The community forest plan undertaken by the District of Sechelt has not been without its share of controversy.
Lord knows the volume of letters to the editor we've received on the subject.
There are people in the community all for the plan, others against it and others not so much against the plan, more the process that was undertaken to get all the approvals in place.
Now that the District of Sechelt has signed the community forest licence, they have passed the torch to a board of directors and a community advisory group who will help guide forest practices within the community forest and address community concerns.
At the advisory group's latest meeting, they urged the public to get involved. An open house is planned, the advisory group plans to tour the community forest to better understand the area, and they are seeking a mandate for further public consultation, possibly in the form of an interactive website for the public to provide input.
If you are against the proposal, now is the time to speak up and let your concerns be heard. Start asking questions and provide comments - and be part of the solution not the problem.
We think this public consultation process by the advisory group is a great idea.
Hopefully with this process some common ground can be reached and the whole Coast can start to reap the rewards from what can be a wonderful project.
Lessons learned?Mojo is one lucky dog.
The golden retriever survived a chilly swim in Chapman Creek recently.
He was out walking with companions when he got into trouble near the waterfalls and fell in. It's a dangerous area with slippery rocks and no warning signs. Mojo was rescued after a long ordeal, but it should be a lesson to everyone who enjoys the outdoors.
With the summer season here, more and more people will be out walking, running, hiking and biking the abundance of trails. While you're out, be sure to play safe. Let's all enjoy the summer and not have any more incidents like Mojo did.
And as a side note, it might not be a bad idea for someone to put up a few warning signs around the falls to notify the public of the dangers.- Ian Jacques
