Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Victoria Law Courts on Monday, calling for a ban on the logging of Walbran Valley old growth forest.

The protest was due to the fact lawyers for Teal Jones, the company legally permitted to log a parcel of the Central Walbran, were in BC Supreme Court to apply for the extension of an injunction that would place limits on protests.

The initial injunction — which was set to expire Monday — had been in place since mid-December.

It allows protests, but prevents demonstrators from interfering with Walbran logging operations.

Environmental groups say the company is trying to keep the law-abiding public away.

“They know there’s no defense for what they’re doing. They know there’s no way to justify cutting down 1,000-year-old trees in 2016 because they are a non-renewable resource,” says Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee.

“They know this and we know this and in order to fight back they are attempting to block all access to the Walbran Valley and that’s what we’re speaking up against today.”

Teal Jones says blockades have become a safety concern and that since they’re legally allowed to log the site, protesters should take their fight to the provincial government.

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Photo: Walbran Valley 2015 by Torrance Coste