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Chain Saws Silent in Point Pleasant Park: How can you help keep them that way. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), in July 2000 after a few weeks study, proposed and quickly commenced a massive and costly tree cutting plan for Point Pleasant Park. The reason? • an alleged ‘infestation’ of the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle. They issued a $1-million contract in July to destroy 10,000 trees in the Park this year; other costs have brought this to over $2-million. In subsequent years they expect to issue other contracts to cut thousands more trees which will cost even more. • However having destroyed 700 trees this summer at enormous public cost, the CFIA has found virtually no beetles! The Friends of Point Pleasant Park Association has challenged this action in Federal Court, submitting sworn statements from four senior local scientists and others, who disagree with the CFIA’s actions. • The Park’s trees were cut down not because the beetle was found on the trees, but because insect holes or sap were present on the bark. But we showed that holes and sap on a tree can be caused by any of 28 species of wood- and bark-boring insects native to Nova Scotia which have been found in the Park. • When challenged the CFIA has repeatedly refused to reveal any scientific data to support their massive cutting plans. Instead, the Agency has engaged in a very expensive and overly dramatic media campaign which states that the Park is ‘overflowing' with an 'infestation’ of beetles, and that there are no natural predators. • We have shown that the beetle has several very effective natural predators already present in the Park ? woodpeckers, other birds, other beetles, and several types of predatory wasps. We showed also that cutting and hauling away of trees will further deteriorate the Park’s already fragile soil. • The CFIA has provided no evidence that there has been any increase in the numbers of this beetle in the Park, let alone any evidence that the beetles are seriously harming live trees. After hearing the arguments for both sides, on August 15 a federal judge granted The Friends an interim injunction, thereby halting the CFIA’s cutting and burning of trees in the Park until the matter is heard by a full judicial review of three Federal Appeal Court Judges later this year or early next. The chain saws have been silenced for now, but the CFIA has appealed this injunction and we are now in an uphill battle to support the judge’s decision. But legal action is expensive. To date these costs have been shouldered by a few, but now our own government is deliberately increasing the costs of this case by engaging in hard-ball legal manoeuvres designed to maximise expense to its own citizens! They have even asked for the case to be heard anywhere in Canada! Point Pleasant Park has been a haven for Nova Scotians for 134 years. Today, the Park needs your help! • PLEASE SEND A MONEY CONTRIBUTION We have a target goal of $25-thousand to be raised by the end of October. The first phase of donations will go towards legal fees; the second towards Park Restoration. Cheques may be deposited with any branch of the Bank of Montreal and made out to the Friends of Point Pleasant Park Association. Cheques may also be sent to the c/o Treasurer, Friends PPP, Prof. Phil Pacey, 6269 Yukon Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3L 1E9. • CHECK THE WEB <www.geocities.com/env_smith/Correspondence.html> < http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Webcam/index.cgi> <www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/FPPP/> • PASS THIS ON Tell your friends, family, neighbours, co-workers. Please do not discard this pamphlet! • JOIN US Receive regular up-dates on progress and developments. Help nurture the Park back to full health. Please fill in the membership application below and you will receive a receipt and a FPPP pin to show your support. We are a provincially registered, non-profit association. “Citizens who care are the best guardians of the communities in which they live.” Barbara Ward -------------------------------------------- Membership Application Friends of Point Pleasant Park Association Name(s) _______________ Address _____________________________________ Postal Code _________ Telephone ______________ Facsimile ______________ E-Mail ____________________ Individual _ Family _ Senior _ Student _ Unwaged _ Please enclose a membership fee of $15 for individuals or $25 for families ($5 less in each case for seniors, students and unwaged). Larger donations are gratefully received. YOU MAY COPY AND FAX THIS FORM TO : (902) 425-1338 Cheques should be made out to: “The Friends of Point Pleasant Park Association”. Mail to: Treasurer, Friends of Point Pleasant Park Association, c/o Prof. Phil Pacey, 6269 Yukon Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3L 1E9. Thank you. Dr Iain Taylor, President, FPPP Assoc., 5830 Chain Rock Drive, Halifax, B3H 1A1. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Sponsors: Chebucto Community Net http://www.chebucto.ns.ca Sierra Club - Chebucto Group http://www.sierraclub.ca Volunteer moderator: Paul Falvo mailto:sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca To submit a message to sust-mar, please send it to: mailto:sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca PLEASE SEND MESSAGES TO SUST-MAR IN PLAIN TEXT ONLY MESSAGES CONTAINING HTML (MIME) CANNOT BE POSTED
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