What’s wider than your living room, made out of wood and older than any building in Canada? That’s what Torrance Coste and I went to Tofino to find out.

 
As National Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee, I am the lucky one that gets to introduce you to Torrance Coste, the Wilderness Committee’s brand new campaigner working out of our Victoria field office. Our former campaigner on the island, Tria Donaldson, recently moved to Vancouver to head up our campaign to stop the expansion of BC’s dirty coal ports.

 

Last week Torrance and I went on a tour of the mid-island to visit with our allied groups working to save Vancouver Island’s remaining wild lands and to learn about what areas they are working to protect.

 

In Tofino we met with the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, who asked us if we would like to take a walk on the Big Tree Trail of Meares Island.  Of course we could hardly wait to go! Back in the late 1980’s Wilderness Committee volunteers had helped to build the original boardwalk trail through the grove of giant trees. We headed over in a small boat with the Friends’ Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck.

 

Meares Island never fails to amaze and delight, and this visit was no exception.  After all these years the big trees still blow me away. There is a red cedar along the trail that is 18 metres around at its base and well over one thousand years old (which makes it wider than a living room and older than the oldest Canadian building).  Some of the trails on Meares are looking a bit rough and are in definite need of a little tender loving care.

 

That’s why we have scheduled several volunteer trail clearing trips this year! 

 

Our first trail clearing trip runs from the 18th to the 21st of May. If you think this sounds like a fun thing to do, contact us and fill out our on-line volunteer form if you would like to help clear the amazing trails of Meares Island. Or email our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@wildernesscommittee.org
  

We could really use the help – and we guarantee a never to be forgotten wild experience in Canada’s west coast rainforest.

 

Can’t make it this time? No problem. We have trail clearing trips scheduled throughout the spring and summer.

 

In Clayoquot Sound the Wilderness Committee and our allies are working to see Meares Island and the other intact old growth forests protected as Tribal Parks and put off limits to commercial logging and mining. Hope to see you on the trail!

For the Wild,