Wendy-Anne Thompson
Contributing Writer
NORTH Shore resi-
dents don’t want log-
‘ging in. area water-
sheds.

; The message was sent

~-loud and clear Tuesday night

ata Packed mecting on water-
‘shed managemcat, sponsored

by-the-North Shore chapter .

. of the Council of Canadians.
‘At least 80 people attend-
ed the meeting, with almost
half of them being candidates
-§n upcoming municipal elec-
tions.”
At -issue is the Greater
Vancouver Regional District’s
(GVRD) proposal, $6 million
Management. Plan No. 5 to
‘renew logging operations in
the. Capilano,- Seymour and
Coquitlam watersheds, which

provide - drinking: water to. -
of British Columbia scientist, . .
said the rationale historically.

roughly two million people.
The GVRD‘ stopped - water-
shed. logei

ing in 199% after’

mail? If they do, maybe we
should bombard them,” she
said.

The GVRD is scheduled
to make its controversial deci-
sion on Nov. 10. One sug-
gested bringing protest plac-
ards to the meeting.

Residents are concerned
logging and road building,
which has occurred in the
watersheds since the mid-
1960s,-may have altered and
inereased water flows, weak-
ening and exposing mountain
soils. They worry this has
increased the amount of dirt
and other materials in our the
Lower Mainiand’s water sup-
ply.

One woman was. con-
cerned about the amount of
chlorine used ‘in water to
address levels of silt, dirr and

organic material, which can’

mask bacteria. :
Mike Feller, a University

used to justify watershed fog-

water: - quality... Foresteré

believed old-growth forests ©

cre more prone. to fires,

“which cause an’ increase in’

sediment in streams. By cut-
ting down old: growth and

allowing -young. growth to

ging involves a concern’ for..

flourish, there would be less
sediment in water. But Feller
said there was no scientific
evidence to back up that the-
ory claims.

“We have no definite data
on this. There are assump-
tions that are not borne out
by scientiiic studies that sup-
port them,” he said.

Ross Muirhead, a repre-
sentative of the North Shore-
based Friends) of — the
Watershed, said an alternative
to logging would be a “reac-
tive approach” to forest man-
agement in watersheds. This
would eliminate the concern
over logging as well as foster
a clean-water environment.

The reactive approach is
to leave the watershed alone
and only address problems as
they happen.

For example, instead of
cutting down old trees to
reduce the. fire hazard risk,
officials could simply fight
fires..as they happen.

: Muirhead cited a study indi- ©
cating that only four hectares -

of watershed forest per year.
would ‘burn
aged? : :
Muirhead became con-

. cerned about the water sup-

ply after “running my tub
one night and realizing the

E. 10th Sr., 250 E. 17th St.
and ’.360 .W.. 27ch. St.; 1999

revised budget; murai applica-
tion re. Versatile Shipyards site;
oposed. _...). - Montessori

FOp! ; SSOr
preschool, 530 E.:f2th St.

affordable : housing : resolu

if left unman-”

- study; -

ag Op

water was the colour of cof-
fee.

“I wondered what was
going on when it was sup-
posed to be coming from a
pristine environment.”

Will Koop, a representa-
tive of the Society Promoting
Eavironmental Conservation,
wants the GVRD to get out
of the agreement, established
in 1967, that allows the
regional district to log. He
was also critical of the lack of
public consultation on water-
shed management and said
the public has only been
made aware of logging opera-
tions in watersheds in the last
few years.

Meeting organizer Dallas
Collis roid the group he was
disappointed the GVRD did
not attend the public forum.
Collis said the regional dis-
trict was repeatedly contacted
for more than a month. At
the Hth hour, 2 GVRD
employee said he could not
attend. © |

Collis’. organization’: is
writing a letter to the GVRD
expressing its disappointment
that no one showed up. The
Council of Canadians, North
Shore. chapter, is also asking
the GVRD not to log water--
sheds. -

on Gleneagles corridor land
use study recommendations;
award of tender. re ice arena;
joint-use agreement re field;

‘Civic Site Advisory ‘Group’ :

report on central site land use

update; .": entrance

encroachment, - 880: Pyriord,

to press time.

i North” Vancoiiver "Sch

Shore area transit plan: report

* District.44: The:next regul:

board - meeting | is Tur
November 23 -at 7:30 p.

the variance later.
‘defer:

upper’ land * study 2
gate -

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