The national monument knows as Cathedral Grove is a tiny 136 Hectare Park on Vancouver Island where some of the last valley bottom Old Growth Douglas Fir trees exsist as a forest. The BC Liberal Government, dispite public opposition, plan to build a parking lot, destroy habitate with an extensive trail system, and a new road system. Concerned citizens have stalled this destructive act but a court injunction will soon prevent the public from stopping the logging crew.

An international landmark is on the cutting block by the BC Liberal Government. On Monday February 9, 2004 a logging crew, equipped with chainsaws and a giant excavator machine banishing yarding claws, arrived to log 5 acres of forest adjacent to the tiny postage stamp of a park know around the world as Cathedral Grove. Fortunately concerned citizen were on hand to prevent the cutting of any trees by their very presence. The logging crew, consisting of 4 fallers and a foreman, could not fell any trees while members of the public were on site. If allowed this crew could level all of the trees on the site in half a day. Concerned citizens and many representative of the media continued to arrive all week. As a result no trees have been cut down to date. However the new Minister of Water, Land, Air Protection - Mr. Bill Barissof is now seeking a court injunction to prevent the public from coming near the proposed parking lot site. Concerned citizens are demanding the government allow for public input into the proposal which has not been approved by the public. Two years ago the project was stopped by then Mister Joyce Murray after public pressure demanded for public input.

The government’s currant plan is to build a parking lot for 150 cars and 20 buses or RVs in prime Roosevelt Elk winter range. This new clearing is to be located at the end of the blow down tunnel created by the Qualicum Wind of January 1, 1997. This recurring wind is funneled through Cameron Valley from Pacific to Georgia Strait and is compressed into the Valley where it reaches velocities upto 100 km/hr. The pick-up sticks left behind after a heavy snowfall combined with the Qualicum Wind were quickly ‘salvaged’ by MacMillan Bloedel along with many of the remaining standing trees. The proposed parking lot will further this wind tunnel which is pointed directly at MacMillan Park. The Cameron valley is fractured by railway, telecommunications fiber optics line, highway, and the majority of the valley has been logged. In 2001 Weyerhaeuser logged a 3 km long strip 90 meters wide between the highway and railway in land adjacent to MacMillan Park. The Park itself is divided by the highway, a telecommunications fiber optics line, trails, and is bordered by a railway and logging on all sides other than Cameron Lake.

Cathedral Grove is an international landmark visited by 1 million people each year. It is one the last low bottom valley of Old Growth Douglas Fir Trees on the planet. Certainly the only one readily accessible to the general public. The public has fought for this land to be a park for over 100 years and public pressure finally forced a park to be create after MacMillan (half of MacMillan Bloedel) brokered a land swap, not a gift, with the crown. This tiny 136 hectare park, named ’MacMillan Park’ is half the size Stanley park downtown Vancouver and is smaller than Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. The BC government claims that the only issue of concern is traffic congestion inside the park. However the proposed parking lot would make anyone bound to the west coast, make a left turn directly after a blind corner. On there way back onto the highway they would turn left once again across traffic. Accident concerns have not been addressed. Two left turns don’t make a right. All visitors would be faced with a parking fee of $5 or more. The proposed parking lot will access the last pristine part of park where many species of endangered wildlife, flora, and fauna exist. Toilets and a concession stand will be built at the head of a proposed trail that will bring 1 million people along a 500 meter gravel causeway which divides the last pristine part of the park in half so they can view the largest tree. This trail/causeway will disrupt water flow in the floodplain of the Cameron Creek which is very flat. Seeping water will back-up, causing water to stay around the root systems of Old Growth Douglas Fir Trees which typically suffer root rot from water saturation and they will then become more susceptible to wind. Will these old growth trees be deemed as dangerous to the public and therefore felled? How many old growth trees will have to be felled to make the park safe for people to walk on this new trail? Are Parks just for people or are they for preservation of threatened ecosystems? To make your voice heard please visit: http://www.cathedralgrove.com/ WRITE A LETTER! GET INVOLVED! JOIN THE WITNESS PROGRAM AT THE GROVE!