Logging protestors are taking their fight to film as clear-cut timber harvest continues at Highwood Junction.
Members of Take a Stand for the Kananaskis and Upper Highwood, which formed one year ago on April 1, gathered with community members, professionals in fish and wildlife and residents from the Ghost Valley on April 25 to see a documentary on the impact of clear-cut logging in the Ghost area called Forests, Fins and Footprints.
The 20-minute film outlined potential effects of logging on rivers, wildlife and fish in Alberta.
Sharon MacDonald, a Ghost Valley resident, facilitated the evening, which included a showing of the film and a panel discussion about how logging affects communities.
"The Ghost Valley community came together in March 2014, a group of neighbours trying to share land use information with one another, and offer support to one another,” said MacDonald.
Timber harvest of 285 hectares took place in the Ghost Valley area, a public land use zone northwest of Cochrane, two years ago. MacDonald said it had a major effect on area residents.
"For many of us this impacted our way of life, our way of earning a living, our safety on the roads, our confidence that the land we love was healthy and intact,” she said.
A lot of the focus in the community was on the potential impact on water, she said. They were concerned logging efforts would affect the riparian areas along local rivers, which could result in them filling with sediment, disrupting flow and the ability of fish to feed or lay eggs on the riverbed.
Filmmakers Michael Glaser and Courtney Lawson were excited to bring their documentary to Turner Valley and share the experiences of Ghost with those concerned about Kananaskis-area logging.
Glaser said it was one of the biggest crowds they’ve shown the film to over the past few months. There were more than 50 people in attendance.
It was a labour of love, intertwined with Glaser’s family story as the narrative to tie all the pieces together.
"We used a bit of my story, my connection with the Ghost in there,” said Glaser. "But really it could be anyone’s story, because it’s something that’s happening in a lot of communities up and down the eastern slopes of Alberta.”
Panelist Lorne Fitch, who appeared in the documentary, works as a provincial riparian specialist for Alberta Cows and Fish. He said it’s time to make changes to the forestry industry.
"We’ve often harboured an opinion that the forest service are the experts and that they know what they’re doing,” said Fitch. "They may be experts at timber harvest, but I don’t think they understand other forest values and how to integrate those into forest management as opposed to timber management.”
He said there is a general mistrust among many Albertans as to how forests are managed, and that the public should be more involved in the process.
Neil Williams, with Take a Stand for the Kananaskis and Upper Highwood, said his group will continue to fight for change to how forests are managed in Alberta, despite the fact 255 hectares were already clear-cut at Highwood Junction, at Highway 940 and Highway 541 west of Longview.
The timber is now set to be transported to B.C., he said.
"It’s all been cut, trimmed and stacked,” said Williams. "The equipment is still there on the north side of the river. Some of the wood will be hauled out soon, but last time out there they hadn’t moved timber.”
He said he took a walk through the clear-cut area in April and was devastated with the results.
"It’s not as pleasant as it used to be,” said Williams.
Next on the list for logging the eastern slopes is an area near Indian Graves campground, followed by the Sullivan Creek area west of High River, between the Highwood and Sheep River, he said.
He encouraged attendees at the film showing to take photos of the clear-cuts and submit them with letters to MLAs, ministers, and the premier’s office as part of a rally to see changes to forestry.
Williams is also part of a second documentary currently being created, Keeping Kananaskis, focusing on the efforts of his group and the effects of logging at Highwood Junction.
RG
