Michelle Connolly
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Wildflower families of the Discovery Islands
Forest-related journalism
Ocean-related reporting
Primary forest survey: Quadra Island
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (white-coloured wildflowers)
Loss of forest cover on Quadra Island
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (yellow-coloured wildflowers)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (pink-coloured wildflowers)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Blue-flowered wildflowers)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Red-orange-flowered wildflowers)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (brown-coloured wildflowers)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (purple-coloured wildflowers)
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Marine mammals
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Land mammals
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Marine birds
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Forest birds
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Amphibians
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Reptiles
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Marine Invertebrates
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Fish
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Green-flowered wildflowers)
Logging in the watersheds of Quadra Island
Plant species observed on the Discovery Islands that are endangered, threatened or species of concern
Animal species observed on the Discovery Islands that are endangered, threatened or species of concern
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Trees and Shrubs)
Lichen species of the Discovery Islands
Primary forest survey: Read Island
Primary forest survey: Cortes Island
Primary forest survey: Maurelle Island
Primary forest survey: Sonora Island
Primary forest survey: West Redonda Island
Primary forest survey: smaller islands
Primary forest survey: East Redonda Island
Place names: Quadra Island
Place names: Cortes Island
Place names: Read Island
Place names: Maurelle Island
Place names: Sonora Island
Place names: West Redonda Island
Place names: East Redonda Island
Place names: smaller islands
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Grasses, sedges & rushes)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Aquatics)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Ferns)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Lichens)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Fungi)
Plant species of the Discovery Islands (Mosses and Liverworts)
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Butterflies, Skippers and Moths
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Dragonflies and Damselflies
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Bees, Ants and Wasps
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Beetles
Animal species of the Discovery Islands: Slugs and Snails
Loss of forest cover on Read Island
Loss of forest cover on Cortes Island
Loss of forest cover on Maurelle Island
Loss of forest cover on Sonora Island
Loss of forest cover on West Redonda Island
Loss of forest cover on East Redonda Island
Solutions
Photographic survey
Forest carbon release by logging on the Discovery Islands
Portal: Public subsidization of logging on the Discovery Islands
Loss of forest cover on the Discovery Islands
The cost of the public subsidy of clearcut logging on the Discovery Islands
Impact of clearcut logging on forest-related employment
Loss of forest carbon sequestration capacity due to logging
Forest stewardship plans for area-based forest tenures on the Discovery Islands
History of forest loss on the Discovery Islands
Portal: A paradigm shift in how Discovery Islands forests are managed is urgently needed
Portal: Over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: Imagining a new relationship with forests
Portal: Loss of primary forest
Portal: Destruction of wildlife habitat and loss of biodiversity
Portal: Loss of the hydrological functions of forests
Portal: Increase in forest fire hazard
Portal: Loss of carbon sequestration capacity
Portal: Increase in forest carbon emissions
Portal: Plantation failure
Portal: Use of ecologically damaging practices
Portal: Permanent loss of forest to logging roads, landings and quarries
Portal: Soil loss and damage
Portal: Loss of forest-related employment
Portal: Loss of employment resulting from the export of raw logs
Portal: Costs of floods, fires and clearcutting of community watersheds
Portal: The economic impact on communities of boom and bust cycles
Portal: The instability of communities dependent on forest extraction
Portal: Psychological unease caused by forest destruction
Portal: Loss of trust in institutions as a result of over-exploitation of forests
Portal: Social division caused by over-exploitation of BC forests
Portal: Loss of economic potential of other forest-related sectors
Portal: The economic cost of converting forests into sawdust and wood chips
Portal: The need to reform BC forest legislation
Portal: The need to expedite treaties with First Nations
Portal: The need to get informed, organized and ready for change
Portal: Surveys
Portal: The case for much greater conservation of forests on the Discovery Islands
Portal: Greater conservation of forests is needed to mitigate climate change
Portal: Retention of old and mature forest is necessary to protect biodiversity
Portal: Compared with old and mature forest, logged areas have a higher fire hazard
Portal: The extraordinary beauty of the Discovery Islands needs to be protected
Portal: We support Indigenous title and rights on the Discovery Islands
Portal: Logging on the Discovery Islands is heavily subsidized by the public
Species at risk on the Discovery Islands
Historical record of forest fires on the Discovery Islands
Lakes and wetlands of the Discovery Islands
Recreation Resources: Morte Lake-Chinese Mountain area
Recreation Resources: Nugedzi Lake-Mount Seymour area
Recreation Resources: Newton Lake-Small Inlet-Waiatt Bay area
Recreation Resources: Mud Lake-Nighthawk Lake area
Recreation Resources: Eagle Ridge-Blindman's Bluff area
Recreation Resources: Heriot Ridge area
Recreation Resources: Shellalligan Pass area
Recreation Resources: Two-Mile Lake-Clear Lake-Hummingbird Lake area
Recreation Resources: Maud Island-Saltwater Lagoon
Recreation Resources: Hyacinthe Point area
Recreation Resources: Raven Lake-Raven Ridge area
Recreation Resources: Main Lake Provincial Park
Recreation Resources: Octopus Islands Provincial Park
Recreation Resources: Darkwater Lake-Darkwater Mountain
Salmon bearing streams
Portal map: Salmon bearing streams of the Discovery Islands
Library: Logging and plantations create higher forest fire hazard
Libary: Conservation of forests needed to protect biodiversity
Library: Conservation of forests is needed to mitigate climate change
Library: Supporting Indigenous title and rights
Central library
Portal: Discovery Islands' place names
Export of raw logs from the Discovery Islands
Log exports from the Discovery Islands
Discovery Islands forest tenures and logging plans
Discovery Islands Protected Areas
Place names of the Discovery Islands
Portal: Calculation of direct local employment
Watersheds of Quadra Island
Watersheds of Read Island
Watersheds of Cortes Island
Watersheds of Maurelle Island
Watersheds of Sonora Island
Portal: Watersheds of the Discovery Islands
Engaging the mindustry
Species at risk of local extirpation
Artistic Expression
Volunteer
Discussion
Project calculations
Definitions
Fisheries surveys of Discovery Islands creeks
Portal: Resolution of forest-use conflicts
Vancouver Island Land Use Plan
About the Discovery Islands Conservation Project
Recent satellite imagery of forest cover loss on the Discovery Islands
Forest planning documents
Sources for April 2023 complaint to Forest Practices Board
Woodlot 2031 (Okisollo Resources)
Herbicide use
DI Forest Bulletin
Sources for 2024 submission on TFL 47 Johnstone Strait FSP
Comments on proposed cutblocks and roads
Blogs
Events
Downloads
Everything posted by Michelle Connolly
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(Video produced by James Steidle) Conservation North: why we formed and what we’re about Nature is in deep trouble in northern BC due in large part to commercial logging of primary forests. Conservation North was formed to address this problem. We are volunteers; as a registered society as opposed to a charity, we are not subject to the limitations that charitable status places on the activities of environmental non-governmental organizations. We are to educate, advocate, and resist. This freedom is a core value for us. In speaking with hundreds of people in Prince George and the Robson Valley, we learned three important things: 1) what's left of nature needs to be protected now; 2) the protection of nature is being undermined by the political influence of forestry companies on the BC government; and 3) the activities of those forestry companies are enabled by professional practice and its culture of exploitation. When coalescing as a group, we determined what we did and did not want to be. We witnessed other groups being ineffectual at protecting nature. The following four things Conservation North does not do: 1. We do not use the language of forestry. Language has power. Beliefs and values are embedded in the words we choose to use. Primary forests are neither ‘fiber’ nor ‘feedstock’. Nature is not a ‘resource’ to be exploited. Primary forests are not ‘waste’ waiting to be turned into commodities for short-term profit. ‘Maintaining forest health’ is code for logging after important natural disturbances. We use language grounded in ecology and in an understanding of and respect for the intrinsic value of nature, as opposed to language invented by people intent on converting nature into products for sale. 2. We do not consult with licensees (forest companies) on how industrial logging should be improved. Weighing in on how the last primary forests are logged is not something we're interested in. Though consulting with a forestry company about how to cut a primary forest might result in changes to short-term plans for that area, it will not address the larger problem. The best a forest company will ever do is tweak their management, e.g. switching from clearcutting to partial harvest, causing major ecological damage either way. 3. We do not heed forest professionals on matters of ecology. Forest professionals are taught that it's possible to manage natural ecosystem for all things. This is untrue, and forty-five years of ecological research has taught us otherwise. Collapsing fish and wildlife populations, disappearing bird communities, and the many endangered plants and animals in BC are telling us otherwise. This destruction happened on the watch of professional foresters, who have immense power over land management. Their lies are an attempt to maintain status quo. 4. We do not view government consultation processes as genuine attempts to prevent ecological collapse nor to foster sustainable communities. The questions posed by government consultations, whether public or invite-only, are most often the wrong ones. Questions like “how do we sustain this industry” must be “what is best for our communities and nature over the long term”. The invite-only Interior Forestry Renewal meetings include participants invested in industrial forestry and exclude those with broader interests and knowledge. These processes are designed to manufacture consent, rather than sustain happy and healthy human and natural relationships. Motivations of the extractive sector prevail over the interests of people and the rights of nature. It is time for communities to set the agenda. This is what Conservation North does do: 1. A vision of the future. We articulate a regional vision for the future. This vision and our goals are based on science and ethics, and stem from our love of nature and our human community. 2. We speak truth about what’s happening on the ground. Our responsibility is to provide information about how and why ecological collapse is taking place in northern BC. We document, through spatial analyses, photos, video and experience, the impacts of roads and industrial logging. Most of these ecosystems are globally endangered. 3. We interact with community members face to face. Online engagement is great and necessary but building a movement requires meeting with others in person. We hold educational events, rallies, and video screenings. We table at farmers markets, concerts, and public events. We do field trips and banner drops. We spend time with those on the land to build solidarity and to foster an emotional connection to place. Organizing is simply getting one person to agree on a goal and working together. If you love wild places and you want to defend them, start collecting other people who feel the same way. Set goals together, start working towards those goals, hang out your sign, and start building your networking power for the land and your community.