Tell BC Timber Sales, the Ministry of Forests, and the Province of BC that no logging should occur in Cai Creek.

Cai Creek is an intact watershed home to some of BC's largest Ponderosa Pine. BC Timber Sales has scheduled Cai Creek for sale in Oct-Dec 2024. See more at www.savecaicreek.com

Latest Updates

Feb 11 2024 - Keep the signatures coming! 

A letter highlighting this petition and the 11,430 signatures has been sent to Hon. Nathan Cullen (Minister of Water Land and Resource Stewardhsip), Hon. Bruce Ralston (Minster of Forests), and Hon. Katrine Conroy (Minister of Finance; MLA Kootenay West).

If you live in BC and especially the West Kootenays I strongly encourage you find and email your MLA and tell them you want to see Cai Creek protected. Local support is key to taking Cai Creek off the chopping block. Feel free to email if you need support!

Jan 5 2024 - This petition has been far more successful than expected and I will be sending the results to Katrine Conroy and Bruce Ralston in January 2024.

If you live in the Kootenays - please be sure to enter your city and postal code so I can present the number of local signatures to government.

If you want to make additional comments to government about Cai Creek logging, email kootenay.forest.watch@gmail.com and I will compile and share your comments with government.

If needed, a formal written petition to government will be started in 2024 given the success of this online petition (9,400+ signatures today). Please follow Kootenay Forest Watch - Castlegar or visit savecaicreek.com for up to date information.

Volunteers to collect signatures for a written petition will be needed. If you live in Castlegar, Trail, Nelson, Salmo or the surrounding area please get in touch with kootenay.forest.watch@gmail.com to volunteer.

Donations to change.org help promote this digital petition. If you would like to support local efforts please email kootenay.forest.watch@gmail.com. Please note I am an individual, not a registered charity. 

 

 

The Cai Creek Drainage is Special

Cai Creek is a 70-80% intact watershed near Castlegar, British Columbia. The Cai Creek watershed is particularly special - it is home to BC's largest Ponderosa Pine (Lieutenant Dan) - and many other old growth pine, fir, and cedar at least 250-400 years old. This forest naturally re-generated after a fire 70-80 years ago, that burned many trees but left the oldest, hardiest trees intact. What exists today is a diverse, established ecosystem that has largely recovered from fire and supports a broad range of flora and fauna species, all naturally protected due to the absence of roads in the drainage.

 

 

Old growth fir in Cai Creek (April 2023)

BC Timber Sales plans to log the heart of Cai Creek

BC Timber Sales has planned three cutblocks in the forest, one in the Cai Creek drainage above Ootischenia, east of Castlegar, and two below Brilliant Overlook northeast of Castlegar. BC Timber Sales cutblock TA2185-3 is the worst, and will clear 36 hectares of forest in the centre of the Cai Creek drainage. Logging will provide some reserves and leave a 56 m buffer around BC's largest Ponderosa Pine, but many of the old growth trees in the drainage are in the way of roads and will be cut down. This cutblock will destroy habitat for ungulates (white-tailed deer, elk) and leave a 1.7 km long and 300 m wide scar across the drainage that will be visible from Castlegar for decades. 

 

 

Cai Creek will be sold for logging in the next year

BC Timber Sales will auction all three Cai Creek cutblocks in the fall of 2024. Once sold, the forestry company that purchased Cai Creek will be legally obligated to harvest the forest. Now is the time to act, before Cai Creek is logged and this intact forest is lost forever.

Pictures from within the BC Timber Sales cutblock

 

 

Standing under another giant Ponderosa Pine in Cai Creek. This one wears the scars of the fire that passed through years ago (November 2023).

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring a 1.2 m Western White Pine in Cai Creek (October 2023)

 

 

 

 

Old growth trees can survive fire, but won't survive logging. These old growth trees are located on the BC Timber Sales road centreline (October 2023).

 

 

Looking out over Cai Creek (April 2023)