Native Loggers Threaten Clayoquot Sound

Man, that sucks to hear. I was involved in the '93 protests to get protection for these areas, and remember quite clearly the unrealistic expectations people had for First Nations involvement. In the environmental community, folks have this crazy notion that the indigenous peoples will have some kind of better moral compass when it comes to land use issues. But these are real people living in the real world, not some kind of Chief Seattle make-believe. There is lots of money to be made, and when members of your band have income and unemployment issues, what the heck do you think they are going to do?

I knew back in '93 that pushing for Native control of logging rather than just strict protection was a mistake. It is interesting  that the folks at FOCS who advocated this love-in with the Nu-Chah-Nuulth are now opposing the monster they created. Too bad for the forests.