Post-Convergence Meetings, Offerings, Roles

The feedback from BC Forests: The Peoples Convergence has been overwhelmingly positive. It was gratifying to hear from viewers who said they found incredible value in what they learned from the speakers. As lead organizer, I want to give a huge shout-out to our speakers and to everyone who helped, especially Taryn Skalbania, who put in a lot of work to make it happen.

Here are some of the stats from Forest MarchBC and the online summit:

466 people signed up for the Forest Summit.
18 communities participated in the march. View the photos and videos here.
The month of September the website had almost 14,000 views – up from 829 in August.
The facebook group, BC Forestry Reform, had an increase of 28% in membership in Sept.
The facebook page, Forest March BC, page likes increased by 252% and are now at 452 likes, and the post reach increased by 700% with a total of 10,358 views on our posts.

The photos, videos, and documents from the march can be seen the Locations 2020 tab on this website.

FOLLOW UP MEETING SEPTEMBER 24

On September 24, there was a Zoom follow-up meeting to the BC Forests: The Peoples Convergence online summit. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a venue for those with ideas, proposals, or services to share with other like-minded people. We are figuring out ways to move forward and to connect and network.

25 people attended. Different types of offerings were made: some were specific projects, some were offerings of skill, some were ideas in search of supporters.

Instead of sharing the video of the Zoom meeting, a list of the offerings is being shared here to make it easily accessible.

The list of what was offered is below (without names). You can access the PDF version of it here – the PDF version includes names and contact info for some of the pitchers. If you want to follow up with one of the people making the offering who doesn’t have contact information listed on the PDF, please email forestmarchbc (at) gmail.com and I will put you in touch.

1. Evergreen Alliance- creating a process/calculation for putting monetary value on non-timber/non-economic values (e.g. habitat, carbon sequestration, tourism etc) in specific mapped areas then comparing that value with timber harvesting value. Process will be offered to local organizations in BC to create the case for why areas should be protected. Project details and website will be shared once ready to launch.

2. Interested in supporting faith groups to support the forest

3. Questions for candidates on old growth, primary forests, jobs - preparing a website for this.

4. Interior coalition

5. Working on strategy, standardized form 4 points the forest march group wants to get across, engaging with local government.

6. Experienced with blockades & direction action. Encouraging more blockades in BC.

7. Willing to assist in developing Evaluation tools for non-timber values, environmental goods/services.

8. Looking for support to create a Conservation Tax Incentive Program and to have carbon declared as a farm crop for ALR lands.

9. Create a Manifesto - unifying vision.

10. The “pitch” is for putting in place examples of optional approaches to our relationship with forest. These examples need to be developed with, and inclusive of the needs of Indigenous Nations. Optional, respectful approaches to our relationship with forests have quietly occurred in many locations. These examples need to be championed and leveraged to develop more Indigenous/community-based examples. In the end, successful, working models that protect forest ecological integrity, while meeting human needs are hard to argue against. If these examples extend across ecosystem types, geographic locations, and varying human communities, they provide the basis for change that leaders, whatever their political stripe, will be unable to ignore

11. Researcher leading to creating a strategy. Topics of interest: candidates questions, pilot protects and subsidies for developing alternate jobs for forest workers in their communities, asking MLAs for support on specific asks, meeting with union leaders.

12. Connecting with BC Greens

13. Investigation if paper mills could use their machines to produce paper from cannabis stalk.

14. Help organize, help with a depository (web page) where people can see what the vision, and specific actions are.

15. Join efforts with crafting Vision and think tank. Use organizing experience to support local coaltions and a network of coalition

15. Help with strategy and communications. Can write and communicate in order to further the group’s efforts.

16. Lawn signs of support for vision, ideas, raising awareness - not sure how to fund it and what to do with all the unrecyclable plastic. So perhaps there is a better way that is more environmentally friendly. Looking for help and support with this.

17. Pushing toilet paper companies to go back to using recycled fibre. They stopped to fill consumer demand which for some reason meant excluding recycled content.

18. Trails Society of BC is putting forth position paper about the loss of the Trans Canada Trail to motor vehicles and industrial forestry - we have lost 67 km of the Columbia and Western Rail Trail to the forest industry. Ciel is looking for people who want to work with Trails Society of BC on forest policy and/ or creating green new deal funding related to non-motorized recreation trails.

19. An expert in BC forest history - offering to respond to questions and help others be more effective in whatever they choose to do.

20. Offering to research, connect and share any info she already has on many of the already ‘protected ‘ types of lands in BC and the many various ways areas and others on ALR; designating no-go-zones.

21. Creating a think tank with website that offers policy alternatives to counter government and industry policies, based on scientific facts and experience. Think tank will have board of directors and advisory board with credentialed + expert members. Donating funds to hire a point person + create virtual office. Creating a body to force polished professional policy through media.

22. Supporting the think tank and coalition as well as developed ideas for eco tourism which maybe outside the box.

For my part, I am offering the use of Forest Summit communication tools to spread information: website, email list, facebook group, facebook page. I will continue in my role as some sort of spokesperson and communication hub – sharing information, possibly create mini-online summits, virtual learning modules, and a podcast. I am in discussion with Ralph and Lannie Keller about possibly working with them on their idea of a central forestry think tank. In December, I can get involved with an interior coalition (if someone else organizes it, hint, hint).

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES

Two different lists of questions for candidates have been offered.

Focus on old growth, primary forests, value-added, jobs. Via ForestVote2020.com
General questions. Via Ray Travers.

MEETING #2, OCTOBER 4

There is a second meeting on Sunday, October 4, at 6pm via Zoom. If you are interested in joining that meeting to listen or participate, please email forestmarchbc (at) gmail.com. The meeting agenda is here. It will include a short re-presentation of offerings then break out rooms where we work on: 1. Crafting a vision 2. Job Solutions Fact Sheet.

Purpose of the Oct 4 meeting:

Provide a venue for people to connect and network and possibly decide to form working groups.
Begin to craft a vision that those who are present and others can use to move forward.
Begin to create a Job Solutions Fact Sheet to counter the perceived industry monopoly on jobs and build awareness about the jobs that can be created using solutions put forward in the Convergence.

It is not the purpose of this meeting to create a single cohesive group or coalition. I also want to be clear that I do not have the capacity to be the leader of a group of that type right now. However, I am hoping this meeting will be a venue for people who want to organize a project/initiative/group to connect with likeminded people. I encourage other leaders to emerge.

The work begins.

Jennifer Houghton

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