Ken Wu

Please forward far and wide!
 
The ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE (AFA): 
A New Organization to Protect BC’s Old-Growth Forests and Forestry Jobs! 
 
Website:  http://www.ancientforestalliance.org
 
Join us on Facebook HERE.
 
Two months ago in January, 2010, several BC conservationists announced the formation of a new grassroots organization, the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA). The founders include former Wilderness Committee activists Ken Wu, TJ Watt, Tara Sawatsky, Katrina Andres, and Brendan Harry in Victoria, and Vancouver activist Michelle Connolly. 
 
The AFA is working to build a hard-hitting campaign through a broad-based movement to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs.  Already 90% of the old-growth forests in the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow have been logged on Vancouver Island, while thousands of BC forestry jobs have been lost under the Campbell government due to massive raw log exports to foreign mills. The AFA is calling on the BC Liberal government to protect our endangered old-growth forests and to ensure the sustainable logging and value-added processing of second-growth timber instead.
 
The Ancient Forest Alliance will be unconstrained by the restrictions of charitable status that hamper the effectiveness of most large environmental organizations. Charitable status dictates that you can’t condemn or condone politicians despite how backwards or pro-environmental their stances are.  We will hit much harder, and give greater rewards to politicians based on their forest policies. We can get a lot more political and effective now – as the fates of ancient forests and forestry jobs are, perhaps unfortunately, directly determined by politics.
 
As such, the Ancient Forest Alliance will:
-          Undertake major grassroots education and mobilization campaigns (rallies, slideshows, hikes, campouts, protests, letter-writing, petition drives, etc.), particularly in provincial swing ridings that determine whether or not the BC Liberal government holds on to power.
-          Empower, train, and guide new citizen activists to form “Ancient Forest Committees” (forest activist teams) to fight for ancient forests and forestry jobs, particularly in provincial swing ridings.
-          Undertake outreach to new allies in First Nations communities, faith groups, businesses, unions, and other environmental groups.
-          Explore and document BC’s endangered ancient forests and their destruction with photos and video.
And much, much more!
 
Since its launch the Ancient Forest Alliance has grown at a viral pace. On Facebook  in the span of just over  6 weeks, more than 6000 new members have joined the organization.  On our Facebook group pages you can also see truly spectacular PHOTOGALLERIES of Canada’s largest trees and stumps, taken by AFA photographer TJ Watt (you don’t need to join Facebook to see them) – See them HERE.
 
***SATURDAY, MARCH 27 – RALLY for BC’s ANCIENT FORESTS and FORESTRY JOBS
 
- PLEASE come and recruit friends and family to our rally (Avatar theme – wear blue!) in downtown Vancouver :
- Meet at Canada Place at 12:00 noon, begin marching with the fun Carnival Band at 12:30 pm, speeches and rally begin at 1:00 pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery
- Speeches by Dr. Judith Sayers (Hupacasath First Nations), Stephanie Goodwin (Greenpeace), Jens Wieting (Sierra Club), Ken Wu (AFA), others...
- Already almost 300 people have preconfirmed their attendance via Facebook. See rally details HERE.

- CONFIRM and INVITE all your friends to come via Facebook at HERE.

***Note: We encourage Victorians to make the trip to Vancouver for the day – with the new Skytrain Canada line going to Richmond now, you can get to downtown Vancouver very quickly with public transit.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE
 
We’ve also received a huge amount of media coverage for our campaigns during our short existence. Here are just a few of the news articles:
 
Pandora Fans feeling Blue over the Earth - Metro News (March 17)
 
Threatened BC forest dubbed Avatar Grove - Maclean’s Magazine (March 11).

No Logging Plans for Giant Fir: TimberWest  - Times Colonist (March 6).

World’s Largest Douglas fir at Risk – Vancouver Sun (Feb.26)
 
The Avatar Blues – Times Colonist (Feb.26)

Giant Fir Threatened [Video Clip] – A-Channel TV (Feb.25)

Rare Stand of Old-Growth Trees near Port Renfrew only partly protected – Times Colonist (Feb.20)
 
Environmental Group: Protect Rare Forest Giants Marked for Logging near Port Renfrew – Times Colonist (Feb.19)
 
Old Forests, New Twist – Monday Magazine, (Jan.20)

Old-Growth Forest Activists Launch New Group – Goldstream Gazette/Black Press (Jan.19)
 
***You can see even more of the articles and news releases, and learn more about the organization on our WEBSITE.
 
 
TO VOLUNTEER, EMAIL US.
 
 
***PLEASE DONATE!!
 
As a new grassroots organization, we are in GREAT need of funding. Per dollar, your support will go farther with us than virtually anywhere else, to build a most effective movement for our ancient forests and forestry jobs!
 
DONATE ONLINE HERE.

You may also send cheques made out to the "Ancient Forest Alliance" at:

Ancient Forest Alliance
706 Yates Street
PO Box 8459
Victoria, BC V8W 3S1

STAY TUNED for more info and updates on the Ancient Forest Alliance and on how you can help...