HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIENDS
The Friends of Clayoquot Sound are celebrating the 15th anniversary
of their struggle to protect the biggest coastal lowland temperate rainforest
left on Earth. Formed in 1978 by a handful of concerned Tofino residents,
the "Friends" - as they are known throughout B.C. - became a prominent
force for sane logging during their blockades at Meares Island and
Sulphur Pass during the 1980s.
Tofino artist Adrian Dorst remembers standing on a Tofino street
corner in 1975 when Darlene Chaquette relayed a report that TFL 44 was
about to be logged. "We've got to get together to stop this," Darlene told
the group.
The first Friends meeting was held at Happy Harry's gas station under
the banner: Keep Meares Green. "We used to be so excited when a
dozen people came to stand in front of the logging trucks," veteran director
Valerie Langer recalls. This summer more than 8,000 people from around
the globe have come to blockade the Kennedy River bridge.
Years of tireless organizing and educating by Friends volunteers
have intersected growing public awareness of worldwide deforestation to
create the biggest political protest ever seen in Canada. As the Clayoquot
blockade enters its 11th week, more than 660 people from all walks of life
have registered their displeasure with the Harcourt give-away by offered
themselves for arrest.
The Friends of Clayoquot Sound are marking their 15th birthday by
opening a legal coordination office in Victoria. Located at 1314 Broad St.
above the Rising Star Bakery, the Clayoquot Resource Center will focus
support for hundreds of Clayoqout arrestees. Services offered by the
center will include legal counseling and coordination for court
appearances.
There were three arrests this morning at the Kennedy River blockade.
Blockade numbers continue to hold steady at 150 protesters, with more
support arriving from Denman, Cortes, Hornby and Salt Spring Islands.
In court action yesterday, frantic Crown objections led judge Bouck to
interrupt the testimony of Ray Travers. The former consultant to the
Clayoquot Sound Sustainable Development Steering Committee wanted
to expose how that "community process" was rigged to allow only the
logging industry viewpoint. Though Judge Bouck permitted the Crown to
present its case as it saw fit, he has disallowed all further expert witnesses
as "irrelevant" to an attempted defense of necessity.
Editors' Alert: Ray Travers will present his revealing testimony at a mock
court this Thursday morning at 9:00 am courthouse steps.
For more information call 725-4218