Editor:
I have been introduced to the deer population that graces our community, and as with many gardeners, I am conflicted about them: they are so lovely to see, but they make my work harder.
Many view the deer as pests and feel their population is increasing, but I believe that they wouldn't be here in such numbers if they had a friendlier place to go. Looking at aerial photos of the devastation of habitat that has taken place on Mount Elphinstone, one has to realize that not only deer but also bears, cougars and other wildlife are being driven into areas where humans live, because there is no food for them in these deforested areas. One last remaining stand of original forest on the western slope of Mount Elphinstone is about to be sold for logging. People should know.
Further evidence of this collapse is the fact that the "reforested" areas where saplings have been planted are not growing at the expected rate. Surprise, surprise! There are no nutrients to feed the new "crop" in the desert that was once a lush, healthy living forest, one that feeds our air with oxygen and holds our mountainsides in place.
The public servants who manage these public lands should know that the ecology of the understorey in these razed forest blocks collapses, which creates dead zones after exposure to the full sun. The food chain is broken, the animals leave, invasive species move in.
I have been trying to contact these government employees by email and by phone. So far, I have been ignored. I urge anyone who shares these concerns to go the Elphinstone Logging Focus website (www.loggingfocus.org) and get informed. Write at letter. Pick up the phone. Do it now. Am army of resistance is needed.
Janet Oxley, Gibsons
