Province considering auctioning cutblocks near Walker Creek
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
In the northernmost parts of the greater Robson Valley sits the Walker Creek watershed, a lush land with countless species of flora and fauna. The forest canopy, so far untouched by human industry, provides cover for caribou and hundreds of plant and lichen species on the forest floor.
The area is also at the heart of a conflict between advocacy group Conservation North and BC Timber Sales (BCTS). In May, Conservation North found out BC Timber Sales is proposing cutblocks in the area, which would be auctioned off to forestry companies. The group held a letter-writing night in Prince George, where they encouraged attendees to contact the Ministry of Forests expressing opposition to the proposed auction cutblocks.
In an email to The Goat, the Ministry of Forests confirmed the area is being considered for auctioned cutblocks.
“First Nations consultation and public comments, combined with the recommendations of forestry professionals, are considered in the final decision on cut blocks and can result in changes that take into consideration ecological and local values,” the statement reads.
The area is one of the last untouched forests in the province, says Conservation North Director Michelle Connolly.
“There are virtually no roads, mines or cutblocks. [Walker Creek] represents a place where mother nature makes the rules: it’s self-managing, self-maintaining, it’s a wild valley,” Connolly told a crowd of dozens during the letter-writing night. “At the moment, its biggest threat is BC Timber Sales.”
In its statement to The Goat, the Ministry of Forests said BC Timber Sales has modified its proposed cutblocks to exclude old-growth forest. The Ministry did not provide a map of the proposed cutblocks, but said they will be available for review on the provincial Forestry Operations Map in 2026.
While the exclusion of old-growth forests encourages Connolly, she hopes to establish more permanent legal protections for Walker Creek.
“I don’t think we can assume any of those places [are] actually safe for the long term,” she said. “That’s BCTS’s area – they can look into auctioning off anything they want at any time… We want a commitment to actually protecting or stepping back from that area.”
That means changing the legal status of Walker Creek, according to Connolly. Establishing the area as a park or an ecological reserve would mean it’s permanently off the table for logging, she said.
“We find it’s unwise to let our guard down about places just because BCTS sent us a map that has little hand-drawn X’s on it,” Connolly added.
A way of life
Hike through the Walker Creek watershed with Prince George local Kyle Moffat, and she’ll show you where the best spots to find mushrooms, berries and medicinal plants are. To her, the area is sacred, and it’s a symbol of self-reliance and independence from the agricultural industry.
“To harm something so important for short-term profit just seems unnecessary,” Moffat told The Goat. “I have made it a job to join [Conservation North] and help them save and protect these areas to keep them for food, and medicine, and for everyone that relies on them for [their] livelihood.”
When Moffat sustained an injury that prevented her from working as a medic several years ago, the watershed became even more integral to her way of life. A Carrier First Nations woman who comes from a long line of medicine women, she decided to learn how to forage for foods and medicines. Now, she spends her days teaching others how to find food and craft supplies in the Walker Creek wilderness.
While she isn’t opposed to logging in general, Moffat worries that logging in the Walker Creek area will have ripple effects for other industries as well. She said she’s concerned that if the area is logged, foresters will use pesticides that can get into the creek, harming local fish and the people who rely on them for food and income.
“These areas are so important and sacred,” Moffat said. “This doesn’t just affect us and our generation. It’s generations to come who we have to think for and protect these sacred areas where people can be self-reliant, and learn, and survive off of.”
Downstream impacts
Conservation North’s efforts have drawn the attention of people throughout the province. Organizer with the Interior Watershed Protection Group Lori Goldman wrote a letter to the Ministry of Forests all the way from her home in Penticton.
Having been an activist for decades, Goldman has seen her fair share of standoffs between environmental groups and government agencies.
“It’s 2025. We know more now,” she said of the impacts of logging on nearby water systems. “I became a climate activist in the ‘70s… it’s just really sad that we have to keep on doing this, and it’s getting worse and worse.”
Goldman doesn’t believe it’s all doom and gloom, though: she successfully organized a letter-writing campaign to oppose a new pipeline project in the Okanagan region, so she knows that public outcry can be a powerful tool.
“We have a voice,” Goldman said. “Without the pressure that the public can bring, [BCTS] will do whatever they think is expedient.”
As for Connolly, she hopes that protecting the Walker Creek watershed will set a precedent for all of B.C.’s forestry industry.
“The Walker wilderness is a really special place, and we want to keep it intact,” Connolly said. “We think protecting a place like that can be the beginning of a new era for the region where we’re actually taking nature conservation seriously.”
