A video that details the beauty of the community of Youbou, and the negative impacts of any logging that could be done close to it, is getting lots of hits on YouTube.
The approximately three-minute video, which was made by Don Kitch, owner of the Youbou Guest House, was created in response to possible plans by the TimberWest forest company to log some of its land in the hills above the community near Cowichan Lake.
Much of the filming in Kitch’s video, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP6hiLSWjXI&list=UUV3J84-J6prjJp7X6PYVypQ, is from a drone that looks down on the community and the hills that surround it.
Kitch said he lives at the base of the hills where his drinking water comes from and, like many of his neighbours, he’s concerned about the impacts any logging in the hills would have on his water, the wildlife that lives there and the possibility of landslides.
“I’m a video hobbyist so I had all this footage already and thought it would be a good idea to make a video showcasing these things for everyone to see,” Kitch said.
“It’s not too politically charged but it’s certainly being watched. The video had more than 1,000 hits after just three days.”
There is also a petition that is circulating through Youbou asking TimberWest not to log in the hills that will be sent to the forest company and the province.
The issue was first raised a few months ago when TimberWest didn’t rule out logging on its lands in the hills above Youbou.
“The areas will be harvested at some point in the hills above Youbou,” said Pam Jorgenson, TimberWest’s land-use forester, at the time.
“Smaller access roads may be required to reach these areas and these roads will be minimized where possible. We have heard the community’s wishes to be kept more informed, and will ensure landowners know of our plans in advance of any harvesting.”
FOR RELATED STORY, CLICK HERE
Klaus Kuhn, the director for Youbou with the Cowichan Valley Regional District, has been holding a number of well-attended town hall meetings in the community that have resulted in the creation of a list of recommendations and expectations for TimberWest in relation to Youbou.
They include the call for a moratorium on logging in the hills above Youbou and measures to control the dust that originates from existing logging operations.
The list has been sent to TimberWest and applicable provincial ministries.