The Chilliwack River Valley was Peter Julian's backyard playground as a child growing up in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

Julian, who is the NDP Member of Parliament for Burnaby-New Westminster, first came to the valley in 1957, when his parents built a rustic cabin on one of the 85 lots created in the Post Creek area.

"I spent my summers and weekends and Christmas holidays there," he told the Times. "I just love the area, it's a remarkable piece of B.C. nature."

Julian visited the Post Creek area Tuesday to see an area set aside in 2006 as northern spotted owl habitat that is now set to be logged.

The Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA) was one of many created in 2006 by the provincial government for the protection of owls.

One of the wildlife measures outlined in the government order stated: "Harvesting is not to occur within the designated WHA unless an exemption is approved by the [Ministry of Environment] designated authority."

In October of this year, the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations cancelled that order and replaced it with one allowing logging. That included 13 cutblocks given to Tamihi Logging to enable up to 142 hectares to be cut.

Julian went to the area Tuesday with Wilderness Committee national campaign director Joe Foy and Glen Thompson of Friends of the Chilliwack River Valley. The group was met by approximately 20 residents of Post Creek, some of whom were dismayed when earlier this year they found the flagging tape marking out logging cut blocks.

The green light to log was given by the ministry to "prevent affected forest licensees from losing previously agreed to timber-cutting rights," according to a government spokesperson.

"Effective management of our land base often requires solutions that address competing land use and protection interests and this is one of those instances," Brennan Clarke, public affairs officer for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, wrote via email.

Clarke said the strict requirements of the WHA mean that if any owls are sighted during logging, the company must stop. And, Tamihi Logging must retain certain types and amounts of trees for future spotted owl habitat.

None of this is good enough for Julian or Foy.

"We are talking about a cut zone that provides at best a couple of weeks work," Julian said. "It doesn't make sense if we are looking at sustainable forestry: To kill off a species in Canada for what is simply not any sort of long-term benefit, there is a huge downside to this government decision."

Julian was set to meet with Foy and residents of the CRV on Wednesday to discuss what to do next.

Foy told the Times that court action was likely in order to force the provincial government to reverse its decision and protect the area. He said the current federal government isn't "particularly friendly to species at risk."