The Other Press March 22, 1995 British Columbia’ S wetlands imperiled Ocean Spray takes 80 acres of Burns Bog for cranberry juice by Michelle Stewart, Amy Newton-McCann, and Slippery J Burns Bog is the largest domed bog on the Pacific coast of the Ameri- cas. In combination with Boundary Bay adjacent to the south and the Fraser River on its north edge, this area hosts the highest-density of water and shore birds in Canada during winter. Being part of the Fraser River estuary and the Pacific flyway for migratory birds makes Burns Bog a maining twenty-four are transient spe- cies that use the Bog occasionally. One noted resident is the Greater Sandhill Crane, a species found only in two ar- eas in the lower mainland. There are only 600 of these cranes left in BC. The Bog also hosts a large population of raptors, such as marsh hawks, great horned owls, peregrine falcons and bald eagles. The rapid development of the lower mainland has made Burns Bog a exchange for survival. This creates ur- ban wildlife areas such as Burns Bog. The Bog has many small mammafs such as voles and shrews; it also main- tains a healthy population of predators which include black bear, bobcat, red fox and coyote. The entire dome is an old-growth forest except where it has been altered by peat removal, agriculture, develop- ment, and waste disposal. The scars from peat removal have mostly healed (a forty year process) to create unique and critical <2 habitat. ; The condi- tions created in this ’ raised bog are only ideal for a small number of plant spe- cies. Some of these include: bog rose- mary, narrow-leaf sundew, yellow pond lily, cotton grass, haircap moss, cloud berries and liverworts. or tN EE aa V Over 145 spe- cies of birds are known to use the Bog, approximately sixty of which are thought to be permanent residents, with another sixty being seasonal. The re- haven for many wildlife species. As habitats are swapped for dollars, ani- mals are being pushed further and fur- ther from their preferred territory in y ¥ a more diverse habitat than was there before, including ponds and meadows. Besides birch and pine, one can commonly find species of spruce, cedar, hemlock and alder. Since 1966, part of the Bog has been used as a landfill. The City of Vancouver owns 1600 acres of the finest land, 700 acres of which they have already buried under a forty- foot layer of demolition waste, garbage and clay. The landfill charges tipping fees that have amounted to an $80-100 million profit in just the past few years. They claim these fees are collected to pay for the recycling program. Two golf courses have been built ! LI B | i 4 ‘' : You can take control of genital herpes Wit pay coal ; Stour life on the Bog, with two more rejected by the city council, one of them in favour of a high density housing development. Two highways already run through separate areas of the Bog, and a third Over 145 species of birds are known to use the Bog is on the way to connect to a new bridge. Recent attempts to halt the in- creased development of bogland for domestic cranberry harvesting were fu- tile. Ocean Spray has won the right to ruin another 80 acres of untouched bog, adjacent to the Dow dump so it can bring the world the savoury flavour of “Cranapple Juice.” The Provincial government of BC seems quite generous in handing out permits to dump. With an acre a day being lost to development, the antici- pated decision for Protected Area Sta- tus sometime in 1995 seems a long way off. Burns Bog is by no means pris- tine, but it is wilderness. It is a unique ecosystem that must be formally pro- tected and allowed to thrive and evolve in its natural state. Several environ- mental groups in BC, including the Western Canada Wilderness Commit- tee, the Burns Bog Conservation Soci- ety, and BC Wild are involved in the provincial Protected Areas Strategy process and have submitted several wilderness proposals to BC Parks, En- vironment, and Lands. Vancouver Earth First! is focus- ing its attention on the Delta and Van- couver City Councils, pressuring them to enforce their own bylaws and pro- tect the Bog. Direct action will be a strong focal point of this campaign. Contacts: Moe Sihota Minister of Environment Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Vancouver Earth First! PO Box 176 1472 Commercial Dr. Vancouver, BC V5L 3X9 Seal hunters back in business by Laura Pottie I’m sure you’re all aware that the Canadian government has re-opened the seal hunt as of March 1995, with the reasoning that the seals are threat- ening the cod stocks in Newfoundland. Well, never mind that the reason the cod stocks are so low has nothing to do with seals but instead is due to extreme overfishing. I just thought that you may be interested to hear some of the things Brian Tobin isn’t telling you. First of all, the government has authorized and will be subsidizing with your dollars the slaughter of 186,000 seal pups this March and April. Thou- sands of those are baby Grey and Hood seals. It is a scientifically proven fact that Harp and Hood seals do not even eat cod and are not in competition for any commercial fish species. Also, you no longer have to be an experienced hunter to get in on this kill. The Minister of Fisheries has an- nounced that anyone with a provincial hunting license and ten bucks is able to participate. The ten dollars is your tuition fee to attend an information ses- sion explaining safety for the hunters but does not include any description of humane harvesting methods. This hunt will be the largest or- ganized slaughter of an animal popu- lation on the planet. All this from a government that’s at this very moment holding Spanish fishermen in custody and screaming about concerns for our environment. Does this give you something to scream about? If so, here’s Brian's ad- dress: Mr. Brian Tobin Minister of Fisheries and Oceans 200 Kent St. Ottawa,Ont. K1A 0E6 Coping with recurrent symptoms such as itching or burning pain, tingling, sores, or even localized redness in or near the genital area has never been easy. Add to this the emotional impact of guilt, resentment, depression... a disruption of daily life. Advances in medical research now enable you to do some- thing about genital herpes out- breaks. A greater understanding of genital herpes — plus the availability of affordable treat- ments, and counselling — can help you get your life essentially back to normal and potentially keep outbreaks out of the picture for years. 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