About Us
Where Do We Stand
Overview
The video that started the forest campaign.
Who is Icel Dobell?
Icel Dobell is a writer and one of the founding members of Where Do We Stand.
What is WDWS?
Where Do We Stand is a local grassroots forest conservation advocacy group based in North Cowichan, British Columbia. The organization serves as a community gathering place dedicated to the protection and ecological stewardship of the Six Mountains Community Forest, a 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve. It is a film, a community event, a facebook page and a website. Our one shared message is stated by the petition and signed by over 1500 citizens.
We do not accept donations, membership fees or run paid election ads and we are not affiliated with any other environmental or political organization.
Where Do We Stand is managed by Rob Fullerton (Web Designer & Illustrator) and Icel Dobell.
The Petition
Our one shared message is stated by the petition and signed by over 1500 citizens.
"We are requesting a pause in all logging of the North Cowichan Municipal Forests to allow time for public consultation on the future of our six public forest reserves. In light of accelerating ecological, economic, and social changes, I believe that the public requires in-depth information from a broad range of experts on the forests."
Activities
40,000+ people have viewed The Gift of the Six Mountains video series, 1,500 people signed the petition and 900 people submitted comments. There were 150,000 views of our Facebook posts, 30,000 people visited our website, 800+ people subscribe to our newsletter, and 650 people attended the 6 Mountains Event at the Performing Arts Centre.
More than 60 volunteers have donated thousands of hours.
Changes Enacted
Changes enacted since the Forest Campaign started:
Municipal logging contracts are now publicly tendered (logging currently paused)
The Forest Advisory Committee has been expanded to include a more diverse group of stakeholders (logging currently paused)
Individual clearcut plans are now discussed and approved at Council Meetings (logging currently paused)
Clearcut plans are now available to the public prior to starting the work. (logging currently paused)
University of British Columbia (UBC Forestry) and 3GreenTree Ecosystems Services assisted in mapping the forest inventory and preparing forest management options
The Municipality contracted Lees & Associates to create a Working Group comprised of local volunteers that worked with staff to design and conduct a survey and series of workshops.
3GreenTree Ecosystems Services has conducted a Forest Carbon Project Feasibility Project and concluded that the project is not only feasible, it is a viable forest management option.
North Cowichan Municipality has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding and started parallel discussions with the Quw’utsun.
North Cowichan launched public engagement on the Four Forest Management Scenarios including a new website, 2 online workshops, online survey, a statistical phone survey and an in person open house. This phase of the project ran till the end of January 2023
Project Timeline
2018 (Fall) - Concerned citizens met with North Cowichan CAO Ted Swabey about plans to log Stoney Hill. Ted advised the group that they should prepare a delegation and present their concerns to the Mayor and Council
2018 (Fall) - Where Do We Stand was formed
2019 (Spring) - Where Do We Stand presents a petition to the North Cowichan Council signed by over 1,500 residents. The petition states: "We are requesting a pause in all logging of the North Cowichan Municipal Forests to allow time for public consultation on the future of our six public forest reserves. In light of accelerating ecological, economic, and social changes, I believe that the public requires in-depth information from a broad range of experts on the forests."
2019 (Spring) - As per the North Cowichan Press Release: "North Cowichan pauses logging in the Municipal Forest. In response to public interest in harvesting activities and requests for a review of forest management, Council dramatically limited harvesting in 2019 and initiated two initiatives: 1) undertaking public engagement, both deep and broad, on the future management of the MFR and 2) a technical review of forest management practices, options, and scenarios. The technical review will support the public engagement process by providing the information needed for informed public participation, and the public engagement process will inform the evaluation of the technical scenarios and options."
2019 (Spring) - Performing Arts Events hosted by WhereDoWeStand attended by over 700 people. To view the video presentations click here.
2021 (Summer) - a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by North Cowichan and the Quw'utsun Nation, which is comprised of Cowichan Tribes, Halalt First Nation, Stz’uminus First Nation, Penelakut Tribe, and Lyackson First Nation. The MOU outlines the establishment of a Municipal Forest Reserve (MFR) Working Group to share information in relationship to the stewardship and use of the MFR for the benefit of the community. The agreement signifies the commitment by both parties to continue meeting and discussing activities in the MFR.
2021 Fall - Stakeholders and the public were invited to share their values about the Municipal Forest Reserve (MFR). Four virtual online workshops, a survey, and 19 stakeholder interviews resulted in a detailed report that outlined what people value about the MFR.
2022 (Fall) - Phase 2 Public Engagement (Workshops, Online Survey, Phone Survey & Town Hall Meeting)
2023 (Jan) - Phase 2 Public Engagement Survey Results
2023 (Spring) UBC Forestry begins detailed analysis of selected Forest Management Scenario. As per North Cowichan Website: The UBC Group will use the feedback to adjust the potential forest management scenarios (if necessary) and present these to Council for a decision. A detailed forest management plan will then need to be developed to support the preferred scenario.
2023 (Spring) - First Nations Review still ongoing
2025 (April) - North Cowichan by-election for open Council seat with ramifications for the future of the Forest Review.
2025 (Summer) - The newly configured Council voted 4 to 3 to make logging our community forests a priority in the 2026 strategic plan.
2025 (Fall) - North Cowichan Staff Report recommends staying the course with the First Nations Negotiations and not resuming logging in 2026.
The vote for North Cowichan to reaffirm its commitment to the development of a co-management plan for the municipal forest reserve with the Quw’utsun Nation at the Council meeting on Nov. 19 was unanimous.