B.C. wildlife society opposes clearcut proposal that includes caribou habitat

A distant and rugged stream vale located connected nan northbound extremity of Shuswap Lake successful B.C.’s Southern Interior is location to an unthinkable wetland ecosystem.

Known arsenic nan Upper Seymour, it’s astir 100 km from Salmon Arm. It’s pristine and is besides location to an at-risk mountain caribou herd.

“The Seymour, arsenic a whole, has immoderate of nan astir spectacular and uncommon inland temperate rainforest that I’ve ever encountered,” said Eddie Petryshen of Wildsight, a registered kindness that tries to protect biodiversity successful nan Columbia and Rocky Mountain ranges.

However, Petryshen says a recently projected clear-cut is threatening to destruct much than majestic occidental reddish cedars successful nan area.

In fact, he claims there’s a connection to clearcut 608 hectares of halfway caribou habitat.

And those projected cutblocks, he says, are captious to 1 herd called Columbia North.

“There’s 209 caribou successful there, and they are benignant of our past changeable successful nan southernmost caribou herds,” said Petryshen.

One biologist who studies nan effects of logging connected caribou populations says nan consequences of much logging successful nan area for caribou are obvious.

“It will create much nutrient for moose and deer, which will create much predators and further predation consequence to caribou,” said Robert Serrouya of UBC’s Wildlife Science Centre.

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That’s bad news for B.C.’s upland caribou, which is simply a type that’s already astatine risk.

“In nan Kootenay and Columbia region, we’re astatine 7 caribou herds that person been extirpated (declared section extinct),” said Petryshen.

Global News has contacted some Stella-Jones and Pacific Woodtech astir their caller clearcut proposals.

In consequence to those clearcut proposals, Wildsight has started a letter-writing campaign.

“Please return action and telephone for David Eby, nan premier, to measurement successful and thief protect these caribou,” said Petryshen, “and thief guarantee they person a future.”