From aceska@cue.bc.ca Fri Aug 27 23:18:49 1993 Date: Sat, 21 Aug 93 22:24:52 -0700 From: Adolf Ceska To: ben@cue.bc.ca Subject: BEN # 62 BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 62 August 21, 1993 Address: aceska@cue.bc.ca Victoria, B.C. ---------------------------------------------------- CLAYOQUOT BLOCKADE NEWS UPDATE From: Student Enviro-Link August 20 1993 - The Friends of Clayoquot Sound As the number of arrests on the Clayoquot blockade climbs towards 600, the NDP government has quietly promised to give MacMillan Bloedel permission to begin blasting a road into the Clayoquot Valley within a month. A Forest Ministry memorandum [the existence of this "leaked" memorandum was denied by the government - AC] states that the new forestry guidelines promised by the Harcourt regime in its unpopular decision will be waived for a period of 12 months in order to expedite logging in one of the last untouched valleys in Clayoquot Sound. Despite post-election assurances of public participation, no public input will be allowed during the first year of clearcut logging in this vital valley. "After all the expensive PR from our corporate-led government, its logging-as-usual in Clayoquot Sound," an angry Friends of Clayoquot Sound director, Valerie Langer said today. "MacBlo has flagged its road across 45 degree slopes along an important salmon spawning stream and we're supposed to trust a company with 25 convictions for damaging fisheries?" Nuu-chah-nulth nation chiefs and B.C.'s biggest environmental organizations have re-affirmed their pledge to keep the big multinational logging companies out of the pristine Clayoquot Valley. But the Forest Ministry has told MB to expect its road- building permit by Sept. 14, 1993. This morning saw 180 rain forest protectors blockading a fog- shrouded Kennedy River bridge. Eighteen people - including a longshoreman and a disabled World War II vet - were arrested for refusing to allow Interfor and MacMillan Bloedel logging trucks to pass. "This is where patriots belong," 73 year old Austin Delany stated before being taken into police custody. "An I'm calling on patriots and veterans particularly in B.C. to come and stand on guard." In related developments, an application before B.C. Supreme Court to quash MacMillan Bloedel's anti-blockade injunction enters its second day of hearings. Friends' lawyers hope to convince the judge that MacMillan Bloedel should not be allowed to use Crown, RCMP and court resources to enforce a private dispute. Though Clayoquot fallers are set to begin a two week holiday today, grapple-yarding, road building and other rainforest- unfriendly activities will continue at 20 locations throughout Clayoquot Sound. "We will remain on the road until Harcourt reverses his unfortunate decision," Langer declared. [For more information call Garth Lenz or Valerie Langer 604-725- 4218] RE: HAYNES' LEASE FIRE [BEN # 60] - I From: Robert Scheer 371-6400 I just realized I goofed on the year of the previous fire at Haynes ' Lease. It was in 1989, four years ago not 2 as I stated. Please pass along to Jane Bock that BC Parks has at no time considered seeding the burn at Haines Lease with sterile or any other seeds, for exactly the reasons she stated. RE: HAYNES' LEASE FIRE [BEN # 60] - II From: Kelly McGrew <72075.1615@CompuServe.COM> The idea that Jane Bock had in BEN #61 was an interesting one: to use native seeds to revegetate the burn area. Perhaps an option that could be explored is to work jointly between the USA, Canada, and Mexico to form "Native Seed Banks" by floristic area. There are two similar vegetative areas to that of the fire area and both are in the USA. If some seeds were gathered there as well as from the areas nearby in BC which have the same general floristic types, perhaps that would aid in the regenera- tion of the area. Taking the idea a step further, perhaps various native plant societies can start to work together to form seed banks of a regional or floristic-zone type. For example, the Artemisia and Purshia seeds from southern BC and northern Washington could go into one regional bank, while the same species seeds from the Lower Columbia Basin would go into another bank, perhaps with seeds from North Eastern Oregon. It may take a decade to define the floristic zones, put the logistics together and to determine the viability period for the seeds, but once those steps are accomplished a rotating schedule could be set up to insure that there are always viable seeds of the general stocks desired. As an example, on a recent trip to my high school home town (Quincy, Wash.) I collected some seeds from Pediocactus simpsonii var robustior Coult. While there are only a few seeds (perhaps a couple of dozen) that I was going to send to the herbarium at the Univ. of Washington (Doug Eqing, Greenhouse Manager) I would be happy to send them to you if they will help to revegetate the area. [Pediocactus simpsonii does not extend to British Columbia. - AC] NIGHT POLLINATION OF FIREWEED ? From: "Robert A. Raguso" reposted from POLPAL-L DISCUSSION LIST I am studying floral scent and hawkmoth pollination in the Onagraceae. I just came across an anecdote in one of Bernd Heinrich's books about sphingid moths visiting Epilobium angus- tifolium at night... Does anyone have any further observations on this or know of any papers that discuss moth visits and pollination in fireweed? EDITORIAL NOTE From: Adolf Ceska My mother-in-law died after a short illness. My wife Oluna and I will leave for Prague tomorrow. We will stay in Czech Republic till September 20. I want to look at some critical vascular plant species with circumpolar distribution and trace out specimens collected by my countryman Tadeas Haenke in the Pacific Northwest in 1791. I would also like to collect more material on spinach and civilization, and to study beginnings of automation in medieval Prague. (Robot GOLEM was built in Prague by rabbi Judah Loew b. Bezalel in 16th century, but it failed, mostly due to the software problems.) Na shledanou in September.