May 31,99


TO: Whoever decides the final outcome of MB Compensation Settlement Deal

My name is Mike Stini I live in Port Alberni and I am a keen observer and photographer of nature and wildlife. I have an extensive knowledge of the forest lands of Vancouver Island, and have spent the last 9 years working with the local habitat officer of Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks assessing wildlife habitat and reviewing Forest Development Plans.

I am writing this so as to make you aware that what I have to say is based on my knowledge.

I am deeply concerned about the possible removal of MB Schedule A Lands east of E&N land grant boundary, and north and south of Port Alberni, (and also the small parcels of crown land near Lizzard Lake), from the TFL agreement as part of the compensation settlement with MB.

The reason I am so greatly concerned is that I believe you do not have any idea of how much the public and the wildlife will lose if this deal goes through. I ask that these lands remain in the TFL. Particularly all old growth areas as these have the highest wildlife values. I am asking this on behalf of all wildlife on these lands, and all public users of these lands.

My greatest concern is the loss of a major amount of the best Ungulate Winter Range (UWR) on Vancouver Island. (I have enclosed a map identifying these areas). Maintenance of these areas as old growth is critical to the survival of our Vancouver Island populations of Deer and Elk.

MB Schedule A lands south of Port Alberni contain the highest quality and most productive UWR we have left on Southern Vancouver Island. The EN Land Grant gave away not only our most valuable forest land, but also our most valuable UWR habitat. This has long been recognized by government biologists and independent researchers, but is not common knowledge. The TFL agreement partly made up for this grave mistake but now even that is also about to be lost.

The wildlife that live on these lands must suffer the ultimate price with the loss of their homes just because someone drew a line on a map. Is this morally and ethically right? Surely we can find a way to correct this situation if we are a society that cares.

Wildlife is a resource owned by the people of BC, and I believe these critical UWR should be left in the TFL, and managed for these key values by agencies responsible to the public.

If you do not believe my concerns please read the governments IWIFR Study which went for 9 years and determined the critical importance of UWR. Also keep in mind that UWR protects the habitat of ungulates but also a wide variety of other species that we have not yet recognized as being important to our society.

So as to make you aware of the need to protect UWR on private land all the areas identified and studied in the IWIFR project on MB private land in the Nanaimo R. area have been logged. This is why government regulations are the only way to protect these critical areas. MB logged these areas with full knowledge of what their loss would mean to the publicly owned wildlife resource.

MB public statements say that they will do better in the future, does absolutely nothing to reassure us. Many companies have made similar promises and then broke them as it suited them.

I have been in areas in the winter and observed Blacktail Deer living in Old growth timber. All the surrounding area had snow so deep that the deer could not leave these old growth forests. The snow had also buried most of the plants growing in these forests. The deer were doing quite well in the old growth timber eating the Arboreal Lichen (like the caribou do) and other litterfall coming down out of the trees. This is normal for Blacktail Deer. Nature has adapted them to survive harsh winter conditions in the coastal mountains, as long as they have suitable old growth winter areas. How do you expect them to survive in our logged over areas with second growth forests, which do not contain sufficient food supplies? Does our government have a conscience?

I have attached some more info on the values of these TFL lands and also info on an area of extremely high significance. This area is called McLaughlin Ridge and is in the China Cr. Watershed just south of Port Alberni. This area has many public values that it must be traded for crown land in order to ensure future protection of these values. Parson Cr. and lower Corrigan creek are two adjacent areas with low wildlife values and valuable older second growth, that could possibly be used in an exchange. I believe MB expressed an interest in these areas. This would be the common sense way to go.

I have been discussing this issue with a large number of people and they have been without exception all very worried about the implications of this deal. I strongly advise the government not to misjudge, or ignore public opinions on this issue.

Mike Stini