DIARY ENTRY FROM:

Deb McIntyre, Australia

June 10, 1997

My name is Deb McIntyre and I'm from Australia. I've been in Canada for approximately six weeks and have joined the protest against the destruction of one of the last remaining intact areas of pristine temperate rainforest in the world.

Never in my life have I seen such unfeeling destruction of such a beautiful environment.

I have seen the remains of 800-1000 year old trees, streams that have jammed with waste logs and a total avoidance of wildlife of these areas.

Clearcuts are not sustainable. This is supported by numerous scientific reports, organisations, and the public, too.

Four groups (Greenpeace, Forest Action Network, Bear Watch and People's Action for Threatened Habitat) have joined the Nuxalk First Nation in protest at a site called Ista, a rainforest valley that is sacred to the indigenous owners of this land. The logging company International Forest Products, or Interfor, with no respect for the wishes of the Nuxalk, plans to destroy this valley - even though it is one of the last remaining in the world of this forest type.

In protest of this destruction, both I and Patricia - a woman from Germany - are locked onto a grapple yarder. This huge piece of machinery is used to drag logs from the steep slopes of the clearcut to an area where they can be loaded onto a truck and from there shipped out to their final destinations.

A Canadian woman is here with Patricia and I, a support person named Meredith. She continues on with her usual high spirits, and at this moment has just finished weaving an intricate little mat made our of the bark from a cedar tree.

I hope that all who read about this campaign, the fight for Canada's temperate rainforest, will join us. The environment is global and all persons - wherever you are - have a role to play in saving these areas from total destruction. Please help.