PETITION TO MLA BRITTNY ANDERSON AND MLA STEVE MORISSETTE:

FUND WILDFIRE MITIGATION IN THE FALLS CREEK WATERSHED –

STOP THE BC TIMBER SALES COMMERCIAL LOGGING PLANS

WHEREAS The Falls Creek watershed contains healthy stands of old-growth forest recognized by BC’s Technical Advisory Panel as Priority Deferral Areas and recognized by BC’s Ministry of Forests as Old Growth Management Areas;

AND WHEREAS Hundreds of residents of Bonnington and Beasley rely on the ecological health of the Falls Creek watershed for their drinking water supply;

AND WHEREAS ecological health of the watershed is important for aquatic species and other species in Falls Creek and the Kootenay River;

AND WHEREAS Wildfire risks to residents’ homes can be managed without clearcuts and without commercial logging, by investing BC Government grants in non-commercial thinning, brushing and other ground treatments;

AND WHEREAS NDP MLA Brittny Anderson and MLA Steve Morissette need to represent the interests of Bonningon, Beasley and West Kootenay residents by securing adequate funding for wildfire treatments and putting an end to the BC Timber Sales commercial logging plans;

THEREFORE We, the undersigned residents of Bonnington, Beasley and the surrounding area, call on MLA Brittny Anderson and MLA Steve Morisette to take immediate action to:

1. Secure sufficient public funding for wildfire mitigation in the Falls Creek watershed, so commercial logging (and the associated major risks to drinking water supply and ecosystem health) are avoided; and

2. Direct BCTS to permanently abandon its commercial logging plans for the Falls Creek watershed.