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• Indigenous Nations Facilitate $1.1 Billion Nature Agreement with Governments Aiming to Protect 30% of Land and Sea in BC by 2030

• New Film “Rematriation” Explores Canada’s History with Logging as an Extension of Colonialism

• Trees + Seas Festival Makes Community Connections on the West Coast

• How the Wanačas Hiłhuuʔis Blockade Protected Tofino’s Water & Inspired Innovative Approaches to Environmental Justice Since 1984

• Celebrating the Frontlines of Environmental Conservation Movement Building & Actions for 45 Years!

• First Nations Coalition Supports Fisheries Minister’s Decision Closing 15 Salmon Farms in the Discovery Islands

• Salmon Farms Quietly Expanded in Clayoquot Sound? DFO’s Conflict of Interest Exposed as 2025 Salmon Farm Removal Date Nears

• Building Community + Remembering What’s Important at the Clayoquot Salmon Festival

• Salmon Story Reflections with Michael Mullin Friends of Clayoquot Sound Founder & Director

• Understanding the Social and Environmental Impacts of War Provides Motivation to Advocate for Peace

• UN Climate Summit Highlights Need for Fossil Fuel Phaseout

Read the FOCS 2024 Winter Newsletter here.

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Image Credit: AJ Roulstone @ajroulstone

Aiming to Protect 30% of Land and Sea in BC by 2030

In November, a $1.1 billion BC Nature Agreement was announced by the BC First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) with support from the federal and provincial governments. The historic funding agreement aims to enable BC to reach its minimum target of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030 through Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs). This is the largest provincial protected areas fund in Canada to date, with Ottawa contributing $500 million and the provincial government contributing more than $560 million.

“With mutual recognition of First Nations as the original stewards and title holders to our lands and waters, we have reached a jointly developed framework with sustained funding to achieve our collective goals for biodiversity protection, restoration and stewardship,” reflected Terry Teegee, BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief. “We’ve experienced this past year, unprecedented drought, unprecedented wildfire season in Canada’s history, and the province’s history. And certainly part of that is conserving biodiverse areas in our respective territories, and in British Columbia,”

Clayoquot Sound has been included as part of the 2.6 million hectares identified as top priorities for logging deferrals by the BC government. Logging has been deferred locally since 2020 to enable the local Ahousant, Hesquiaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations to develop the visions for their respective territories. The ancient rainforest ecosystems are vital to Indigenous cultures, while providing climate stability and clean water, and supporting unique and endangered species like wild salmon. Not to forget, the forests are also critical to a multi-billion dollar tourism industry in BC.

Over 80% of the original old-growth forests have already been logged and 5 million hectares of big trees, rare trees, and the very oldest trees remain unprotected in BC. In terms of providing a climate and biodiversity solution, time is of the essence to protect what’s left of the old growth forests globally.

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We screened the new documentary film, “Rematriation”, at the Trees and Seas Festival as well as the Clayoquot Salmon Festival. The film follows concerned residents of BC as they take a stand to protect the last giant trees from being cut down. Along the way, “Rematriation” delves into the layers of complexity surrounding old growth forest protection, as the filmmakers Alexi Liotti and Colm Keating provide lessons that reach far beyond the forests, permeating the very social fabric of Canadian identity.

A still image from the new documentary film, “Rematriation”, which explores the intersectionality of logging from scientific, cultural, economic and sociopolitical perspectives.
Credit: @rematriation_the_film

The Fairy Creek Blockades at Ada’itsx became publicly renowned in 2021 as an Indigenous led movement to prevent the cutting of this last old growth watershed. These ancient rainforests have been industrially undisturbed since the last ice age. The blockade actions to protect the forest that lasted for months and in the process became Canada’s largest act of civil disobedience, surpassing a record that the Clayoquot Blockades held until then.

Old growth forests, like Ada’itsx, represent one of the last lines of defence against climate change, while containing scientific properties we barely understand. Yet mismanagement and greed have left less than 2.6% of them standing. Considering all the political campaign promises to protect old growth, the BC government’s response was initially hypocritical. Despite numerous recent political conservation commitments to protecting at risk old growth forests in BC, the government encouraged the publicly funded Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to disband the blockades which led to hundreds of peaceful protesters being aggressively arrested. Over 2 years later, and many of those arrested are still making their way through the colonial courts.

For the following day of the Trees and Seas Festival, we met at Wickanninish Community School and Jadyn Patton from Redd Fish Restoration guided the group in removing invasive species from the area. And on the final day, Marlayna Demco from Surfrider Pacific Rim led a beach clean at Cox Bay where we collected litter and marine debris to help care for the coastline. A big thanks to everyone who came out to give back, and to our generous community sponsors Long Beach Lodge Resort and Pacific Sands Beach Resort.

At the Tofino screening of “Rematriation”. To organize a screening visit: rematriationthefilm.com
Credit: FOCS @friendsofclayoquotsound

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In September, Friends of Clayoquot Sound coordinated the 9th annual Clayoquot Salmon Festival. Across the peninsula, we celebrated this magnificent species because salmon play an integral role for coastal livelihoods, cultures, and ecosystems. The Clayoquot Salmon Festival continues to offer residents and visitors an opportunity to reflect upon, and build an active appreciation for, the irreplaceable value of salmon on the west coast. With salmon protection being a central theme, the Festival included the Love Your Beach Clean at tinwis with Surfrider Pacific Rim, as well as the Salmon Fun Run Fundraiser with Redd Fish Restoration.

The Village Green hosted a Salmon Solidarity Film Night as well as the Strawberry Island Marine Research Society in constructing the skeleton of a real orca while learning about the biology, ecology, anatomy, evolution, and conservation of killer whales and other marine mammals who are part of the salmon ecosystem. Due to the road closures caused by the Cameron Lake wildfires in the summer that postponed some of the Tofino Jazz Festival, for the 2023 the 2 festivals collaborated for 2 nights for free live music events. The celebrations culminated with a dance party curated by Tofino Tea Party at the Village Green. Thanks to all the contributing organizations, activists, artists, festival goers, sponsors, and supporters including the District of Tofino, Hotel Zed, Long Beach Lodge, Pacific Sands Beach Resort, Tofino Time, and Tuff City Radio. We’re already stoked for 2024!

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• The Climate Emergency Crossroads: Forest Protection or Forest Fires?

• 30 Years After the Clayoquot Blockades Old Growth Forests Still Need Protection

• United for Old Growth March & Super-Rally Seeks Results for Forest Protection

• At the Expense of Wild Salmon, During the Wild Salmon Emergency: DFO Allowing Salmon Farms to Expand in Clayoquot Sound?

• Skookum John’s Salmon Story: Protecting Salmon for the Next 7 Generations

• Hands Across the Sand: Demands Action to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies

• Big Profits for Big Oil? Time to Make Big Polluters Pay

• “Dear Josie… Help Update the Mineral Tenure Act & Ban Mining in Clayoquot Sound!” #IMPERIALNOMORE

Read online here!

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