Make plans now to help distribute this education report and to come camping with us on Canada Day This is our latest Wilderness Committee education report, entitled British Columbia's Special Places. It's all about what it's going to take to double BC's park system in a decade.

At one time BC was known as the province with the fastest growing park system in Canada. Between 1980 and today BC expanded the provincial park system from about 5.5% of the province to well over 14% - a tremendous accomplishment that Wilderness Committee supporters like you had a hand in. Some amazing wild areas were protected as parklands, including Stein Valley, Tatshenshini River, Gwaii Haanas, South Chilcotin Mountains, Valhalla Mountains, Northern Rockies, Elaho Valley, Carmanah Valley and many more.

But if we are going to succeed in preserving more of BC's special places like Clayoquot Sound, the Flathead Valley, Walker Rainforest, South Okanagan and Taku Watershed, the BC government is going to have to pick up the pace of new park designation. That's where YOU come in. I am writing you today to ask your help in distributing the British Columbia's Special Places education report in your community. Email us at emma@wildernesscommittee.org and let us know how many education reports you can leave at local coffee shops, your doctor's office, community recreation centres etc. We'll mail you out a bunch right away.

I would also like to extend an invitation for you to come camping with us in the beautiful forests of the Chilliwack Valley this Canada Day weekend - July 1st and 2nd. We'll be camping in a Douglas fir forest that had been set aside by the BC government for the protection of spotted owl habitat, but that is now being targeted by a logging company. Our camp-out will help bring public attention to this endangered forest and increase its chances for survival. Chilliwack's endangered owl forest is exactly the kind of special place BC needs to grant full park protection. Here is a link to a short video about the area.

Please email me at joe@wildernesscommittee.org and I'll send you an information email package about how you can attend the Chilliwack Owl Forest camp-out on Canada Day. Hope to see you there!

Joe Foy | National Campaign Director
Wilderness Committee