Submission by Brian Carter
Submitted on 05/02/2008
Your Vision:
Biodiversity, forests and parks I see as very closely related with mining clearly effecting those three but more difficult to deal with because of a global economy. My vision is to protect our forests and allow biodiversity do sustain it's self in both protected and privately owned forests free of clear cutting and the forest industry. As for parks, they must be open to all forms of visitors and users, including motorized use on designated trails as well as all other use only on designated trails. Humans and our pets are extremely devastating on the biodiversity of in the forest. That is why all human activity hikers, bikers and motorized users must be restricted to a maintained trail system in our parks. Excluding any group is wrong because all human activity is harmful so we can not single out any one group.
Strengths:
The strengths I see in these four areas is that nature is tougher than we think. Despite human intervention and industry the forests do a pretty good job of trying to come back. The problem is that we as humans do not give nature much of chance when we clear cut so much of natures work. I am afraid the strength of nature is weakened and we need to back off and give it a chance to come back.
Barriers and Issues:
Barriers that effect these issues is extremist and extremism. Industry takes an extreme view by clear cutting everything as fast as the can to make money and try to compete in a forestry industry that is dying in North America yielding to places like south America where they can re-grow a forest in 10 years that would take us 40 years, combined with much lower labour costs. It is time we gave up this industry. Extremists on environmental issues, thinking that hikers are the only eco friendly thing in the forests and wanting to exclude al others. Reality is that hikers and campers are not eco friendly, they cause erosion, and are the single largest cause of forest fires on the planet which destroys more forests and puts more pollution into the air than anything else. For and example on the other end, snowmobiliers could not start a forest fire if they had to not even with napalm. Add to that they are on a layer of snow thus not causing erosion. Extremism has no place in this at all. Clear heads and a mind set of sharing and only this will turn this around. All wars and conflict on this planet are and have been caused by extremists. This is our barrier and our biggest issue.
Community's Priorities:
we need to stop or drastically slow down the forest industry. We need to stop all spraying as it has the biggest effect on biodiversity, designed to kill of certain species. Design trail systems for uses (motorized and non) to restrict where humans can go. No human should have free rein in the forest. Let us all use the forest but with restrictions on all uses. Stop wood burning in homes, as it not good for the forest or the air. Develop renewable electric sources of energy.
Guiding the health and sustainability:
Co-operation, elimination of extremism, elimination of radical non-inclusive thoughts. A value of sharing and compromise. This country was built on these values and extremism and excluding people or groups from the enjoyment of nature will destroy our country and take our freedoms. Lets face it all users of the forest except for some industries are all for saving the forest. So let’s save it and share the use of it and not exclude anyone. We can fight for the forest much better united rather than split on extreme views and miss beliefs. Co-operation, sharing and compromise are the values that will get us where we need to go. Do not exclude or isolate, these are extreme values and have no place in a free society and Canada.
Additional Comments:
Work together to save the forests from further destruction by industry and share the nature we save with all groups to use and enjoy, no one has the right to shut another out in this critical battle to save our forests. Motorized and non motorized groups must bury any extremist views forever and wok together now.