2018 Annual Report
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ANNUAL REPORT 2018 A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Potawatomi plant growing numbers of people forestry-dependent ecologist Robin Wall who want to help defend it. communities, and supporting Kimmerer observes that more than a hundred “Knowing you love the earth Thanks to all those who volunteers to engage changes you, activates you to support our work, this year BC residents. defend and protect and we have been able to celebrate. But when you feel celebrate a number of We are profoundly grateful to that the earth loves you in victories. The House of each and every one of you return, that feeling Commons passed legislation for your support. As we enter transforms the relationship to ban crude oil tankers on our 50th year, we are from a one-way street into a BC’s north coast. Thanks to reflecting and gathering sacred bond.” Indigenous legal challenges strength. In this era of funded in part by our Pull climate crisis, our work and For all of us at Sierra Club Together campaign, the your help is needed now BC, the past year has been federal approval of the Trans more than ever before. one of both pain and hope. Mountain pipeline and Climate change and species tankers was quashed. Our Sincerely, extinction are accelerating Education Team celebrated rapidly, putting at grave risk its 20th anniversary of the future of healthy connecting children with ecosystems. Collectively, we nature, with 140,000 Hannah Askew are grieving the loss of many children reached since its Executive Director plants, animals and fish. We inception. are deeply worried about how a warming climate will Our campaign team made impact the future of our great strides in building the children and the world we movement for old-growth are passing on to them. As forest protection. They were we grieve, however, we are busy working in the field, strengthened both by the meeting with government ongoing beauty of the natural representatives, hosting world and by the rapidly dialogues in Photo (top): Garibaldi Provincial Park - Jens Wieting INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY Sierra Club BC is committed Progress was made during members of several to recognizing and upholding 2018 to shift our approach Indigenous communities, Indigenous jurisdiction, rights to hiring and Board including kQwa’st’not~ and knowledge. In representation to strengthen Charlene George of the welcoming environmental diversity and guidance from t’Sou-ke peoples. and Indigenous rights lawyer Indigenous peoples in our Hannah Askew as our work. With support from our As Sierra Club BC enters its Executive Director in July of Board’s Indigenous solidarity 50th year in 2019, much 2018, we have been working group, Sierra Club work has yet to be done. We supported with the strategic BC now applies the two are preparing for a deeper vision to deepen this process lenses of climate change and audit in 2019 of the impacts further. Prior to coming to Indigenous rights to all of our our work has had on Sierra Club BC, Hannah was work. Indigenous peoples over the deeply involved in learning decades, so that we can do from Indigenous Nations The foundations for long better going forward. about their systems of law term relationships and and governance. mutually beneficial partnerships were built with Photo (top): Flores Island, Clayoquot Sound - Jens Wieting Photo (bottom): Bald eagles in the Great Bear Rainforest - Daryl Spencer ANCIENT FORESTS A love for the ancient forests of Vancouver Island and beyond has been at the heart of our work since Sierra Club BC’s inception. Half a century later, the loss of rainforests remains one of the most challenging issues and a major focus for Jens Wieting Sierra Club BC. As climate impacts intensify, it becomes ever more important to save what old-growth forests remain. In 2018, we worked to change the conversation about forestry on Vancouver Island by exposing old-growth clearcutting and collaborating with rural resource-based communities. SETTING THE RECORD SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS-LED STRAIGHT CONSERVATION Revealed through a review of government Hosted the first in a series of Indigenous data and satellite imagery that logging on roundtable discussions to talk forest Vancouver Island is speeding up stewardship in the context of uplifting Indigenous governance Documented proposed old-growth cutblocks in the Nimpkish watershed, the Tsitika Amplified voices of Indigenous advocates Landscape, the Tahsish and Schmidt Creek working to stop new logging proposals, including the Ma’amtagila Nation‘s Blew the whistle on BC government-operated concern over government operated logging in Schmidt Creek that put sensitive old-growth logging orca rubbing beaches at risk Provided ecosystem mapping support to Garnered significant media attention for our Indigenous Nations and shared “White Rhino” map, distributed across information about conservation financing Vancouver Island, showing with in-depth and Indigenous Protected and detail remaining old-growth ecosystems Conserved Areas Released detailed maps on the shocking Offered support for land use planning amount of old-growth logging in the 25-year and conservation proposals in period since the Clayoquot Sound protests Clayoquot Sound Released disturbing images of destruction from a flyover of Vancouver Island Continued our watchdog stance, monitoring government and industry commitments made in the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements Photo (top): Juan de Fuca Trail - Jens Wieting MOBILIZING COMMUNITIES TO STAND ADVOCATING FOR SOUND FOREST TALL FOR FORESTS POLICY Surpassed our goal of 10,000+ letters and Met with the BC government to share our mobilized people across the province to maps and data and call for solutions for make phone calls calling in support of for intact forest areas and endangered old-growth protection ecosystems Hosted 13 forest events on Vancouver Called on 437 municipal election Island for dialogue about forest concerns candidates to stand strong for ancient with community members, tourism forests operators, Indigenous Nations, logging sector leaders and government staff Coordinated a letter with 223 scientists calling on the BC government to protect Delivered a petition from 200,000+ people old-growth internationally calling for action, in partnership with tourism businesses Engaged in provincial review processes to call for major changes to professional Trained more than 100 forest campaign reliance, environmental assessment and volunteers and hosted a weekend action endangered species legislation training workshop Spent 125+ days canvassing with teams in Victoria and Vancouver Garnered endorsements from BC-born celebrities Bryan Adams, Alexander Ludwig and Rachel Roberts BIG WIN Published a Forest Action Taker’s Guide for 200,000+ voices BC residents concerned about poor logging standing tall for practices old-growth Supported rural community groups defending watersheds from logging Photos: TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance CLIMATE SOLUTIONS The climate crisis intensified in 2018 with another year of unprecedented wildfires and droughts. Sierra Club BC held politicians at all levels to account on the climate crisis, calling out provincial support for LNG, building the case for bolder climate action commitments and mobilizing people to demand rapid change. HOLDING GOVERNMENT & PROMOTING CLEAN BUILDING SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY ACCOUNTABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS CLIMATE ACTION Conducted a review Produced a popular Mobilized thousands to tell revealing BC’s emissions 11-part podcast series the BC government to stop rose in 4 of the past exploring clean energy subsidizing LNG and invest 5 years called Mission Transition in renewables instead Called out provincial Reported on Haida Gwaii’s Coordinated groups support for LNG and the transition to 100% responding to the threat insufficiency of BC’s renewables at a LNG poses to water and climate targets in light of a Renewable Energy our climate, hosting an sobering IPCC climate Symposium hosted by the event with experts and science report Council of the Haida affected community Nation and Swiilawiid members Intervened in and Sustainability Society supported a court case Offered media commentary against the Coastal With Green Jobs BC, an on provincial climate plan GasLink pipeline that alliance of labour unions and called for even would serve LNG Canada and environmental groups, stronger commitments highlighted job Challenged in court the opportunities in the clean exemption of 2 fracking energy transition dams from environmental assessments Provided rapid response media analysis following BIG WIN $670,000+ raised the release of BC’s for Indigenous legal climate plan challenges Photo (top): Jeff Kubina Photo (bottom): Kwekwecnewtxw – Protect the Inlet mobilization against Trans Mountain, by Rogue Collective PIPELINES & TANKERS Sierra Club BC continued to work in broad coalition with Indigenous Nations, diverse groups and thousands of concerned BC residents to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers and defend the coast and freshwater in BC from devastating oil spills. ORGANIZING IN SOLIDARITY INFORMING AND MOBILIZING Helped raise $670,000+ for legal actions THE GRASSROOTS from the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Produced a video exposing risks of oil spills Coldwater and Stk’emlupsemc te from articulated tug barge (ATB) tankers, Secwepemc that overturned Trans engaging thousands to call for restricting Mountain’s approval through our Pull ATBs on BC’s coast and meeting with Together initiative authorities to highlight concerns Worked with allies to collect 70,000+ Ran radio ads and mobilized thousands of