Sierra Club BC

Check out this CBC News feature on our recent film tour showcasing the doc Silvicola in communities across Vancouver Island. Thank you to everyone who joined the screenings and forest walks and engaged in discussions about the future of #OldGrowth forests and needed #forestry reform to safeguard biodiversity & long-term jobs. We are grateful to Cinema Politica for their support and partnership on this tour. https://lnkd.in/gGwBDwgf 

Join us on October 28 at 1 PM for a Halloween-themed Learn to Draw that features an animal that is not so scary after all! Salmon sharks are adaptable beings that play a key role in ocean health. Did you know they help fish populations by eating sick and injured individuals? This makes illnesses less likely to spread to healthy fish. Join scientific illustrator  Dr. Julius  Csotonyi and Sierra Club BC for an online art lesson where we will learn how to draw this kind and powerful animal! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gsQivsa7 📷: Cherisse Du Preez 

There is still time to join us for this unique event coming to a town near you! Sierra Club BC has partnered with Cinema Politica for a Vancouver Island tour of the award-winning documentary film Silvicola. All screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, a forest ecologist, and local expert guest speakers. Silvicola is a powerful film that profiles a wide range of forestry workers and lets them tell their own story. The beauty of the film is that it asks the audience to reflect on what is truly needed for a healthy forestry sector and forest wellbeing in B.C. Our Vancouver Island tour will include the following dates and locations: • October 5: Duncan • October 6: Nanaimo • October 7: Tofino • October 8: Cumberland • October 9: Campbell River • October 10: Port Alberni • October 11: Victoria Tickets are by donation with proceeds going to funding the tour and Sierra Club BC’s ongoing work to speak up for old-growth protection and forest stewardship reforms. Find more information and buy your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/gs2_bEfi Co-organized and authorized by Sierra Club BC, registered sponsor under the Election Act, 250-386-5255

Forests in B.C. are entering uncharted territory.   According to our latest report, the rate of logging, both for old growth as well as overall forests, has remained at unsustainable levels despite the limited amount of intact forests left in B.C. as well as a rapid increase of forest fires.  As SCBC’s Jens Wieting said in our recent media release, “despite some progress, forests in B.C. have now entered uncharted territory due to the double impact of relentless clearcutting combined with record-breaking wildfire seasons and disasters fueled by climate change.” When the provincial Technical Advisory Panel did an overview of forests in 2021, they classified 20 percent of forests in B.C. as old growth (11.1 of 56.2 million hectares). Conservation science indicates that there is a high risk of biodiversity loss when less than 30 percent of an ecosystem remains intact.  Whoever forms the next government in the fall of 2024 needs to take stronger action, because communities, biodiversity and a stable climate depend on intact forests. Check out the report: https://lnkd.in/dws-gCx9

Join us for a film screening and Q&A where we will explore the challenges facing forests and forestry in B.C. All screenings of the documentary Silvicola will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, a forest ecologist, and local expert guest speakers. The morning after each film screening, you’re invited to a guided forest walk to learn with us on the land. We have partnered with @CinemaPolitica to host this film tour in communities across Vancouver Island between October 5-11, we hope you can make it! October 5: Duncan  October 6: Nanaimo  October 7: Tofino  October 8: Cumberland  October 9: Campbell River  October 10: Port Alberni  October 11: Victoria Find tickets for a screening near you: https://lnkd.in/gqeS3Y_n Co-organized and authorized by Sierra Club BC, registered sponsor under the Election Act, 250-386-5255 

📣 Wednesday, September 25th at 10 AM! Our first art lesson of the school year features snow geese, resilient beings who traverse long distances to find their home. Many birds spend their summers in Canada, but the snow goose is a migratory bird who finds warmth in B.C. winters. Join scientific illustrator Dr. Julius Csotonyi and Sierra Club BC for an online art lesson where we will learn how to draw this majestic and powerful animal that reminds us of the changing season! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gkT3xKRn

It’s not too late to turn things around. Investing in clean energy will help keep our families safe from climate change-caused disasters like intense wildfires and heatwaves.     A clean energy economy is possible and within reach in B.C. Many towns and cities have already committed to reducing their emissions, including Vancouver, Victoria, Saanich, Nelson, Central Kootenay district, and Slocan. Renewable energy is already supplying 30% of the world’s electricity. Now B.C. must fully commit to protect the health and safety of our communities.     Will you join thousands of others in taking action? Call on B.C. to wind down fossil fuel production and invest more in clean energy today.    Speak up now: https://lnkd.in/g5kpxK8S

Have you heard of cultural burning before? Joe Gilchrist is a Salish Firekeeper from the Skeetchestn Indian Band and a leader in cultural burning. We were grateful to have him join our webinar “Turning Down the Heat: Solutions in a new era of wildfire” to share his stories and experiences with fire.   Cultural burning is a land stewardship practice that greatly helps to reduce the intensity of wildfires by reducing the buildup of forest fuels. These controlled burns are also helpful for revitalizing habitat for wildlife and managing pests like beetles that can have devastating impacts on forests, as we saw in Jasper this year. If you’re curious to learn more, check out the rest of the webinar on our website: https://lnkd.in/gmNsScAT 

A reminder that this weekend we are hosting a special in-person event where we will blend art and science to help us learn more about intertidal zones! This event will feature an art lesson by scientific illustrator Julius Csotonyi who will talk about the importance of intertidal zones and their impact on marine life.  📅 Saturday, August 31st at 10 am  📍 Third Beach, Stanley Park, X̱wáýx̱way  📝️ Paper and colored pens will be provided.  🎟️ This event is free of cost to attend! All donations will go towards strengthening the work that Sierra Club BC does to protect thriving ecosystems and a healthy climate.  Register here: https://lnkd.in/g8Zm5-AR

We have to address the root of the problem, as B.C. cannot rely on fighting these intense and destructive fires over and over. That means ending unsustainable logging practices and the heat-trapping pollution that is causing wildfires and heatwaves by reforming forestry and winding down the production and burning of fossil fuels.     But right now, B.C. is doing the opposite. The province is rapidly expanding fossil fuel infrastructure like LNG pipelines and other fracked gas projects. This will increase pollution in B.C. and abroad, making unnatural disasters more severe and putting the health and safety of our communities at risk.    Enough is enough. Will you join thousands of others in calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels? Together, we can help prevent more people from losing their homes and loved ones.    Take action today: https://lnkd.in/g5kpxK8S