Environmental activists paid a visit to the Bird River area last weekend to raise awareness of clearcutting going on in Nopiming Provincial Park.

Eric Reder of the Winnipeg-based Wilderness Committee said the event was a tremendous success, with hundreds of flyers being handed out to motorists entering the park.

"We'll be doing this more often over the summer," Reder said.

"We need to get the message out that this clearcutting is happening."

Participants -- including activists Dave Nickarz and Bird River's Russ and Pat Popp, who launched a public battle against clearcutting in the park in 2005 -- draped their white van with a large flag proclaiming "Welcome to Clearcut Provincial Park -- Manitoba's Shame."

They also handled out flyers informing the public about the clearcutting being carried out in the area by logging giant Tembec Industries, which operates a paper mill in Powerview-Pine Falls.

"I'd say 95 per cent of the people we talked to were supportive," Reder said.

Tembec has been clearcutting in the area for many years, and sparked controversy in 2005 when the company admittedly failed to adhere to provincial wildlife guidelines when it cut a large area of forest near Shoe Lake.

Tembec was also convicted in November of violating its work permit in the Euclid Lake area and was fined over $10,000, after committing a similar violation to the wildlife guidelines.

The guidelines are designed to regulate the size of logging sites in order to protect habitat.

Reder said more such events are planned in the Duck Mountain and Whiteshell areas.

Article ID# 2059324