North of Sudbury in a small community of Benny, Ontario, a David-Goliath war has been raging. Goliath is Eacom and David is Clyde and Barbara McNichol. Barbara sent out an email to a small group of concerned citizens this morning, of which, I am one member. In September, Barbara was arrested and charged with mischief for blocking the logging trucks. How can this be when her husband Clyde's family has recognized these  forests as a part of their ancestral hunting and fishing territory that was to remain for their use according to the Robinson Huron Treaty? Barbara pleaded not guilty and this will be moving forward to trial! This is Barbara and Clyde's story.

Machines have just come in to prepare roads for logging trucks going into Benny, Ontario in preparation for logging an estimated 800 hectares or 8 square kilometres of Forest right up to the Spanish River.

This is my husband's family's land and they do not have his permission to do this. We have been standing up since April of 2015 defending this land. Studies were funded by MNRF to investigate and everything needed to adjust logging plans were found: endangered species, old growth, historical and current cultural use by his people, and archeological interest. Still the MNRF chose to protect none of those values except for a possible "serpent mound." They are allowing cutters to go in up to 30 m. of all trails and waterways. This will dishonour Clyde's ancestors who are buried there. It will further ruin the habitat for bears and all Indigenous species who depend on a healthy forest for their lives. It will close our business, Camp Eagle Nest, that is making an effort to pass on our culture to the younger generations. It makes MNRF's own process for considering ecological, archeological and cultural values in its forest planning look like a sham. It will lead to making the area poisoned and uninhabitable. MPP France Gélinas stood up in the Ontario legislature last winter to ask the government to "fix" its mistake and protect Camp Eagle Nest. With our elder Art Petahtegoose, we took the loggers and government to court last Spring to try to get them to stop cutting long enough to fix the problem. We had solid historical documentation about government promises to protect Clyde's family's hunting territory, but the problem is still not fixed.

The logging company, Eacom, has voluntarily agreed to hold off aerial spraying the block they cut last year closest to Benny on the East side of Highway # 144 due to my request so that Clyde can start rebuilding that forest as he has publicly stated numerous times he wants to do. What good is that if the forest is all cut on the other side of the highway now too, the area closest to most of his family graves, our camp, and the area of his father's and grandfathers' traplines, and village?

A proposal to protect the area in the form of a Conservation area pending the outcome of Aboriginal land claims by Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, Sagamok or others with an interest in the area, has been put on the table.

I have written and advocated to so many people but have not so far succeeded in saving these trees and forest this way. It has been exhausting. Clyde's health is not great. I am asking for a cessation of road building in Benny until a decision about Treaty rights can be made.

I am asking you to come out and help in any way you can.

Thank you/ Miigwetch