Ancient Forest to be Class A Park
Prince George BC- Premier Christy Clark has announced that tomorrow legislation will be introduced to make the Ancient Forest a class A parkThe work doesn’t stop there as Clark says the next step will see the Province press to have the park declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Having the 11 thousand hectares declared a Class A park has been a decade in the making. MLA Shirley Bond offered praise to those who pressed her office over the years to reach this day, “This is a great day for Prince George” who added while the Government got to make the announcement, it was more of an opportunity to celebrate with those who worked so hard to achieve this goal.
The Caledonia Ramblers hiking club was responsible for the development of an all accessible boardwalk in the forest, while the University of Northern B.C. 
( at right, section of the boardwalk in the Ancient forest – photo 250News)
Noel Senior of the Caledonia Ramblers says the Ancient Forest is a source of “great regional pride”. “Obtaining full protection as a Provincial Park not only ensures economic benefit to our community, and the Robson valley through eco-tourism but also recognizes and highlights the inherent natural beauty of an eco system that deserves to be conserved.” Senior says this forest has survived all natural threats to its existence, “Drought, insect infestations, fires and disease have all been shrugged off by magnificent one thousand year old cedars.”
He says the cedars “Stand tall and defiant of old age, still growing, still reproducing still contributing to bio-diversity.” tucked between two mountain ranges, 500 kilometres from the ocean , Senior says the forest “shouldn’t exist, but does exist, making it even more precious.”
UNBC researcher, Darwyn Coxson, said the journey to this day, was really a journey of the whole community “We don’t have to go to the tropics or Brazil, we have an unknown world right on our doorstep here.” He says the Ancient Forest is not only unique in a BC context “It is internationally significant, unparalleled in the world.”
But the real work now is to protect this unique Forest. Premier Clark says the park designation will mean extra protection, “It is one of the jewels in the crown of British Columbia, and that does come with added protection that the BC Parks system brings with it.” While there already exists washrooms off the parking lot, Premier Clark there will be discussion on what kinds of amenities will be provided. “We don’t anticipate there would be camping in this park, but what amenities will be available are things we are going to have to work our way through. Our primary focus is to make sure we preserve the park the eco-system, the previously unknown mosses and lichen.” She says the Province wants the park to be a place people will visit, “respectfully, we want to preserve our heritage, we want to preserve our environment but we also want to introduce people to the beauties of British Columbia.”
Comments
Big deal! So how does designating the Ancient Forest a Class A Park protect it in any way, shape, or form, from industry under this government’s Bill 4 (The Park Amendment Act)?
www. vancouverobserver.com/news/bill-4-passes-opens-bc-parks-industry
Agreed, JGalt.
Premier is contributing to her own popularity contest.
metalman.
On second thought, glad to see this area protected, a lot of volunteer hours have gone into making this wonderful area easy for people to visit and wonder at the awesome trees etc.
metalman.
Don’t get me wrong metalman hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteer hours have been put into the trail, bridges and walkways at the ancient forest. It is such a unique and special place, which is all the more reason why we should be asking, just exactly how is that place being “protected” from industry in light of the passing of Bill 4 (The Park Amendment Act)?
JGalt. Good point. I did not realize that they put through Bill 4. Seems it was down without any consultation at all.
Seems a little disingenuous to me that you would pass legislation that allow various kinds of commercial work in parks, while at the same time pretending that the legislation protects parks.
There is absolutely no doubt that this Government needs to be out of Government for a minimum 4 years, so that they can spend some quality time with their families, and leave us the hell alone for a while so that we can catch our breath and regroup.
I hear on the news at noon she gave it a name only a few will ever be able to pronounce.
Not Again !
What was it?
Chun T’oh Wudujut
The name turns out to be chuntoh whudujut, which means “old forest”. In point of fact, English speakers should not have much trouble pronouncing this. The letter “u” here represents the vowel of English “but”. The letter “o” represents the sound of English “toe”. The consonant letters represent pretty much the same sounds as in English. The only exception is “wh”, which represents the “hw” like sound found in English dialects that have a contrast between “when” and “wen”. A rough English-based spelling would be: chun-toe-hwu-duh-jut.
If you want to hear audio examples of these, go to the Yinka Dene Language Institute web site and find the audio section.
chuntoh means “forest”. whudujut is the form of “old” used with things that are saliently two- or three-dimensional.
If the day ever comes when the industrial exploitation equipment arrives we will just have to do the same thing that has been done before: Take a stand, in the media and in person on a picket line! In the meantime, thanks for stepping up and giving the area a Class A park designation!
Exactly!!
There is nothing that one can do to protect this park forever. Even making it a national park will likely have the same kind of conditions attached. Remember, we have highways, pipelines and commercial activities in Jasper Park.
Getting UNESCO to recognize it as a World Heritage Site will likely protect it to a greater extent. Giving it a First Nations name will likely go a long way to providing it with further protection.
What will likely damage the area more than anything else is making people aware of it, promoting what it is, building the walkways through it to make it accessible to people, the fact it is on a highway, even though a relatively remote one. Then there are Tourism BC and Tourism PG that will promote it and line up tours with buses, etc.
Look at Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park as an example.
Being designated a park yes does not absolve it totally from some future evil development but more hoops will have to be jumped through. I always get a kick out of industry, corporations always getting razzed, now you folks is there anything in your house not a product of industry or some evil corporation which by the way keeps most people employed. Yes controls but hey. I am just guessing here but I am supposing most people visiting the park arrive riding in a product from some evil corporation wearing the latest in industrial produced coverings made out of evil fossil fuels.
You know, I bet if you asked the bears, they’d say the ancient forest has been developed already. Never use to be those bridges, walkways, paths, toilets, picnic tables. Development is in the eye of the beholder. All parks experience some kind of development. And as sad as it is, if some day the only way we can pay for our healthcare and education and other services, is by allowing a pipeline through that park, you get we’ll change our position.
You do realize that just because a corporation makes a product doesn’t mean it can’t be evil? Making a product does not equal how they act when naking it.
If a corporation uses a 10 year old to make its shoes then they are doing something evil and it is ridiculous to say someone can’t criticize the company because they wear shoes.
Lots of Ancient Cedar Forests all the way from the Columbia Valley north.
I support this new park designation.
What I would really like to see though is a national park designation and federal dollars that go with it for a Pine Pass national park from the falls south of Powder King to the first Pine river crossing. Then some public camping amenities to reclaim the fabulous Azzuzzeta lake back from the squatters that litter its shores today, as well as some hiking trails along the west side of the mountain range.
There are hiking trails on the west side of that range, not well developed, but they are there.
Parks have been proposed for years like the Walker Rainforest Wilderness and Goat River these areas around McBride are of upmost importance for a Class A Provincial Park or a National Park but again the Liberals wont protect these important areas in fact the logging has started up again down the Morkill River which should be added to the proposed Walker Rainforest Park !
I am of the opinion that any and every upgrade/change to this area’s status would be an improvement over it’s current status, especially the potential to have it designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Why are some so negative towards these announcements?
I agree Hart Guy. I also agree with gopg2015 that it would do allot to help protect the site. Having it recognized as a globally significant site, I think, would be very positive.
Just for reference, here are the other UNESCO sites in Canada:
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Nahanni National Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
SGang Gwaay
Wood Buffalo National Park
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
Historic District of Old Québec
Gros Morne National Park
Old Town Lunenburg
Waterton Glacier International Peace Park
Miguasha National Park
Rideau Canal
Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Landscape of Grand Pré
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
It’s not the announcement-it’s who is making the announcement and for the real reason she’s there.
Down in the polls? designate a park.
Hart, some people are born negative or turn that way in later life.
Wish they’d save their political bashing for a political story.
This is a real “Good News” story, brought about by some very dedicated people who love our environment and pushed for this moment.
I would not care what political party in power brought this protection to a beautiful area, I’d be happy with it.
Kudos to the Ramblers, Bond and Clark. They done good.
Well said Saywho! just another photo op , saving this unique stand of trees has been on going for years, I can remember approaching Ms. Bonds office long ago (03) in regards to protecting this area…
15 years in power and this is all we get for this region, big deal and still no protection for some of the oldest trees on the planet on Vancouver Island chop them down and sell them raw to other countries to process. yeah another photo op I wish it was different!
Premier Clark says the park designation will mean extra protection, “It is one of the jewels in the crown of British Columbia, and that does come with added protection that the BC Parks system brings with it.”
Curious that her government rams through Bill 4; The Park Amendment Act which opens up ALL BC Parks to Industry exploration, yet she speaks about the “extra protection” the BC Park system will provide to the Ancient Forest. My opinion is; the Park Amendment Act makes the “protection” of the Ancient Forest, and other BC Parks, somewhat “meaningless”.
The only chance the Ancient Forest has for “guaranteed full protection” is from the international community through its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because with the Christy Clark government’s passing of Bill 4, “full protection” of any Provincial Park in BC is now a myth.
Darn Caledonia Ramblers, now I can’t log it.
Congratulations to that group and pushing our MLA to get some protection for this beautiful park. And no, I doubt it will ever be logged or mined, that’s why this has been done. Class A, Unesco will supersede any and all applications for this site.
The Ramblers have my greatest respect for pressing this, and the work they did making it accessible to everyone.
If you haven’t been out there, it’s wonderland in the middle of nowhere.
I put a bunch of cruise plots in there about 20 years ago. I imagine the paint has all faded. There should name it after me.
Axman Park? Ax Manpark?
Free from the ax, man. :)
Hahahaha, good one.
and watch out for the GRIZZLY
I just hope they leave enough bush around it as a buffer so the wind doesn’t blow down the trees at eh perimeter.
Should have been ‘the perimeter’.
Does she even Know where this is…..?? must have flown over it.
Christy Clark was in town and she didn’t even call you up for coffee?
Unbelievable!
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