General Conservation Issues

For the discussion of general wildlife conservation issues, with a focus on actions and solutions.
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davidh
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General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Sat Aug 04, 2018 11:03 pm

Posted per David Hancock's request.


The 10 Essential Messages About Drought Guide


Warter.jpg

Have you heard that B.C. just declared a Level 3 drought for watersheds along the coast?

I don’t know about you, but after the droughts of 2015 and 2017, I’m starting to get worried that we’re not doing enough to build up our resilience to drought to protect people and ecosystems.

As droughts increasingly become the “new normal” in B.C., we need ensure that we are doing all we can to communicate the impacts of drought and engage our communities around solutions to build resilience. That’s why the Our Water B.C. team developed the 10 Essential Messages about Drought guide.

With a B.C. focus on drought, the guide offers Problem, Solution and Outcome messages that, when combined, create a compelling narrative to use in media communications, community engagement and government relations.
I know that mobilizing your audience with compelling narratives is important to you, even though it may feel like a tall order during a busy season of freshwater work. With recent declarations of “very dry conditions” throughout much of the province, now is the time to ensure community members and decision-makers hear the message: We need stronger action to defend against long-term impacts of drought.

Stay tuned for an upcoming webinar that will walk through creating locally-grounded narratives based on the 10 Essential Messages about Drought guide.

PS. I personally invite you to send any questions and comments related to this guide to me anytime, at [email protected]. I’ll be stoked to hear from you!

Sincerely,
Megan
B.C. Communications Lead
Our Water BC - Canadian Freshwater Alliance
http://www.freshwateralliance.ca/
-=-=-
Canadian Freshwater Alliance, a project on the Tides Canada shared platform ·

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:39 am

Letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Mr. Trudeau:

I have spent 80+ years on this coast -- the last 60 as a coastal biologist and if humanity has undertaken one annual invasive sin to the world it revolves around our total devastation of the SINGLE most important link in the west coast food chains -- the herring as a key food element to so many species.

I watched our human greed unnecessarily destroy the herring stocks in the 1960's and now have to watch as our simple greed, the greed to satisfy a tiny few, continues to prevent these stocks returning. Whether it is the salmon, the marine mammals, the cod and halibut, the eagles, wolves and bears OR our humans we all would massively benefit if you shut down the herring harvest IMMEDIATELY for a couple of years. Our country would greatly benefit but for this very narrow short-term greed that continues to deplete this resource.

Please show some common-sense and stop this herring harvest now.

David Hancock

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:32 pm

The Canadian Press
Brenna Owen
November 15, 2019
4:09 PM EST


B.C. wildlife experts urge hunters to switch ammo to stop lead poisoning in birds


VANCOUVER — Hunting season in British Columbia is having unintended toxic consequences for birds of prey and two local raptor experts say it’s time to get the lead out of ammunition to stop them from being poisoned.

The Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, or OWL, in Delta, B.C., is currently treating two eagles for lead poisoning and it can see up to 20 raptors each year, said long-time raptor caretaker Rob Hope.

The birds ingest lead when they scavenge the carcasses .......

READ MORE HERE

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:59 pm

Hancock here:
Comment on the Impact of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2


One of North America’s greatest eagle and ecological habitats gets another reprieve.

For the last decades I have been seeing nothing but negative impacts to our environment from the existing hugely disruptive truck – trailer terminal and a proposed additional new terminal. These environmental negatives are so obvious to anybody with a interest in trying to keep our living things living. BUT NOW — during Covid 19 – the negative impacts of a lot of elements we took for granted are in clearer focus.

At every drive to visit my eagle nests I encounter fewer cars — but most impactfully, I encounter fewer semi-trailers dragging their huge hulks to and from the Bulk Terminal. Every road is nicer and safer to drive. Every road smells better. I have fewer Railroad Crossings to wait at while the 125+ train cars laden with trailers passes. I cannot believe I am seeing this incredible difference in the pleasure of living. I know there are and will be more downsides to Covid but let’s consider what downsides we want to again endure. For British Columbians to allow another additional few thousand huge trucks an hour or day, all carrying ‘crap products’ for Chicago and NY, is totally unproductive for us. We pay the environmental costs and now I begin to again see how much we pay for the smell, the pollution, the noise and the incredibly extra inconvenience at EVERY intersection. It may be cheaper for New Yorker & Chicagonians to ship though here but we get NO benefits – only costs. Our existing Terminal 1 is only a tiny bit used for British Columbia goods — it already largely serves eastern US. WHY do we tolerate this? Certainly, why do we tolerate ‘considering a second terminal’?

Say no to the Expansion of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion. Below is a fine summary of other facts — my comments above reference the simple intrusion of this Terminal and its disruption of our everyday life. And I say this when normally I am spouting off the environmental negatives related to saving our eagles, our waterfowl and the marine mammals that flourish off the richest off-shore waters in North America – the Roberts Bank. It is usually the other creatures I am speaking up for. This past week of lower mainland peace and quiet, of smelling the flowers and hearing the eagles and robins call has been an awakening. Beautiful British Columbia is back. Let’s try and keep it that way.

David Hancock



PRESS RELEASE

Delta BC April 2 2020

Good news! The Federal Review Panel assessing the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project has stated that in a number of areas RBT2 will result in significant adverse environmental effects. These include effects on wildlife, wetlands, human health, recreation and quality of life.

Given the Review Panel report, the Environment Minister now has no choice. The legislation (CEAA 2012) does not permit him to make a decision and approve the project. Rather it requires the Minister to refer the decision to the Governor in Council (the Cabinet) where they must decide whether “the significant adverse environmental effects that the designated project is likely to cause are justified in the circumstances.” Very clearly the adverse effects from RBT2 are not justified and it is expected that the Cabinet will deny approval and RBT2 will not be built.

Cabinet will have trouble finding a business justification. Prince Rupert, with its expansion, offers all the container terminal capacity that Canada needs. The Panel said it did not look at Prince Rupert because it was not in the Port of Vancouver’s jurisdiction. Vancouver’s performance has been poor – ten year cumulative annual compound growth of less than 3%, missing every one of its last five growth forecasts, with no growth in 2019. Prince Rupert by comparison grew by 17% in 2019. Vancouver’s container traffic year to date 2020 is down by 13%. Prince Rupert is up by 12%. Reason – Vancouver lost most of its US traffic to US ports. That traffic is discretionary and unlikely to come back. Covid-19 has already changed container shipping. With RBT2 costing upwards of $4 billion and a cost per container in excess of $1000, clearly Canada’s container terminal expansion when needed is best done in Prince Rupert.

Regarding the environment and the importance of Roberts Bank, the Panel states in its report that “…throughout the review, it is evident that the marine ecosystem of the Fraser River estuary is increasingly being threatened by the cumulative effects of development and human activities.”

According to the Panel RBT2 will result in a number of threats to the Roberts Bank ecosystem and numerous wildlife species. For example the Panel identifies significant adverse effects to wetlands, salmon, crabs, and barn owls. Not only that but the Panel states that RBT2 will result in significant adverse effects to the quality of life and to human health caused by noise, respiratory irritants and lighting. It would also adversely affect agricultural land and recreation in one of the most globally Important Bird Areas. In short RBT2 denigrates so many areas of wildlife, everyday life, and enjoyment. On biofilm, the Panel destroys several of the Port’s arguments. The Port stated on a number of occasions that biofilm can be created. The Panel said that is unproven and as a mitigation measure for biofilm it cannot be considered feasible.

The Panel raises a number of uncertainties concerning changes in salinity and impacts on biofilm and fatty acid production, critical as a food source for millions of shorebirds, as well as other wildlife species. Birds Canada says it is concerned about impacts on Western Sandpipers and shorebirds, as are we. Two experts in wetlands and wildlife, which the Panel quoted in their report – Dr. Pat Baird and Professor Peter Beninger -, also raised these adverse impacts at the public hearings. Additionally new peer-reviewed science published in “Frontiers in Marine Science”, on the importance of biofilm for the breeding migration of shorebirds, validates the work done by Environment Canada scientists. They were right all along. If RBT2 is built it is likely to result in the significant degradation of one of the most important ecosystems, in terms of birds and biodiversity, in the whole of North America. As the scientists have repeatedly said, RBT2 will result in significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be mitigated.

This uncertainty must trigger the Precautionary Principle enshrined in environmental legislation. Simply put, if an action – i.e. building RBT2 – creates a risk, then do not do it.

Covid-19 changes everything. Let’s stop wasting any more money. Have Cabinet cancel RBT2 NOW.

For more information visit www.againstportexpansion.org or
Email Roger Emsley at [email protected]

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:23 am

`


Ecojustice

Late yesterday we received word that the seven courageous young people Ecojustice is backing in a landmark climate lawsuit against the Government of Ontario will get their day in court.

For the first time ever, a Canadian court has ruled that fundamental rights protected under the Charter can be threatened by climate change and citizens have the ability to challenge a Canadian government’s action on the climate crisis under the highest law in the land.

The news comes almost a year to the day that our youth clients sued the Doug Ford government for weakening Ontario’s climate targets and violating Ontarians’ Charter rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. In its ruling, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice delivered a rebuke of the Ford government’s attempt to shut down the youth-led lawsuit and affirmed that our clients’ case will be heard in full.

According to the court’s ruling: “This case is of public interest, in that it transcends the interest of all Ontario residents, not just the Applicants’ generation or the ones that follow.”

Mathur et. al. v. Her Majesty in Right of Ontario is the only time a Canadian Court has recognized that the harms caused by climate change can engage our Charter protected rights to life, liberty and security of the person.

The Ford government tried to get our case dismissed on grounds that the courts aren’t the right forum for addressing the climate crisis, that climate impacts will play out so far in the future we can’t understand them now, that the climate crisis is so big and complicated that Ontario’s targets don’t make a difference, and that the young people bringing the case can’t represent the interests of future generations.

Thanks to your support, our clients — Sophia, Zoe, Shaelyn, Alex, Shelby, Madi, and Beze — made legal history and prevailed on every one of these grounds. Thank you.

Your support is the reason we’ve been able to assemble a stellar legal team, comprised of Ecojustice lawyers and award-winning constitutional law experts Nader Hasan and Justin Safayeni of Stockwoods LLP, to represent these remarkable young climate leaders in this landmark lawsuit.

And together, we’re determined to keep making history. We’re going to pull out all the legal stops to chart a better path for climate action in Canada — because when it comes to defending the people and places we love, there’s no time to waste. Can we count on you to stick with us?

While the fate of this case hung in the balance, the Ecojustice team forged ahead with gathering evidence and expert opinions to bolster our case. Having now survived the Ford government’s procedural attack, we’re pushing to get to a hearing as soon as possible.

That means that our legal work will only intensify in the coming months, and we’ll need your support more than ever.

Please, support this case and be part of Canadian legal history. Give what you can today and help us put Premier Ford’s climate failures on trial. Donate now.


Sincerely,
Devon Page,
executive director, Ecojustice
P.S. Nerd out with us. Read the court’s ruling here.

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:36 am

`

On Mon, 21 Dec 2020 at 20:25, Nick Cuff <[email protected]> wrote:
Battle for Fairy Creek2.jpg


:vid:Battle for Fairy Creek

Battle for Fairy Creek.jpg

davidh
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Re: General Conservation Issues

Post by davidh » Sun Nov 05, 2023 8:55 am

.
Hancock here: Oct 29
Three eagle nests & BC's most biologically productive and diverse shoreline get an obscene threat


Biofuel Plant Concerns
A Note to the Prime Minister
by David Hancock


Re Andion Biofuel Facility Proposed for Semiahmoo First Nation Land near Active Eagle Nesting Territory

A Specific Biological Perspective:
“The Semiahmoo lands hold three active bald eagle nests but are key to supporting over 150 nesting pairs in the adjacent few Cities and over 25,000 northern breeding eagles who spend their fall & winter months here.” This Semiahmoo region is the center of the most important biological region in the entire northeast Pacific. This zone through which tens of millions of migrating shorebirds are totally dependent upon the biofilm produced in the adjacent bays and many million more waterfowl forage the same waters and foreshores.” The Semiahmoo lands site at the heart of the life generating Fraser River Estuary and the whole region should be protected biosphere."

(I will only address the importance of eagles here - I am sure you will be bombarded by the plethora of biologists who have been studying the diversity of so many other species and their interrelatedness so important to the west coast economy and survival of the Salish Sea.)

I am a wildlife biologist who has specialized in the ecology of bald eagles for many years. In April of 1953 I first surveyed the now Semiahmoo First Nation’s reserve for eagles. For the past 35 years since I moved to adjacent South Surrey, I have been following these local eagles in considerable detail. The Hancock Wildlife Foundation does the annual tracking of all eagle nests for the City of Surrey, Vancouver, Mission, and Chilliwack – totally monitoring the entire Lower Fraser Valley from Point Atkinson on the North to Point Roberts on the south and upstream to Hope. In my last many years of retirement, we have been the primary consultant for Region 2 of the Ministry of Forestry undertaking most of the Bald Eagle Mitigation Plans to move eagles to new nesting locations. Our audacious specialty is to try and speak truthfully for the needs of eagles and their habitat.

I have also undertaken studies of the SFN regarding an earlier road height-raising project.

The point of this is that the Semiahmoo lands are interconnected with the two most productive and important bald eagle nesting areas of North America. This is the Boundary Bay region to the West and the Blaine Harbour that abuts the Semiahmoo lands to the south. Some 150 pairs of nesting eagles and over 35,000 northern breeders that winter here depend upon these waters. We hold the largest North American responsibility for the survival of the bald eagle. The Semiahmoo lands sit dead center of this sensitive ecological jewel.

Seventy years ago, April 1953, I initiated aerial surveys and personally visited the Semiahmoo Reservation. These surveys revealed that an Alaska Bounty on Bald Eagles had totally eliminated the local Fraser Valley & northwest Washington breeding population of bald eagles. This was simply because these waters are adjacent and interdependent. Canada never offered the bounty but the constant movement of eagles across the border meant that one local factor, the fisherman of Blaine Harbour, eliminated the entire breeding population of eagles for a hundred miles in both directions. Our eagles regularly flew across this border to feed. The USA was paying Alaskan fisherman $2.00 for a pair of eagle legs. Without legs they did not return. Blaine Harbour houses most of the fleet of Alaskan fisheries. We lost all the eagles breeding in the Fraser Valley and Washington State lost all its coastal breeders because all regional eagles utilize these totally international shorelines for living.

Today we treasure these eagles, both here in Canada and in the adjacent eagle rich habitat of northeast Washington State. I would hate to think we Canadians are now planning to disrupt this ecological treasure house to again risk such devastation to the worlds' most diverse rich intertidal flats – the very foundation feeding all the different groups of birds, mammals and the supportive inter-tidal life, as well as the biggest nursery for much of the west coast salmon populations.

At this time we have three territorial pairs nesting in the reserve. All their nests, in addition to the eagles, are protected under the BC Wildlife Act. Not that long ago 11 First Nations people were jailed, fined and some removed from living on their respective reserves – all for killing eagles for the feather trade. There was both Provincial and Band retribution doled out. I sit on several cooperative environmental committees with First Nations and considerable sensitivities have grown. This kind of development into the most productive waterway for over 3,000 miles of coastline demands some serious justifications if it is to risk proceeding. I doubt this is a change of values of the majority of First Nations people just as I believe it is not a supported direction for the non-natives,

I say this as most of the local bands have been quite concerned about the pollution and degradation of their governable habitats. Millions of dollars have been spent enabling wise-use conservation policies on their lands. ANY effluent from any business running into the rich Little Campbell Estuary or contaminating the two huge adjacent bays is totally unacceptable. The Semiahmoo peoples have argued for years to keep all - any pollution risk - to ZERO. The financial degradation of these sensitive ecosystems would be catastrophic.


Also I recognize that most surrounding residents of White Rock, Surrey and Blaine, and USA have a keen interest in preserving not just their favored eagles, but the general habitat for all its quality of water, air and land. The Semiahmoo lands also house the foreshore of the Little Campbell River which supports wonderful runs of all the salmonids. Lee-Ann, I do not know where you live or were brought up, but we are striving to maintain what the Province has been telling us for years: "This is Super Natural British Columbia" - its wealth and livability depend upon keeping it super and natural.

At first blush, any further industrial manipulation of biowastes for this region sounds quite negative. I have recently been contacted by many locally concerned citizen groups about this development. Your responsibility here is critical. SFN is at the heart of the Pacific Coast’s most important flyway, as well as the heart of the world’s largest gatherings of breeding and wintering eagles.

This begs the question: Is there a reason why, with the upper Fraser Valley being devoted primarily to agriculture that this 'agricultural waste plant' should move into the most ecologically valuable shoreline, the most urban and least farmed area of the valley?

If the Hancock Wildlife Foundation and its association of local biologists can be of assistance, please give me a call. We specialize in mitigating ecological challenges, particularly those affecting bald eagles.

With respect,
David Hancock

P.S. The HWF presently has 4 sets of bald eagle nest CAMS operating on the shores of Boundary Bay to the Semiahmoo shores - with at least one more set to come on line next year. We are presently discussing placement of several on the Blaine shores. This is a simple statement of how the public supports their eagles.


Hancock Here:
I seldom address local specific conservation issues but this one, which can be imposed on a gullible public across any nation, is so obscene I needed to address it. Get involved when this threat comes to your most productive areas!



Video Courtesy of Jennifer Maki

Our Rally Day in Reflection ...
https://youtu.be/WGLdMf2ZA7E?si=qpwclUoJYbYj3BN7

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