Last Wednesday, citizens protested against a logging company that is planning to clear-cut the Castle Mountain area, but the logging company has said it will not back down.

Environmentalists as well as the citizens oppose the logging of the area. The environmentalists are worried the logging will damage part of a grizzly habitat, as well as areas that are popular for fishers, walkers, and hikers.

Gordon Petersen, president of the Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition, has told the media that the provincial government is accommodating to the private logging company as opposed to what is best for the environment.

Petersen is not only worried about the Castle Mountain logging, but also other natural areas. He is worried that if and when the logging is done here, where will the logging company go next?

According to public opinion polls, more than three quarters of regional residents are opposed to the idea of clear-cut logging in the Castle Mountain area. However, it has been decided that the clear-cut logging of the area is about to begin.

According to citizens and environmentalists, the logging will not only be bad for the wildlife, watershed and recreation, but it may also be a different sight to see for everyone that drives to the Castle Mountain Ski resort and area.

About 40 per cent of the timber that will be cut down is supposed to be turned into fence posts and garden mulch. It is going to take 6.5 hours to drive the timber to Spray Lake Sawmills’ mill in Cochrane.

With that long of a drive just to haul the timber, it is hard for some people to see the economic sense behind the logging.

Gord Lehn, Spray Lake Sawmills’ woodlands manager, has told the media the logging will improve the grizzlies’ habitat.

Workers could start work on the clear-cut logging any day now, and reclamation of the land may begin this summer.