Last Stand West Kootenay

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Last Stand West Kootenay

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www.fundrazr.com/a200te

10/27/2026

Made it on Castlegar News and Black Press Events !!! Thanks for the coverage 🙏 camp is still going… come say hi!!

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Logging activities began last week in the Cai Creek area above Castlegar as heavy machinery arrived at the site and started removing trees to build an access road.

Attempts to stop logging in the popular hiking area have been ongoing since 2024 when BC Timber Sales first announced its intent to auction the rights to three cutblocks in the Cai Creek drainage beyond the Cai Creek Forest Service Road off of Highway 3.

The Sutherland Group won the auction in spring 2025.

The area contains a number of old growth trees including one that has been named Lieutenant Dan. At 58.7 metres, it is the tallest documented ponderosa pine in the province. Four other ponderosa pines in the area are ranked within the top 30 in size provincially, two white pines are ranked eighth and ninth in the province, and many large Douglas fir, western red cedar, western larch, and grand fir fill the forest.
The beginning of the logging activities prompted Last Stand West Kootenay to organize a protest at the site on Oct. 22.

“It is no wonder members of the public are escalating and turning to direct action,” said outdoor guide and educator Andrea Fox. “This is a unique recreation area just outside of town, sheltering incredible biodiversity, and people are exhausted by the lack of progress on old-growth protection across B.C.”

Last Stand West Kootenay says for those gathered on the Cai Creek Forest Service Road, the protest reflected a broader failure to protect B.C.’s remaining intact watersheds and old-growth forests.
Biologist Matt Casselman of Castlegar has been a leader in the movement to save the forest through the Save Cai Creek campaign and website.

“We’re losing an intact watershed,” Casselman says. “It has limited disturbance, and that, in and of itself, is really rare to see these days, and carries a lot of value for wildlife and ecosystem integrity.”

Last Stand West Kootenay has planned further action. They are inviting people to camp at the site.

“We are holding space, building community, and making art to protect the forest,” said an announcement from the group.

10/26/2026

Come and play with us! Bring your instruments, some snacks, and your love for the trees! 🪕🥁🌲

Tuesday, Oct 27 5-10pm

DM us to RSVP and find out details✨

10/25/2026

💚COMMUNITY STANDS WITH CAI💚

Yesterday, nearly 100(!) concerned, caring citizens came to hike through Cai Creek and learn about what’s at stake — 250-400+ year old Firs, Cedars, and Pines, and the diverse forest ecosystem they’re a part of.

Hikers wrote messages of love and solidarity for the trees, and for the loggers who are set to tear them down.

Thank you to Kootenay Forest Watch - Castlegar for this moving, motivating day of action💚

🚨HOW YOU CAN HELP🚨

🌲COME CAMPING! We are holding space, building community, and making art to protect the forest just a short drive from Castlegar. Supplies and donations may also be needed. Send us a message for details🌲

✉️If you aren’t able to support in person, send an email to industry and government representatives to demand an immediate halt to all road building and logging (details in comments)📞

10/25/2026

🚨ALL OUT FOR CAI CREEK🚨

Since Wednesday, lovers of the forests have been holding space in support of protecting Cai Creek, where some of B.C.’s last remaining Old Growth stands.

WE NEED YOUR PRESENCE!

Come to camp. We ask that campers be self sufficient (BYO gear, water, food, etc.)

Send us a private message to find out specifics.

See you around the fire🌲🔥

10/23/2026

🌲COME SEE CAI CREEK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE🌲

Want to show some love for Cai Creek? Join a community hike to explore this beautiful forest, learn about what’s at stake, and show that people care about its future.

{{ THE DETAILS }}

🕚 11 AM meetup. Please carpool if possible 🚗

📍 Location for parking: 49.268709, -117.624054. From Castlegar, take Highway 3 east toward the Bombi Summit. Continue approximately 1.5 km past the vehicle inspection station and look for a large gravel pullout on the opposite side of the highway from the first runaway truck lane.

⛰️ The hike is 3 km one way | 400 m elevation gain

💌 Bring a sign or a little paper cut-out to hang beside your favourite tree.
_____

One of the invited guest and guide will be Matt, a local advocate for Cai Creek who has led numerous hikes in the area and established the route to Lieutenant Dan.

This hike is being organized by a separate community organization Kootenay Forest Watch - Castlegar and is not affiliated with the Cai Creek protest or any protest action. The goal is simply to experience this incredible place before logging begins, and to make it clear that the public cares about Cai Creek and wants better forestry practices that take community concerns seriously.

That said, if a few familiar faces from the recent protest happen to show up with their hiking boots on, well… what a coincidence 😉🌲

⚠️ Important: The hike will only go ahead if no logging is taking place and access is confirmed to be legal and safe. Please come prepared for a moderately challenging hike.

Come for the hike. Stay for the trees!!!🌲💚

10/22/2026

AND SO IT BEGINS🌲✊

On Thursday, October 22nd, a group of determined citizens took to the road in Cai Creek, just outside Castlegar, to peacefully stand against road building and imminent logging set to happen in this extraordinary watershed.

They came to stand for something bigger than themselves. They came to stand for the forests, the wildlife, the trails, and the wild places that make this region home.

💚Come and hike the trail this weekend. Pay your respects and speak your prayers to the trees💚

Cai Creek has been identified as a 70 to 80 percent intact watershed and nominated by the Technical Advisory Panel for the Old Growth Strategic Review. Its forests hold ancient trees, including what has been identified as the largest ponderosa pine in British Columbia.

For years, local residents have opposed development plans by BC Timber Sales that would cut through a popular hiking trail just ten minutes outside town — opening the way for increased fires and flooding. Now, the community is stepping forward once again.

This is where we draw the line 😤

Our old growth is irreplaceable. Our intact watersheds matter. Our wild places are not disposable, and the people who love them will not stand by in silence while they are put at risk.

To everyone who has stood up, spoken out, and refused to give up, this is your moment. To everyone who cares about the future of these forests, we need you beside us.

Show up. Spread the word. Share this message far and wide. Make sure our politicians and decision makers hear the voices of the people who call this place home.

The fight for Cai Creek is a fight for every wild place worth protecting.

HANDS OFF OLD GROWTH!!! 🔊🚨🌲

10/05/2026

Thanks for everyone that came out! A crowd of 200 or so…And a stellar line up of speakers. Thanks bill jones for speaking to us 💚

Stay tuned for more photos 💫 hands off old growth ✊🙌

10/05/2026

Thanks for everyone that came out! A crowd of 200 or so…And a stellar line up of speakers. Stay tuned for more photos 💫 hands off old growth ✊🙌

10/03/2026

Art making for Sunday Oct 4th Rally 🌲 HANDS OFF OLD GROWTH🌲

The evidence is in. The handprints are here.

It doesn’t take a detective to know that the forest needs our help.

Come add your print to the scene. Leave your mark in the shape of a hand or a tree. Bring your voice to speak for the trees.

Rally attendees will get the opportunity to add their voice in the form of a personalized message for our MLA — a growing record of what our community is asking them to stand up for.

Follow the clues. Bring your handprint. Bring your message. Bring the evidence.

🟢 Help build the case for the forest🌲 Join us at the rally 💚

Nelson city hall + march 2-4pm

12/09/2025

We are still riding the wave and feeling the urgency communicated by Rachel Holt, David Suzuki Foundation, Save What's Left Conservation Society, and Suzanne Simard during the Province Wide Broken Promises Protest in Nelson

Here is a testimonial from one of the participants:

"It was encouraging to witness such a spirited turnout of Kootenay humans who came to stand up for the preservation of the last of our old growth Forests. These primary Forests make up a mere 1% of the remaining Forests in B.C. and are in direct threat of being exploited and destroyed forever due to proposed logging. I was inspired by the collective gathering and the raised awareness of this pressing matter.
The work isn’t done yet; we need to keep the momentum up and we can only do this together."

Please consider signing the petition and writing the Minister of Forest Ravi Parmar. He needs to hear discontent from the people...! (Link in comments)

☮️ ♥️🌲

Address

Nelson, BC

Website

https://linktr.ee/laststandwestkootenay

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