March 10, 2017 Meeting at MLA and Minister Michele Stilwells office to discuss proposal put forward on behalf of Lantzville community and supporters. A compromise proposal was put forward to MLA Michelle Stilwell and Krista Bryce. The proposal is much more modest and limited in its scope but may satisfy some of the conservation and recreation requirements. The proposal is for 60 hectares of protection – 30 ha for conversation and 30 ha of forest for recreation. The majority of this area is around centered around Knarston creek and we seek to have a buffer zone on each side of the creek. This proposal would create a corridor that would be protected forever so that users can understand that at least part of the forest will actually be protected instead of the status quo which is ongoing uncertainty about what areas will be logged next. The proposal seeks to find a balance between social, economic and conservation needs. This proposal has already received support from DOL councillors. MLA Stilwell also expressed support for the proposal and will review and discuss with Minister Steve Thomson. We hope to hear from her soon and shall keep you posted. See attachment for details.
save lantzville forest 
Hi Niels, it sounds like the meeting with the MLA went well. Good news indeed!!! I am interested in meeting with you and/or your team at some point to discuss next steps. There may be several potential options to secure “protection” of the key areas, as well as options for compensation of the woodlot holder. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Max
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Sounds good Max. Hope we hear from our MLA soon and will keep you posted. Thanks again for your help, Niels
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Hi Max, no positive news as of yet. I did take your advice and contacted Forestry manager Rhonda Morris in hopes of setting up a meeting. She was cordial but changed her mind on meeting up. She will look at the proposal and discuss with her colleagues.
We were also contacted by CBC producer Jon Hernandez and he will be covering our story.
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Thanks for the update Niels, much appreciated.
Let me know if you want me to see if I can get a meeting with Forests. I can’t find contact info for Rhonda and am not sure where she fits into the picture.
It might be helpful to meet with someone at the senior regional or District level, Nanaimo or Port Alberni. Starting a dialogue at the working level or senior staff level can be helpful. However I don’t want to get in the way of what you have done so far. Let me know if you want to discuss further. Thanks. Max
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