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Viewpoint: Bluffs reflect profound value

by Claudia Medina-Culos Recently, I was made aware that the Stillwater Bluffs lands south of Powell River are slated for logging and development by Island Timberlands, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management.

by Claudia Medina-Culos Recently, I was made aware that the Stillwater Bluffs lands south of Powell River are slated for logging and development by Island Timberlands, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management. Its plans also include timber harvesting on the Millennium Park, Horseshoe River (on the canoe route) and Valentine Mountain lands before, as I understand it, 2013.

Growing up in this community, I was blessed with frequent outings to the forests of this region. I and many of my childhood friends can claim to have been given what I consider one of the most valuable gifts in life—free roaming exploration in nature.

Stillwater Bluffs, then and now, has always stood out as a particularly magical place, where the ocean and forest ecosystems meet in a dynamic and spectacular landscape. After all my travels around this world, I can honestly say that the bluffs seem to me to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced. It is a sanctuary, a place where one can escape the stresses of modern life and remember ourselves as part of nature. I have always looked forward to the day when I could bring my children to explore and enjoy the area. I have already introduced visitors from around the world to this place and everyone is always in awe of its beauty and in agreement that it should be protected for generations to come.

This kind of natural space is invaluable to the kind of reconnection I believe we need right now as we all navigate through these times of economic and ecological crisis. If we view our natural world as merely resources to extract and convert into money, can we ever see ourselves as part of the natural world, as part of the environment, rather than separate from it? And if we see ourselves as separate from it, can we ever really save what little we have left? And if we don’t protect what we have left, can we as a species survive?

This community is struggling right now with global market changes that are shifting our economy away from resource-based primary or secondary industry, and challenging us to create different kinds of economic activity that value and protect our natural environment in new ways. Logging and developing these areas also jeopardize our economic well-being, as fewer and fewer places are accessible to visitors and locals who are developing nature-based economic activity that have the potential to create a viable and sustainable economy.

Right now there is a growing group of people working to convince Island Timberlands to place a moratorium on logging and development of this area. Community advisory committees along with Powell River Regional District have identified this area as a sensitive ecological zone, and there is widespread (and growing) support to protect this area as a park or nature reserve. The more support there is to save these precious places, the more chance we have of making it happen.

Claudia Medina-Culos is a concerned citizen and believer in a better future.