilwətaɬ AND Kwagu’ł TERRITORIES — A recent radar survey revealed endangered marbled murrelets are likely to be nesting in the Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek) watershed and surrounding areas. The survey, completed by wildlife consultant Bernard Schroeder, confirmed adult murrelets flying in from the sea and circling — behaviour that is indicative of nesting sites. They were spotted near an unprotected area of old-growth forest set to be logged by Teal Jones.
In early July, a group of birders raised the alarm that marbled murrelets were nesting in the area. Together there have been over 240 marbled murrelet sightings, confirmed by registered biologists.
Both the federal and provincial governments have been notified of the marbled murrelet sightings but this hasn’t resulted in a comprehensive plan to protect the birds. Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee have notified the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and the Huu-ay-aht to help inform their ongoing long-term land use planning work.
“This finding reveals how valuable ancient forests are to species at risk of extinction and shows that both the B.C. government and Teal Jones are either unaware of at-risk species in these forests or unwilling to take the action needed to protect them,” said Conservation and Policy Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee Charlotte Dawe. “It’s the federal government’s responsibility to step in when the province is failing species at risk and they are failing.”
The federal Migratory Birds Convention Act protects marbled murrelets. The provincial Wildlife Act only protects a marbled murrelet nest if it’s occupied. Nest detections of many birds are incredibly rare, as a number of species — including marbled murrelets — build hidden and unobtrusive nests on thick moss and lichen-covered branches in old-growth forests, usually at least 40 feet above ground, which makes surveying incredibly difficult.
“We theoretically have laws to protect species and combat extinction, but these laws are only as real as politicians are willing to utilize them,” said Mark Worthing, Coastal Projects Lead at Sierra Club BC. “We need governments to stop coddling logging companies and instead coordinate all levels of government towards implementing Indigenous governance and stewardship practices and to activate the tools in the Species at Risk Act. Without leadership that can get the job done species will continue to go extinct forever.”
“Marbled murrelets build nests to be undetectable to predators like eagles, so we humans have an incredibly low chance at finding one,” said Dawe. “Logging companies have a financial interest in these nests being undiscovered and the B.C. government is not doing enough to locate them, and so murrelet habitat remains unprotected even if we know they’re living in a specific area.”
Under the federal Species at Risk Act, a clause allows the federal government to take over provincial land management if they believe the province fails to protect the critical habitat of a species at risk effectively.
Marbled murrelet expert Alan Burger says the forests on southwest Vancouver Island support some of the highest densities of nesting murrelets anywhere in their range. These forests are critically important to meeting Canada’s stated goal of protecting the endangered bird’s habitat.
“More research is needed in this area before it’s logged — we need to know what species are relying on this forest so that informed decisions can be made,” said Dawe. “Marbled murrelets have their young in nests right now and they will not recover if they are destroyed by logging. We need the federal government to act.”
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Images can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bpTGqvF_-TunhaKSij08UInE2JS397rJ?usp=sharing
Media contacts:
Charlotte Dawe | Conservation and Policy Campaigner, Wilderness Committee
778-903-3992, charlotte@wildernesscommittee.org
Mark Worthing | Coastal Projects Lead, Sierra Club BC
mark@sierraclub.bc.ca
Photo by Eric Ellingson (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Independent Advisory Panel could be turning point for the fate of at-risk old-growth forests
/in Forests, Media Centre, Press Releases /by Sierra ClubImmediate deferrals, political will and funding will determine success
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 24, 2021
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (VANCOUVER, BC) — Sierra Club BC believes the creation of an independent Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel, which was announced by the B.C. government today, could be a turning point for the fate of at-risk old-growth forests amid a delayed implementation of the promised paradigm-shift in forest stewardship in B.C. Overcoming this government’s history of ignoring the best-available science and playing politics with advisory boards will require political will and clear direction.
“Last fall, the B.C. government promised to implement a paradigm-shift in forest stewardship, but to date it has failed to deliver the most pressing first step – to stop the bleeding and use interim mechanisms to ensure the most endangered old-growth forests are not being logged while forest management in B.C. shifts from a focus on timber values to one of respecting ecological limits,” said Sierra Club BC Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting.
“This advisory panel combined with leadership from the B.C. government will allow the province to implement a precautionary approach. This requires deferring logging in all at-risk forests in the short-term to buy time to work with Indigenous decision makers on long-term designations that respect Indigenous rights and title. Speeding up change on the ground also requires funding for Indigenous-led conservation solutions and a just transition for forestry workers,” added Wieting.
“It’s hard to get excited about steps like this when this government has gone from talk and log politics to predatory delay. Out of one side of their mouth, they hide behind First Nations, while out the other side they actively push old-growth forest referrals through band offices and profit off of BC Timber Sales logging in territories they don’t have consent to operate in. Science is always celebrated, but political courage is what we need most,” said Sierra Club BC Coastal Projects Lead Mark Worthing.
”The unprecedented heatwave currently enveloping Turtle Island is a brutal reminder of how little time we have to safeguard what remains intact of our best ally in the fight against the climate and biodiversity crisis. Intact, carbon-rich, resilient old-growth forests are our best defense against the ravages of climate change such as heatwaves, drought and wildfires. The web of life that depends on these forests cannot withstand more industrial devastation combined with climate change impacts,” added Wieting.
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For more information about the B.C. governments’ independent Old Growth Technical Advisory Panel go here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021FLNRO0043-001225
Media contacts:
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312
Mark Worthing, Coastal Projects Lead | Sierra Club BC
mark@sierraclub.bc.ca
Photo by TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance
Sierra Club BC reacts to Premier Horgan’s Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek and Central Walbran deferral announcement
/in Featured Story, Forests, Front Page Lock, Media Centre, Press Releases /by Sierra ClubFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 9, 2021
Sierra Club BC Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting offers the following statement in response to today’s deferral announcements.
“Hearing first from the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations and now from the province that old-growth logging will be deferred for two years in the Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek watershed and the Central Walbran gives us a glimpse of hope for two small but highly endangered old-growth forest areas on Vancouver Island.
“But studying the maps shared today by the B.C. government is a sobering experience and shows a consistent pattern: Minimize conservation, even temporary deferrals, to the absolute minimum; defend timber access as much as possible.
“Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek is a dramatic example for this pattern, with hundreds of hectares of intact contiguous old-growth adjacent to the watershed left out of the deferral area. The province even insisted on creating a Zone B to allow for some degree of logging in the watershed.
“The BC NDP government shows great creativity to defend business as usual and almost none when it comes to enabling communities and First Nations to protect the last old-growth forests.
“At the current pace, the B.C. government will not be able to win the race to save what’s left and restore what’s damaged for future generations. The April 2020 old-growth panel recommendations included one indispensable step that came with an expiry date – defer logging in all at-risk old-growth forests within six months. Any further delay would be irresponsible.
“In May, after a year of almost no action to protect at-risk forests, a group of independent experts shared a map with the province that used criteria from the old-growth panel report to identify the most endangered forests that need immediate deferrals from logging. Their maps show 1.3 million hectares of forests that need interim protection, 2.6 percent of all forests in B.C.
“Today’s deferral announcement for Ada’itsx/Fairy Creek and Central Walbran adds up to 2,000 hectares or 0.15 percent of the forests that need interim protection. Almost all at-risk forests across the province remain open for logging, including thousands of hectares on Southern Vancouver Island.”
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For more information about the deferral map developed by independent experts go here: https://sierraclub.bc.ca/new-map-of-at-risk-old-growth-forests-in-bc-is-a-first-step/
Media contact:
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312
Photo by TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance
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