Caravan raises awareness 
     
    
   
   
    
     by Sue Stephenson 
     
    
   
   
    
     On Sunday, Dhrch 2, a meeting was held in Charlottetown for people 
     
     interested in learning more about the conservation controversy surrounding 
     
     South Moresby, the lower 15% of the Queen Charlotte Islands archipelago in 
     
     British Columbia, or about the 'Save South Moresby Caravan' , soon to begin. At 
     
     the meeting, approximately 50 people learned from Thom Henley and Gregg Sheehy, 
     
     two of the caravan organizers, about the pressure many groups such as the 
     
     Islands Protection Society in Vancouver and the Canadian Nature Federation were 
     
    

    
     . putting on the B.C. government to have this area declared a National Park to 
     
     conserve it. for future generations, and to prevent clear-cut logging and mining 
     
     from taking place. They also talked about the many reasons why that area, in 
     
     particular, was vital to protect. From an environmental and biological 
     
     Viewpoint it is one of the most unique areas in the world, being the hate of 
     
     the world's largest concentration of the rare Peale's peregrine falcon, 
     
     containing the largest nesting concentrations of bald eagles in Canada, the 
     
     location of one quarter of all the nesting seabirds on the Canadian Pacific 
     
     coast, hone to more than one half of Canada's Stellers sea lions... the list 
     
     goes on and on. From a cultural stance, South Maresby contains several hundred 
     
     archeological sites, including a UNE‘SW world heritage site, and is home to the 
     
     Haida Indians, residents of the Queen Charlotte Islands for over 10,000 years. 
     
    

    
     Since many groups had been working within B.C. for over 12 years trying to 
     
     have the area preserved, and with the threat of logging growing closer every 
     
     year, it was decided that the issue had to become a national one to finally 
     
     pursuade the B.C. government to protect the area. The nethod decided upon was 
     
     the 'Save South Moresby Caravan' , a group of people travelling by train from 
     
     Newfoundland to British Colunbia, with awareness rallys and neetings being held 
     
     in several nejor cites along the way, such as Halifax, Mantreal, Toronto, and 
     
     Winnipeg. 
     
    

    
     It wasn't until after the meeting in Charlottetown, less than a week before 
     
     the caravan was due to leave St. John's that people got together and decided 
     
     that a P.E.I. representative should go and that I, as the Atlantic 
     
     Co—ordinator, should be the one. Through group and individual donations, the 
     
     cost of my train fare was covered, and off I went to connect with the caravan 
     
     in Monoton. 
     
    
   
   
    
     O . 
     
     5mm. SAVE SOUTH MORESBY CARAVAN para... 
     
    
   
   
    
     620 View Street. Room 3 I 5 
     
    
   
   
    
     Viaoria B C vaw “4 R 75 Albert Street. Suite 203 
     
     - - - , On .0 ta‘ 
     
     Thom Henley 4604. m. 544 .- Ina-“Illn- GreggaShegh;gf;,Pzgggl 54 
     
    
   
   
    
     -3-