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Letter: Save our Holmes

We respectfully ask Mosaic and the CVRD to work toward an agreement to protect these natural forests
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Save our Holmes

Conserving the natural forests of Mount Holmes area is crucial to the community and the region. These beautiful “older” forests hold the key to preventing landslides, debris flows, debris floods, and droughts in the Youbou/Meade Creek area, on north Lake Cowichan.

The forests right above the town, managed by Mosaic, should never be regarded as resource timber, to be clear-cut for private profit. The people, wildlife (including rare and unique species), and the tourism economy are at stake. The shores of Lake Cowichan and the waters of the river are also vulnerable, especially with increasing climate change. Fires, floods and droughts are already harming the region, with development and logging accelerating everywhere. All natural areas near towns are increasingly valuable for the ecological needs of all living species.

Once, these forests and rivers, abundant with fish and game, supported thousands of Cowichan Tribes people; it is their territory. Now modern science tells us old forests across Canada are extremely important for our air, land and water.

The trees on Mount Holmes and Mount Good are clearly “worth more standing”.

We respectfully ask Mosaic and the CVRD to work toward an agreement to protect these natural forested mountain slopes—permanently.

Bruce Coates

on behalf of the board of directors,

Cowichan Valley Naturalists Society