Logging halt a political move, charges forester A HALT to logging in North Shore watersheds would be a purely political decision, 2 professional forester charged Friday. The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) board continues to grapple with a deci- sion to halt logging in the local watersheds. At a meeting Wed- nesday, board members split ranks on the question of whether or not Jogging in local watersheds is linked with degraded drinking water quality. The board was expected to come to a decision on watershed logging this week. But the issue was returned to committee follow- ing a two-hour debate. A watershed management report supports the implementation of an ecological survey and a shift in the GVRD approach to watershed Management, West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager and North Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman support a logging moratorium pending the completion cof an ecological survey. The two local mayors advanced the position at a Greater Vancouver Regional District water committee meeting early last month but found no support, Most water committee members backed the argument that logging poses no threat to water quality and could continue while a two- year ecological study of the Capilano, Seymour and Co- quitlam watersheds was compiled. But: Rob Kyle, a professional forester who appeared as a represenative of the Association of Professional Foresters during, wa- tershed management review frear- ings held earlier this year, said he has examined the arguinents on both sides and thinks a decision to halt logging now would have no scientific basis. Said Kyle, ‘‘There’s been a lot of pressure from the environmen- tal community to impose a moratorium — I think more to stop logging than to improve water quality. I did have a look at most of the information that came up from both sides and I'm con- By Michae! Becker News Reporter vinced that they have a very responsibie program up there and that it’s geared to maintaining water quality.”’ Kyle said a ‘hands-off strate- gy would reduce water quality. “If you just leave the watershed to go on its own — there's a big problem with landslides up there in unlogged areas — and if you don’t actively manage the water- shed, which includes some harvesting, then you run the risk of getting into those slide situa- tions on a more frequent basis, which will result in wore sedimen- tation of the water,’* he said. But said North Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman, “T felt both Mayor Sager and myself feit quite heartened by the number of speakers who sup- ported the concept of possibiy stopping the logging. I was pleas- ed at the support for that. I do feel that a number of the speakers felt that a change in direction was an absolute must. “By hearing that from quite a fair number of vetes on the board, there would be support for the simple concept of stopping and taking a look at zero and then initiating any kind of management that was necessary,’’ he added. Two of three watershed tree cutting licences expire at the end of this year. The third ends at the close of next year. Added Dykeman, ‘In my mind, from a water management view- point, we should just stop all log- ging until we’ve decided what di- rection we are going to go with regards to water management. Six months ago people were saying, ‘you are out of your iree’ with regards to a moratorium. “I don’t think most people real- ized that two of the contracts were finishing at the end of this year,’’ he said. EE Oe OT Index & High Profiles @ Classified Ads Cocktails & Caviar B® Comics §@ Editorial Page @ Fashion @@ itigh Tech @ inquiring Reporter Lifestyles 4 Miss Manners @ Spirituaily Speaking & Sports @ Travel Vintage Years @ What's Going On Second Class Registration Number 3885 Carol Crenna on designers Fashion: 13 AY ALAC Se het Ku Se us AIN’T NOBODY here but us turkeys...Gina Allan (left) and Jennifer McMahon of the West Vancouver YMCA get into the spirit of the annual North Shore YMCA Turkey Trot. The event takes place on Friday, Oct. 11 at 9:15 a.m., beginning from the West Van YMCA and proceeding along the seawall and back to the ‘‘Y’’ again for a draw to win a turkey. .