Much has been accomplished by the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, its many thousands of supporters, and the Friends of Friends groups, to bring worldwide attention to the unsustainable practice of clearcut logging. However, in the process, many deep divisions have been created in our communities. Friends have become strangers, locals no longer talk to locals. Tension hangs heavy over our relationships.
The time has come to transform the manner in which we do our work to protect the ecosystems of Clayoquot Sound. One of the things we all have in common is an interest in seeing Clayoquot Sound's future put on a more ecologically sustainable path which is ultimately managed by the local communities themselves in the context of a just settlement of Native land title. Towards this end, the newly formed Cascadia Restoration Society (in partnership widh the Friends of Clayoquot Sound) is organizing a restoration and education camp in a highly visible clearcut in Tla-o-qui-aht territory on the highway to Long Beach, midway between Port Alberni and Tofino. This project has the support of Tla-o-qui-aht Chief Councilor Francis Frank and Hereditary Chiefs Ray Seitcher and George Frank. We hope that the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation and other First Nations will be actively involved in the project.
Once upon a time, chum and coho salmon spawned in the creek now called Hydro Hill West. An unbroken web
of life connected the salmon, the forest, and its many resident creatures, including humans. Clearcut logging
and road building destroyed the creek and its tributaries and the salmon no longer have a home, the forest
dwellers have little food, and the forest floor has been exposed to pounding rain, summer sun, and fierce coastal
winds. Establishing a restoration camp in this small watershed is a way for us to heal our relationships by working
together to heal the land.
The camp will accommodate about 200 residents throughout the summer, for periods of 3 days to 3 weeks.
Everyone's invited: First Nations people, forest workers (employed and unemployed), environmentalists, fishers
and fish farmers, tree planters, youth groups, elders, women's groups, local business people, scientists, students
and teachers, medics and healers, and many others. Small work groups, led by experienced guides, will tackle a
variety of restoration projects in the clearcut. The work activities will be organized in such a way as to ensure that
absolutely anyone, young or old, weak or strong, can play a significant role.
Ecological restoration cannot bring back the ancient rainforests. But what we can do is help prevent topsoil from
being washed down to Kennedy Lake, thus helping the watershed return to a self-regulating equilibrium. One of
the most damaging legacies of clearcut logging is the roads, a leading source of erosion. We would focus our
attention on the inactive roads by opening up the drainages which had once crossed the toads unhindered, but are
now blocked by clogged culverts or redirected to other drainages for the benefit of the road's design. We might
pull boulders and woody debris out of small stream beds, and use this debris to create temporary stream channel
walls to protect the drainages. On these constructed walls and some bare slopes, we would plant fast-growing
alder starts so that they would eventually become living structures once again. In creeks where salmon used to
spawn, but which are now filled many feet deep with tons and tons of rock and woody debris, we might remove
the debris and/or open the channels. We will give additional attention to the creeks' riparian zones as these areas
will have to endure repeated flash fiooding for many years until the shallow soils on the steep walls of the
watershed are once again held in place by a living mat of wild rainforest.
Numerous workshops, seminars, teach-in's and conferences will be presented throughout the summer which will
inform our work and provide dhe historical, cultural, and political context. We have invited some of the finest
leaders from Clayoquot Sound and throughout North America to share their expertise on forest ecology, Native
land title, tenure reform, restoration and permaculture design, bioregionalism, native plant identification,
ecoforestry, and much more. Much of the workshop material and information gathered will be available on our
World Wide Web site on the Internet. Friends in communities all over the world will be able to interact with the
camp, use the information to develop similar projects, and help us by distributing information in their own
communities.
The Friends of Clayoquot Sound will be leading Forest Watch workshops, field trips and trainings which will
enable hundreds of people to monitor Ihe logging companies' forest practices for violations of existing laws and
guidelines. These people will then be able to return to their homes to start similar programmes in their own
watersheds.
Pending permission from dhe Toquaht Nation, we plan to build a trail from the back of the clearcut to a small
intact watershed in the Toquart River valley. The short walk through the clearcut into the ancient forest will
provide visitors with a rare opportunity to experience a yellow cedar forest. We anticipate that thousands of
tourists and many journalists will take that walk, which we will be setting up as an educational self-guided tour.
The day-to-day operation of the camp will be run primarily by volunteers, and much help will also be needed in
the weeks leading up to opening day. Before you arrive, please think about which of the following groups you
would like to join: Ecological Restoration Design and Implementation, Restoration and Forest Ecology
Exhlbitlon, Permaculture Design, Construction of Temporary Buildings, Traffic Calming/Highway Safety,
Shuttle Bus Driving (class 4 license required), Media, Public Outreach, Tour Guiding, Childcare, Kitchen,
Site Office, Front Gate Kiosk/Welcoming, Facilitators and Mediators Collective, Security, Health and Medical
Emergencies, Plant Nursery, Social Events, and Landscape Art.
early June - Public meetings held in several communities, such as Victoria, Vancouver, Courtenay, Nanaimo, and
Vancouver Island's west coast communities.
27 June - "Salmon Coming Home: A Clayoquot Restoration Camp" opens for the summer.
1 July - Official opening ceremonies.
July through September - Ongoing restoration work throughout the watershed, trail building, forest watch
training, tours, and workshops. In addition, a three-day Watershed Restoration Conference/Gathering will be
held in the latter part of the summer.
2 to 4 September - Art Auction.
23 September - Autumnal Equinox. Time for the big closing party/festival.
25 September - Camp formally closes. A small group remains to monitor the watershed during the winter
nnonths of heavy rainfall and to repair erosion controls damaged by storms. If the Camp has functioned well and
has met the needs of local communities, it will be reopened in 1996 for follow-up work.
Thank you for your interest. For more information on how you can become involved, please contact -
Paul Cienfuegos or Joanna Gislason in Tofino Project Overview:
Working Groups:
Proposed Timeline:
phone: 604-725-4218; fax: 604-725-2527; e-mail: focs@web.apc.org (please specify 'for Paul C or Joanna G' in
the title); and address: Box 587, Tofino B.C. V0R 2Z0
or
Ernie Yacub in Cumberland
phone: 604-336-8155 or 2646; e-mail: yacinfo@mars.ark.com; and address: Box 569, Cumberland B.C. VOR 1S0