Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Mid-Island
Box 442, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K lS9, ph. 250 752-6585, fax: 250 752-7085
email: wcwcqb@shaw.ca    www.cathedralgrove.com

Press Release - Monday, March 15, 2004
Nanaimo Supreme Court Adjourns Cathedral Grove Injunction Application until Thursday

Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada - The Nanaimo Supreme Court has adjourned until Thursday, the application for a court injunction to keep the public and visitors away from a proposed logging site in Cathedral Grove where the government is planning to build a 5-acre pay-parking lot for MacMillan Provincial Park. Tiny MacMillan Park is one of the last remaining parcels of crown land left on east Vancouver Island.

“Visitors to the world famous park are being informed about the closing of the current parking lot and the location of left hand turns for the new 5-acre pay-parking facility approximately 1.5 km west of the old parking lot,” explains Annette Tanner, spokesperson for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Mid Island.

“A traffic safety study and projected visitation numbers for this location are vital. We are still collecting signatures, asking for a meeting with Minister Barisoff of Water,Land and Air Protection, so that the proposals for the pay-parking location and the many other changes to the Park can be presented to the public for comment,” Tanner continues.

“Currently the herd of elk that uses the floodplain forest as winter forage, includes 4 pregnant does,” adds Tanner. “This particular herd is not like the elk in the Banff postcards. These animals are extremely shy and depend on this site in order to survive the winter because most of the surrounding winter range along the river has been logged.”

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee plans to continue distributing information and gathering signatures in the old parking lot in Cathedral Grove. Please phone Greta at 757-8909 if you would like to help.

- for more information phone Annette Tanner 250 752-6585
- cell 951-5015 -