Federal agency rejects funding for controversial seismic testing
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March 09, 2007
BC environmental groups are applauding the decision by Canada's NSERC to withdraw funding for the Batholiths Project that proposed seismic blasting in North Coast waters.
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The Hibernation hangover: Concentrations of toxic pollutants increase in grizzlies while they sleep
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February 21, 2007
“Our findings show that the burning of fat reserves during the bear’s hibernation results in higher concentrations of some polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Concentrations of PBDEs almost doubled and concentrations of some of the most toxic PCBs doubled or tripled”
129 |
Liberal government’s push for off shore oil and gas development contradicts expected throne speech rhetoric on climate change
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February 13, 2007
Reportedly in today’s throne speech Gordon Campbell’s Liberal government will address the issue of climate change. However, the province clearly hasn’t connected the dots between its push for off shore oil and gas development and its forthcoming “green plan” regarding climate change.
128 |
Less than 20% of salmon watersheds to receive full protection on the central and north coast
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August 31, 2006
Less than 20 per cent of salmon watersheds on the central and north coast of BC will receive full protection under the recently announced Great Bear Rainforest agreement, according to a Raincoast Conservation Society review.
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US-led seismic surveys pose significant threat to BC's salmon and marine mammals
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June 27, 2006
US funded seismic surveys proposed for marine and terrestrial environments on BC's central and north coast pose a significant threat to the region's salmon and marine mammals. Pending approvals, the BATHOLITHS project is set to begin in the fall of 2007
123 |
Renowned Researcher Wins Prestigious Aquarium Award
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April 24, 2006
Vancouver, April 20, 2006: The member groups of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) are today celebrating the honouring of one of their own. Alexandra Morton of Raincoast Research, a CAAR member group, is being awarded the prestigious Murray Newman Award for Excellence in Aquatic Conservation.
120 |
Renowned Researcher Wins Prestigious Aquarium Award
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April 24, 2006
Alexandra Morton recognized for work to protect wild salmon.
121 |
Great Bear Rainforest announcement positive first step
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February 07, 2006
Today's protected areas announcement by government for the Great Bear Rainforest is a positive first step, but more protection will be required if biodiversity is to be safeguarded into the future on the central and north coast.
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Raincoast Board Member Alexandra Morton awarded as Fisheries Resource Pioneer
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November 18, 2005
Alexandra Morton, a fisheries scientist specializing in orca whales and fish farm impacts on sea lice abundance has been awarded the $20,000 Canadian Sablefish Association award for “Fisheries Research Pioneer”. Eric Wickham, Executive Director of the CSA, said the formal recognition of Alexandra Morton’s work is long overdue and the CSA was pleased that she accepted the award for her work on the connection between fish farms, sea lice abundance and wild salmon stocks
117 |
European Union once again upholds ban on grizzly hunt trophies from British Columbia
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October 26, 2005
For the second time in 2005, the European Union has upheld the ban on the importation of grizzly hunt trophies from BC into EU member countries. Yesterday's decision by the EU's Scientific Review Group was made in the face of significant lobbying pressure by the Canadian federal government and the provincial government.
116 |
Grizzly bear biologists warn that Great Bear Rainforest agreement won’t protect the north coast’s “Great Bears”
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September 06, 2005
A new study commissioned by Raincoast Conservation Society, Wayward Course by Canadian bear biologists Dr. Brian Horejsi and Dr. Barrie Gilbert, shows that 80% of grizzly bear habitat will remain unprotected under the currently proposed land use plan for the north coast.
114 |
BC's salmon-eating grizzlies accumulating contaminants from the Pacific Ocean
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August 04, 2005
British Columbias salmon-eating grizzly bears are accumulating pollutants as a consequence of their marine diet, a new study shows. The study, undertaken by researchers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Raincoast Conservation Society, will be published in September 15th issue of the international scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology.
113 |
Why is a BC civil servant taking a public position to strip grizzly bears in the US of their protections under the Endangered Species Act?
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August 03, 2005
Raincoast Conservation Society has attained a copy of a soon-to-be published controversial letter signed by a BC government civil servant that calls for the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states to be de-listed from the US Endangered Species Act (ESA).
112 |
Will Feds use Wild Salmon Policy to stop imminent destruction of salmon habitat?
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June 24, 2005
Federal Fisheries Minister, Geoff Regan, will announce the long-awaited Wild Salmon Policy (WSP) today in Vancouver, but with logging proposed in over 70 per cent of the known salmon streams on the central and north coast of BC, the policy is likely to fall short of its objectives unless the federal government is willing to intervene.
111 |
European Union Upholds Suspension of Imports of Grizzly Hunting Trophies from British Columbia
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June 14, 2005
In a decision yesterday by the European Union’s Scientific Review Group, the EU has decided to maintain a ban on the importation of grizzly bear trophies from bears killed by hunters in British Columbia. Recent government mortality records acquired by the Raincoast Conservation Society through the Freedom of Information Act show that close to 1,000 grizzlies have been killed since the Liberals overturned the moratorium on the hunt that the previous NDP government implemented in 2001.
110 |
Liberals to allow trophy hunting of bears and wolves in all new coastal parks
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May 13, 2005
Trophy hunting of grizzly bears, black bears, wolves and cougars will be allowed throughout all new parks and protected areas in the Great Bear Rainforest under proposed land use plans being put forward by Gordon Campbell's Liberal government. In fact, Premier Campbell has even gone on record that the trophy hunting of black bears which carry the recessive gene responsible for creating the rare white Spirit bear will not be banned.
109 |
Raincoast hails eco-tourism operators' move to stop the trophy hunting of grizzly bear
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May 09, 2005
An armada of eco-tourism operators from northern Vancouver Island surrounded the boat of a guide outfitter on the central coast today to stop the trophy hunting of a grizzly bear at Port Neville. The armada was headed up by Village Island Tours' Tom Sewid, a former grizzly bear hunter who worked in the guide outfitting industry and who has now pledged to protect coastal grizzlies from trophy hunting.
108 |
Is the NDP flip-flopping on the grizzly bear hunt?
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April 27, 2005
In 2001 the previous NDP implemented a moratorium on the hunt, which the Liberals subsequently overturned. In a November 2003 opinion piece NDP leader Carole James stated her opposition to the hunt. Yet when recently queried by Raincoast about the NDP's current position, James sent a letter that appeared to signal a retreat from the party's previous support of a moratorium on the grizzly hunt.
106 |
Fish farm causes sea lice abundances thousands of times higher than natural levels, new study confirms
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March 29, 2005
A definitive new study confirming that a B.C. fish farm is responsible for an overwhelming increase in sea lice on wild fish should prompt the government to immediately remove salmon farms from B.C. waters, say members of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR).
105 |
Inquiry Launched Into Release of Grizzly Bear Data
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March 24, 2005
The Sierra Legal Defence fund announced today the BC Government is refusing to provide public information about grizzly bears. This year-long denial to information has prompted a precedent-setting legal review before BC’s Freedom of Information and Privacy Commissioner.
104 |
B.C. Organic Associations rule farmed salmon raised in open net cages not eligible for certification
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March 01, 2005
Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform - The Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia (COABC) have passed a unanimous motion, which in effect halts a three-year review of organic standards for farmed salmon grown in open net cages. "CAAR applauds the COABC for taking action to protect both the environment and consumer trust in the organic brand which, for their constituents, are inseparable," said Theresa Rothenbush Aquaculture Specialist for Raincoast Conservation Society (RCS). "Closed-containment is the only option for the future of this industry."
103 |
Proposed Wild Salmon Policy Weak on Commitment to Conservation
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January 27, 2005
On December 17th, 2004, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released the latest version of the Wild Salmon Policy. The Wild Salmon Policy’s commitment to conserve wild salmon is undermined by DFO’s misplaced priority on economic interests.
102 |
Report Shows Health Canada Allowing Widespread Use of Emergency Drug in Farmed Salmon
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December 09, 2004
A new report released today by the Raincoast Conservation Society shows that Health Canada approves the widespread use of a highly toxic emergency drug called Slice to control sea lice in Canadian farmed salmon. Residues of the drug have shown up in farmed salmon going to market; Canada exports the vast majority of its farmed salmon, and the U.S. consumes 95% of those exports.
100 |
Federal Gonvernment makes weak commitment to protect wild salmon
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December 07, 2004
"While some of the proposed goals point us in the right direction in protecting wild salmon, such as increased monitoring and conservation unit based fisheries," says Nicola Temple, Wild Salmon Program Coordinator for Raincoast Conservation Society, "the level of detail to achieve these goals remain absent from the policy".
99 |
Auditor General’s report highlights lack of protection for British Columbia’s wild salmon
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October 26, 2004
A report released today by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development identifies deficiencies in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) ability to manage Pacific salmon. In particular, the Commissioner cites DFO’s inability to finalize the Wild Salmon Policy or produce adequate information on Pacific salmon stocks and their habitat.
96 |
Raincoast launches ad campaign to call attention to province’s war on wolves
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September 28, 2004
Raincoast Conservation Society has launched an outdoor advertising campaign in Victoria calling attention to the province’s war on wolves. The transit shelter ads, which play on the “Welcome to Beautiful BC” theme, are concentrated throughout the downtown core and legislature – high traffic areas for tourists.
94 |
Opening of fall grizzly bear hunt met by opposition from conservationists
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September 03, 2004
The recreational killing of grizzly bears throughout BC begins again this month. Of particular concern is the impact trophy hunting is having on grizzly populations in the Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s central and north coasts. In response, the Raincoast Conservation Society and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee have launched public outreach initiatives to alert the public that the killing of grizzly bears for sport continues in BC.
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Liberals to announce inadequate land use plans for Great Bear Rainforest tomorrow
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July 16, 2004
Tomorrow, Gordon Campbell’s Liberal government will officially announce the results of the Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) processes for the central and north coasts, the region known as the Great Bear Rainforest. Unfortunately, both land use plans fall far short of protecting species and their habitats.
92 |
Canada and US Should Ban Trade in BC Grizzly Bear Trophies after Minister Rejects Recommendations of BC Government’s Grizzly Study
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May 17, 2004
Environmentalists from Canada and the US today called for a ban on the export and import of grizzly bear hunting trophies from British Columbia after Bill Barisoff, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, rejected most of the recommendations made by his own Panel of grizzly bear scientists.
91 |
Farmed salmon – finger lickin’ good? Fish farm feed contains chicken parts.
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May 13, 2004
According to information obtained from BC rendering plants and US court documents, chicken parts, including blood, carcasses, and feathers, are ingredients in farmed salmon feed.
90 |
Rainwolves Receives Three Nominations for the 2004 Leo Awards
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May 11, 2004
Raincoast Conservation Society is pleased to announce that the natural history documentary Rainwolves has received three nominations for the 2004 Leo Awards (http://www.leoawards.com). The nominations include Best Documentary in the field of Nature, Environment, Adventure, Science and Technology, Best Cinematography to Twyla Roscovich and Ian McAllister, and Best Picture Editing to Mandy Leith.
89 |
Dramatic Ads Target BC Government's Poor Environmental Record On Earth Day
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April 22, 2004
Today several conservation organizations marked Earth Day by releasing a failing report card for the BC government’s past year of environmental decisions, together with billboard and bus shelter ads in Vancouver and Victoria to draw attention to the issue.
88 |
BC Court rules Grizzly Bear hunting data must be released to public
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April 19, 2004
Conservation groups hailed Friday’s BC Court of Appeal decision requiring the BC Government to release critical data regarding Grizzly Bears killed each year by BC guide outfitters. Sierra Legal Defence Fund lawyers argued the case in January on behalf of the Raincoast Conservation Society, which has been seeking the data since 2000. Raincoast needs the data to conduct a scientific study of the health of BC’s grizzly bear population.
87 |
BC Liberals’ 2010 Olympics PR campaign at odds with ecologically unsustainable and unethical grizzly hunt
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April 01, 2004
The recreational killing of grizzly bears throughout the Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s central and north coasts begins again today. Simultaneously, the Liberals are running a television advertising campaign in the US promoting the 2010 Olympics that features a grizzly bear feeding at a salmon river.
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Other species shouldn't pay price for saving marmots
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March 26, 2004
By Chris Genovali and Chris Darimont, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist March 26, 2004 Page A15 - Op-Ed. Like other animals, the endangered Vancouver Island marmot coevolved with predators, both aerial and terrestrial. Clearly, the extinction of the marmot is unacceptable. We believe, however, that the killing of wolves, cougars and golden eagles as a protective measure is a futile endeavour."
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Losing the Great Bear Legacy
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February 24, 2004
Islands Tides, Volume 17 No. 3; Mike Logan; The provincial government is not honouring the intent of the 2001 accord outlining protection of specifc areas.
83 |
Bear experts urge BC to protect 68-84% of occupied grizzly habitat to avoid grizzly extinction
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February 12, 2004
A report by five independent bear biologists released today concludes that most of British Columbia’s occupied grizzly bear habitat must be protected to avoid a long term slide into extinction.
82 |
B.C. Court of Appeal to Hear Challenge Regarding Grizzly Bear Hunting Data
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January 22, 2004
The Court of Appeal of British Columbia will begin hearing challenges today to a 2002 BC Supreme Court decision regarding the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner’s decision to release locations of grizzly bear hunting kills. The Appeal will be heard January 22 and 23 in Vancouver.
81 |
European Union Decides to Suspend Imports of Grizzly Hunting Trophies from British Columbia
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January 19, 2004
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)and the Raincoast Conservation Society today applauded the European Union’s (EU’s)recent decision to suspend all imports of grizzly bear hunting trophies from British Columbia based on the failure of the BC government to implement crucial measures to protect its grizzly bear population.
80 |
Central Coast Announcement Premature
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January 13, 2004
Central Coast planning area announcement is "...still well below the highest risk option for protecting biodiversity as recently determined by independent scientists,” said Raincoast Executive Director Chris Genovali.
79 |
Cascadia Times: Journey to the Heart of the Great Bear Rainforest
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July 15, 2003
By Paul Koberstein; published in Cascadia Times
77 |
Shoot Grizzly Bears With Cameras, Not Guns Says New Economic Study
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June 18, 2003
This is the first study of revenues from businesses benefiting from BC’s grizzly bears. The researchers found that grizzly viewing is conservatively worth $6.1 million ($CDN) annually in BC – almost twice the value of the sport hunt.
75 |
Liberal government attempts to put positive spin on grizzly bear science panel report
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March 07, 2003
Today the Liberal government released the final recommendations from their “independent” grizzly bear science panel. The report calls for large province wide habitat protection specifically for grizzly bears and an increase in research and science.
74 |
Sea Lice Threat Sparks Bill Demanding Closed-Containment Technology for New Salmon Farms
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March 03, 2003
Today Joy MacPhail introduced a Private Members Bill to the legislature that would require all new aquaculture tenures in British Columbia (BC) to use closed-containment technology. Sparked by recent controversy over sea lice and escaped fish from open net cage farm sites, the bill is designed to prevent damage to wild salmon ecosystems and protect First Nations access to resources. Situated just at the far edge of western markets, money and politics, the Great Bear Rainforest lives on as it has for 10,000 years. Nowhere else in the Earth's temperate zones can you find such a large, biologically rich, intact rainforest. Yet civilization can't stand still forever even in this remote wilderness along British Columbia's Pacific Coast, where a deal made two years ago to save it is almost in tatters. All the pieces are in place for the eventual destruction of another of nature's wonders: Roads are going in, trees are falling and an antagonistic right-wing government is in power. Even so, in a race against time, a spirited cadre of Canadians believe they can still save the Great Bear. After all, they've done it once before.
73 |
Hagen's action plan will not protect Broughton Archipelago pink salmon
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February 26, 2003
Today interim Fisheries Minister Stan Hagen announced the provincial government's plan to protect pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago. Unfortunately the plan falls far short of what is needed to protect the region's wild salmon.
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Salmon farmers take public relations offensive
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February 22, 2003
By Derrick Penner Vancouver Sun, February 22, 2003, Page A1. The B.C. salmon farming industry has enlisted the help of a public relations consultant known for taking on controversial clients to help improve its image.
71 |
BC Salmon Farmers Hire Notorious Multinational PR Firm Hill and Knowlton
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February 21, 2003
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) has hired the notorious multinational public relations firm Hill and Knowlton to provide "a whole range of communication services and media relations." Hill and Knowlton has been described as a "preeminent international spin machine."
70 |
Confidential report predicts serious decline in grizzly populations from hunting
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February 13, 2003
Raincoast Conservation Society has obtained a confidential report commissioned by the Liberal government’s “Independent Scientific Panel on Grizzly Bears” that predicts a serious decline in grizzly populations across BC as a result of hunting and other human induced mortality.
69 |
Joyce Murray must resign: Raincoast accuses minister of negligence and mismanagement of province’s grizzly bears
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February 06, 2003
Minister Murray has been an outright failure in terms of grizzly bear conservation and her overall performance on the environment is no longer acceptable. Murray has spent her entire reign as minister kowtowing to sport hunting special interests, from her role in overturning the grizzly hunt moratorium to her continued efforts to block public access to data that is critical to grizzly bear conservation.
68 |
Murray approves “limited” predator cull on Vancouver Island based on flimsy evidence
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February 04, 2003
Late yesterday Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, approved the culling of predators around two marmot colony areas on Vancouver Island. According to government estimates, wolf and cougar populations on the Island have been in a significant decline for the past 20 years. Up to 30 wolves (the equivalent of at least three wolf packs) and 20 cougars will be killed as a result of the cull, ostensibly to protect the endangered Vancouver Island marmot.
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Murray approves “limited” predator cull on Vancouver Island based on flimsy evidence
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February 04, 2003
Late yesterday Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, approved the culling of predators around two marmot colony areas on Vancouver Island. According to government estimates, wolf and cougar populations on the Island have been in a significant decline for the past 20 years. Up to 30 wolves (the equivalent of at least three wolf packs) and 20 cougars will be killed as a result of the cull, ostensibly to protect the endangered Vancouver Island marmot.
67 |
Hagen must be replaced as fisheries minister
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January 29, 2003
"Minister Hagen must resign immediately because the largest single campaign donation he received in the May 2001 election was from the Omega Salmon Group," said Chris Genovali of Raincoast Conservation Society. "Mr. Hagen also received funds from Heritage Aquaculture and Akua Feed Systems Inc."
65 |
Controversial Salmon Farm Hatchery Resumes Construction
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January 18, 2003
Omega Salmon Group has resumed construction of the controversial Atlantic salmon hatchery at Ocean Falls on the BC central coast. "This is a very short sighted and arrogant move on Omega's part," stated Ian McAllister of Raincoast. "We are especially concerned that Omega has been a significant financial contributor to acting fisheries minister Stan Hagen and question whether Minister Hagen will be able to objectively address the Ocean Falls issue.
64 |
Groups Around the World Unite Against Salmon Farm Expansion on the British Columbia Coast
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January 15, 2003
Today groups around the world will protest salmon farm expansion in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest as well as the fish farm industries disregard for First Nations rights and title.
63 |
Clearcut logging continues in Canada's rainforests
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January 14, 2003
Destructive clearcut logging continues in the Great Bear Rainforest despite historic agreements reached almost two years ago to implement more environmentally responsible logging and to protect critical areas of Canada's rainforests, says a new report by three leading environmental organizations. This comprehensive report shows that in 72 per cent of the logging completed or planned between April 4, 2001 - when the British Columbia government and First Nations signed a landmark agreement and Jan. 15, 2002 nearly all of the trees were removed from each logging site.
62 |
B.C. government rejects proposal to cull predators
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December 11, 2002
By Judith Lavoie. Times Colonist (Victoria) Page A05, 11-Dec-2002. Wolves and cougars on Vancouver Island will not be systematically slaughtered in an effort to increase the population of black-tailed deer. Water, Land and Air Protection Minister Joyce Murray has turned down staff recommendations for a cull of 30 per cent of the Island's wolves and cougars.
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Joyce Murray says no wolf-cougar cull for deer, but leaves door open for “limited cull to protect marmots”
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December 11, 2002
Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, announced late Tuesday that there would be no culling of wolves and cougars on Vancouver Island in order to assist with deer recovery. But Murray did leave the door open for a possible “limited cull to protect the Vancouver Island marmot.
61 |
Government Hiding Data on Grizzly Killings
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December 01, 2002
From Common Ground, Dec 2002 issue. Virtually all grizzly bears in BC could be exterminated by sport hunters, while the government would continue to calculate a theoretical "harvestable surplus", reports Christopher Genovali.
58 |
Raincoast Lauds European Union Ban on Grizzly Hunt Trophies from British Columbia
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November 29, 2002
Today the European Union (EU) banned the import of grizzly bear hunt trophies from BC, citing that the hunt is unsustainable. Grizzly bears are a listed species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). As such, the EU Scientific Review Group was obligated to ban trophy imports having concluded that the grizzly hunt in BC is not sustainable. UK and German CITES authorities had been calling for an EU wide ban.
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Minister says cull of wildlife unlikely
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November 27, 2002
By Judith Lavoie. Times Colonist Wednesday, November 27, 2002. Killing wolves and cougars on Vancouver Island is unlikely to be the province's solution to a slumping blacktail deer population. Joyce Murray, minister of water, land and air protection, said Tuesday that staff hasn't briefed her yet on possible solutions to the declining deer population.
56 |
Proposed wolf and cougar cull based on political science, not biological science
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November 26, 2002
Raincoast Conservation Society has learned that Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP) biologists will be making recommendations to Minister Joyce Murray within the next week on the proposed culling of wolves and cougars on Vancouver Island. The ministry is also considering a contraception program for wolves.
55 |
East Coast oil spill another warning for the West - Moratorium must be retained
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November 23, 2002
A mechanical failure is being blamed for a thousand barrel spill of crude oil off the coast of Newfoundland, now nine kilometers long and one kilometer wide. "This is exactly what the provincial and federal governments are telling us won’t happen on the BC coast if the moratorium is lifted."
54 |
Raincoast report: Wildlife populations on BC coast threatened by lack of government funding
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November 14, 2002
Raincoast Conservation Society released a report authored by Dr. Brian Horejsi, entitled 'Losing Ground: The Decline in fish and wildlife law enforcement capability in British Columbia and Alaska', that analyzes the respective conservation enforcement capabilities of coastal BC and southeast Alaska. A comparison of the two jurisdictions reveals an enormous gap in enforcement capability between BC and Alaska
53 |
Canadian Conservation Groups Launch U.S. Markets Campaign Targeting B.C. Farmed Salmon
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October 29, 2002
Chefs, scientists, fishermen, and conservation groups on both sides of the 49th parallel joined today to announce the launch of an international campaign to educate American consumers and retailers about the environmental and potential health risks associated with the production of farmed salmon.
52 |
No reason to hide grizzly-kill sites: B.C. Supreme Court orders ministry to release information
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October 17, 2002
By Nicholas Read. Vancouver Sun (B.C.) October 17, 2002 Page B1. The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled there is no good conservation reason why the B.C. government should withhold information about the exact locations where grizzlies are killed."
51 |
B.C. Court rejects government attempt to suppress data about grizzly bear hunting
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October 16, 2002
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has rejected an application by the Ministry of Land, Water and Air Protection to overturn a decision of BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner requiring the release of the locations of grizzly bear hunting kills.
50 |
Fishing with wolves
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October 14, 2002
By Nicholas Read. Vancouver Sun (B.C.) 14 Oct 2002, Page A1. Evidence gathered by University of Victoria graduate student Chris Darimont this summer and fall proves that wolves living along B.C.'s Central Coast -- wolves thought to be morpholocially, behaviourally and ecologically distinct from their Interior cousins -- also eat chum and pink salmon -- thousands of them, and as many as 20 in one hour. They also eat mussels, clams and barnacles.
49 |
Province refuses to close grizzly bear hunt in region hit by massive pink salmon collapse
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October 01, 2002
The BC government has refused to implement an emergency closure of the grizzly bear hunt in the Knight Inlet/Kingcome region despite a massive collapse of the pink salmon run. Coastal grizzlies in the region depend on the pink run as their primary food source in the fall.
48 |
Pink salmon collapse in Knight Inlet region warrants immediate closure of grizzly bear hunt
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September 24, 2002
A catastrophic collapse of pink salmon on the central coast of BC warrants an immediate closure of the grizzly bear hunt in the area. The pink run in the Ahta, Anhuati, Kakweikan, Kwalate and Glendale rivers has crashed from 4.29 million in 2000 to 33,400 in 2002. The Ahta was hit particularly hard collapsing from 55,000 to 200. Coastal grizzlies in the region depend on the pink run as their primary food source in the fall
47 |
Province, hunters fight bid to reveal grizzly bear kill sites
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August 28, 2002
The Times Colonist, Victoria, BC Canada. August 28, 2002 Top Stories, Page A4. Environmental groups are in court this week battling for government information about grizzly bear kills. But the government and Guide-Outfitters Association of B.C., a hunting organization, are fighting to keep secret the exact locations where grizzly bears have been shot by hunters.
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Groups defend public access to grizzly kill locations
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August 23, 2002
Sierra Legal Defence Fund, representing Raincoast Conservation Society, will be in B.C. Supreme Court this week to defend an order by B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner that the locations of grizzly bear kills must be released.
45 |
Stop Scapegoating Predators for Forest Mismanagement
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August 22, 2002
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Monday Magazine, August 22-28 issue, BackTalk column, page 30. The British Columbia government is proposing to systematically kill cougars and wolves on Vancouver Island in order to “save their dwindling numbers.”
44 |
Wolf, cougar kill weighed for Island
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August 14, 2002
By Nicholas Read. Vancouver Sun, Wednesday, August 14, 2002. Wolves and cougars could be in peril if a predator cull is undertaken on Vancouver Island. The B.C. ministry of water, land and air protection is considering a controversial plan to kill up to 30 per cent of all the wolves and cougars on Vancouver Island to rescue what it says is a declining deer population.
43 |
Crucial Salmon Statistics Lacking: Report Says Federal data bases have no information on 70 per cent of BC runs
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August 01, 2002
By Nicholas Read. Vancouver Sun, Thursday, August 1, 2002, B3. Not only is B.C. losing vital stocks of wild salmon, it is losing important information about them. That is the conclusion of a new report compiled by seven biologists,ecologists and geneticists for the Raincoast Conservation Society.
42 |
Raincost report:: New approach needed to protect wild salmon in BC
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July 31, 2002
Recently published report "Ghost Runs" concerning BC’s salmon stocks says new ways of managing Pacific salmon must be implemented if wild salmon, and the food web that depends on salmon, are to remain on BC’s central and north coasts."
41 |
Land-Based Fish Farm a Step in the Right Direction Says a Coalition of Environmental Groups
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June 20, 2002
A land-based salmon farm that eliminates the escape of farmed salmon into the wild and decreases the chance of spreading disease to wild fish is a first step towards environmentally responsible salmon farming, says a coalition of environmental groups and First Nations.
40 |
The Valley Blues
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May 09, 2002
Monday Magazine Issue 19 Vol 28, May 9 - 15, 2002. By BRIONY PENN. One year ago twenty protected areas were declared, 68 temporary deferral areas were set aside while land-use round table talks continued, cutting practices were going to change, protocols were established with first nations, and raw log exports were going to be phased out. One year later, none of the proposed protected areas had been legislated, no new ones were added to the list from the deferrals, protocols have been undermined by a referendum that is founded on bad faith, and the clear cutting continues.
37 |
New Raincoast Film - 12 Months After Historic Announcement the BC Government Has Failed To Honour The Great Bear Rainforest Agreement
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April 03, 2002
Raincoast Conservation Society has released a film to mark the one year anniversary of the April 2001 Great Bear Rainforest agreement. The film draws on the experience of scientists, conservationists and First Nation leaders in a celebration of the beauty and mystery of this global wilderness treasure. The film also focuses on the lack of follow-through by the BC government to honour the most substantive elements of the historic agreement.
36 |
Feds Join Province to Sell Out B.C.'s Grizzlies
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April 02, 2002
After extensive lobbying by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), the Federal Minister of Environment David Anderson and the BC government, the European Union (EU) has decided to suspend its ban on the importation of grizzly hunt trophies from British Columbia.
35 |
Grizzlies Can’t Bear Murray Any Longer
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March 27, 2002
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Monday Magazine (March 27), BackTalk Column, Page 34. The Raincoast Conservation Society is calling for Joyce Murray to resign as Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection as a result of her ministry’s ongoing mismanagement of the province’s grizzly bears.
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Liberals Refuse to Comply With Information Commissioner's Order to Release Grizzly Kill Location Data
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January 15, 2002
The BC Liberal government is continuing its assault on the province’s Information and Privacy Commissioner by judicially challenging the Commissioner’s recent order for the release of information concerning BC’s grizzly bear hunt. Both Alaska and Alberta make this information freely available to the public, but BC keeps it hidden away like a state secret.
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Commissioner orders government to release grizzly bear kill location data to Raincoast Conservation Society
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December 14, 2001
Yesterday Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis ordered the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection to release grizzly bear kill location data to Raincoast Conservation Society, following a decade of requests by Raincoast culminating in an 18 month Freedom of Information (FOI) effort by Raincoast and Sierra Legal Defence Fund. The ruling will now enable an independent scientific analysis of the impacts of sport hunting on BC’s grizzly bears to be carried out.
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Grizzly Hunt Revival Purely Political
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August 15, 2001
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist, August 15, 2001, Page A13. B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s decision to reinstate the grizzly hunt for this fall was based on rank political considerations and had nothing to do with credible science or economic benefit.
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Shoot first, ask questions later
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July 16, 2001
Today the Liberal government officially overturned the moratorium on grizzly bear hunting and reinstated the hunt for this fall before any adequate scientific assessments of BC’s grizzly populations are carried out.
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Raincoast Condemns Overturning of Griizly Hunt Moratorium
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July 13, 2001
Despite widespread support for the current grizzly hunt moratorium from the independent scientific community, the tourism industry, conservation organizations, First Nations, the general public and even Liberal voters, Premier Gordon Campbell is overturning the grizzly bear sport hunting moratorium.
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Message to Premier Campbell: Don't overturn the Grizzly Hunt Moratorium
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June 27, 2001
Despite widespread support for the current grizzly hunt moratorium from the independent scientific community, the tourism industry, conservation organizations, First Nations, the general public and even Liberal voters, Premier Gordon Campbell apparently is planning to overturn the grizzly bear sport hunting moratorium.
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Liberals about to ignite grizzly hunt controversy once again
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June 07, 2001
With the grizzly hunt lobby breathing down his neck, Premier Gordon Campbell promised during the election to overturn the current moratorium on grizzly bear hunting. Today the B.C. Guide Outfitters Association, recently the recipients of a $1.2 million taxpayer funded handout to stop the unsustainable killing of grizzlies, called on the Liberal government to make good on that "promise."
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Groups Re-launch on-line campaign to protect grizzly bears and keep sport hunting moratorium in place
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June 05, 2001
Conservationists have launched a counter-offensive to Premier Gordon Campbell's statement that he will scarp the moratorium on grizzly bear hunting.
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On guard for grizzlies
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May 18, 2001
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Vancouver Sun, Friday May 18, 2001, Pg. A17. Gordon Campbell's brash support for grizzly hunting will spark international action against British Columbia, an environmentalist warns. Premier-elect Gordon Campbell has promised to overturn the current moratorium on grizzly bear hunting during the first 90 days the Liberals are in power.
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European Union panel withdraws bear parts ban
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April 12, 2001
By Nicholas Read. The Vancouver Sun, April 12, 2001 Page A2. The European Union Scientific Review Group has reversed its recommendation made last year that importation of British Columbia grizzly bear parts into EU countries should be banned.
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Central Coast Announcement a Positive Step, but Great Bear Rainforest Campaign Far From Over
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April 01, 2001
Today, The Raincoast Conservation Society celebrates the protection of almost 20 river valleys being permanently protected in the Great Bear Rainforest.
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Grizzly Hunting Ban is Good News
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February 14, 2001
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria News, Feb. 14, 2001. Premier Ujjal Dosanjh and his government should be commended for placing a moratorium on the sport hunting of BC's magnificent grizzly bears.
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Grizzly Bear Hunt moratorium the right thing to do -- Premier Dosanjh Stops the Grizzly Hunt
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February 09, 2001
The Raincoast Conservation Society commends Premier Ujjal Dosanjh and the NDP government for placing a moratorium on the sport hunting of BC’s grizzly bears.
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New wolf report calls for halt to clearcut logging on central coast
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January 31, 2001
Today independent conservation biologists commissioned by the Raincoast Conservation Society release "The Gray Wolves, Canis lupus, of British Columbia’s Coastal Rainforests: Findings from Year 2000 Pilot Study and Conservation Assessment". Biologist Chris Darimont and Dr. Paul Paquet, an internationally recognized authority on mammalian carnivores, co-authored the report about their pioneering scientific study on this never-before-studied coastal population."
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Public kept in dark on bear kills
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January 13, 2001
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist, January 13, 2001. The Ministry of Environment's Wildlife Branch has refused to comply with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the Raincoast Conservation Society for information that is critical to grizzly bear conservation in BC
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Raincoast Releases New Video on the BC Grizzly Bear Hunt
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January 09, 2001
Today the Raincoast Conservation Society releases a new short film on the grizzly bear hunt in BC. The video, entitled A Grizzly Sport, features spectacular footage of BC’s grizzly bears and contains interviews with grizzly bear expert Dr. Brian Horejsi, Federal Minister of the Environment David Anderson, Dr. David Suzuki and Knight Inlet Lodge owner Dean Wyatt, as well as a representative of the BC government’s Wildlife Branch.
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Raincoast Escalates Campaign to Stop the Grizzly Hunt
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December 18, 2000
Raincoast Conservation Society has significantly escalated its campaign to educate the BC public about the NDP government's continued support of the legal "sport" hunting of grizzly bears.
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Raincoast supports Dosanjh decision to keep the moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration
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October 07, 2000
The Raincoast Conservation Society commends the Dosanjh Government on its recent announcement to stay the moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration in BC's coastal waters.
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New video documentary shows logging destruction of rare Spirit bear habitat on the BC central coast
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September 05, 2000
Today the Raincoast Conservation Society releases Island of the Spirit Bear, a video that reveals the hidden destruction of the remote islands on the central coast of British Columbia by West Fraser Timber, International Forest Products and Western Forest Products.
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BC Fiddles While Wild Salmon At Risk
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August 28, 2000
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society; Victoria Times Colonist, August 28, 2000. Provincial Fisheries Minister Corky Evans' warnings that fish farm operators could lose their licences if non-native Atlantic salmon continue to escape ("Fish farms face closure for escapes" TC, August 24) is a day late and a dollar short. Conservationists, First Nations and commercial fisherman have been sounding the alarm about the fish farm industry for years, but these warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
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Time to update management of grizzlies
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July 15, 2000
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist, June 15, 2000. Last December 68 professional biologists submitted a strongly worded petition to the BC government calling for a moratorium of all grizzly bear hunting pending completion of comprehensive population studies in the province's six bioregions. Wildlife scientists Dr. Brian Horejsi, Dr. Barrie Gilbert and Dr. Lance Craighead have stated that "coastal bear populations, where evidence presently indicates significant declines in numbers, should be closed to sport hunting.
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Grizzly Bear Killing Must Stop
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April 12, 2000
On April 1st the the legal "sport" hunting of grizzly bears in the Great Bear Rainforest resumed with the full sanction of the BC government, despite overwhelming evidence that the legal sport hunting of these magnificient animals should be stopped. Bear biologists have asserted that coastal grizzly populations are being seriously impacted by hunting overkill.
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Scientists call for protection of over 50% of the Great Bear Rainforest for British Columbia
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April 12, 2000
Major studies by internationally reputed scientists now recommend large areas of the B.C. mainland coast be protected to ensure survival of major species such as grizzly bears, spirit bears, ancient forests and salmon. The BC government has rated these species and their endangered habitats as globally significant.
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A Disturbing Absence of B.C.'s Coastal Grizzlies
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March 01, 2000
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Cover story, Earth First Journal, Feb-March 2000 issue. In the Raincoast Conservation Society's field work and reconnaissance in the remote river valleys of the Great Bear Rainforest on Canada's Pacific coast we are finding a disturbing absence of grizzly bears, even along salmon producing systems during the fall runs when predation activity should be high. Another troubling sign is that black bears are proliferating in areas that are historically grizzly bear strongholds, something which grizzlies (if present) would never tolerate. Independent wildlife biologists contend that hunting overkill is seriously impacting coastal grizzly bear populations on the central and north coast.
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Wildlife Scientist Resigns From FSC Forest Certification Standards Team
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February 09, 2000
Dr. Brian Horejsi, a wildlife scientist active in forest conservation issues, has resigned from the BC Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standards Team, pointing out that the FSC standards setting process suffers from a lack of democratic process, undue government influence, and a shortage of technical scientific expertise.
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Time Magazine calls saving the Great Bear Rainforest as the #1 environmental issue of 1999
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December 17, 1999
The December 20th issue of Time magazine names the campaign to protect the Great Bear Rainforest as the number one environmental issue on the planet for 1999. The Great Bear Rainforest took the top spot over population growth, Florida’s Everglades, global warming and Panda bear conservation.
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BC Government's green light for fish farm expansion will intensify threat to wild salmon
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October 18, 1999
The province’s decision to, in essence,lift the fish farm moratorium is a reckless and politically motivated action. It is further evidence that this government is quite willing to sit back and watch BC’s wild salmon stocks be driven into an even deeper decline for the sake of a few more votes in the next election.
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A Politically Motivated, Reckless Action
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October 01, 1999
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist, October 1999. The Raincoast Conservation Society believes the British Columbia government's decision this week to facilitate fish farm expansion is a reckless politically motivated action that amounts to nothing less than a direct attack on the province's wild salmon stocks, and on First Nations and commercial fisheries.
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Raincoast's Ian and Karen McAllister named leaders for the 21st century
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September 27, 1999
Ian and Karen McAllister, co-founders of the Raincoast Conservation Society, have been honoured by Time Magazine as two of the 25 young leaders who are changing our world.
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There's Nothing Super or Natural About Fish Farming in B.C.
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March 01, 1999
By Christopher Genovali, Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria Times Colonist, March 1999. The fish farm induced disasters in Norway, Scotland, Ireland and New Brunswick are clear evidence that fish farm expansion in British Columbia is not worth the risk.
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