Saving BC’s Forgotten Rainforest

It started as an expedition to track down the elusive mountain caribou.

David Moskowitz – renowned photographer, writer and wildlife tracker – had never encountered caribou in the wild, and set off to look for them in the Inland Temperate Rainforest (ITR).

While he did end up spotting a few of the elusive caribou, what he took away was more than just some pretty pictures of wildlife.

“Seeing the rainforest coming down the road on logging trucks – old growth trees coming out of these places – it was really eye opening,” he says.

He simply couldn’t ignore the problem; watching the liquidation of one of the rarest terrestrial ecosystems on planet earth forced him into action, to tell the story of the ITR and try to change the narrative from ruin to renewal.
“Caribou are still here. These big trees are still here. We’re still discovering new species never before known to science in this place. So, there’s huge opportunities. This doesn’t have to be a ‘once there was an inland rainforest’ story,” he asserts.

Moskowitz has trudged, trekked and traversed this rainforest over the past five years to uncover its secrets and share its depths. The message he wants to spread is there’s still an opportunity to preserve what is truly a unique ecosystem here. It’s not too late. Yet.

Moskowitz is presenting that vision in an upcoming webinar hosted by Wildsight. Learn more about the ITR, and how you can help prevent its further destruction, in this free online event.

The ITR stretches in a wide arc from the Cariboo Mountains east of Prince George to the Rocky Mountains bordering Alberta, dropping into the United States through Washington, Idaho, and Montana. There are no other inland temperate zones on earth that harbour so many species typically associated with coastal forests. In its mossy depths, roots run deep, soaking up cool, clear water. Canopies stretch above, shading the plants that grow rich beneath spruce and fir, cedar and hemlock. A green carpet hides untold animal and plant life, some not found anywhere else on earth.

“Big parts of the inland rainforest were protected just by the fact that nobody had gotten in there yet. Now we’re seeing these last pockets on the chopping block,” says Moskowitz. “We’re cutting old growth trees and turning them into toilet paper. British Columbia is mandating the liquidation of a lot of these forests.”

Moskowitz has partnered with Wildsight to present a webinar on the Inland Temperate Rainforest. In the 1.5 hour event, he will share an overview of the landscape, the plant and forest communities that define this rainforest, as well as how the ITR has shaped some of the human cultures in the region.

“I hope people leave a little more knowledgeable about an amazing landscape, and are inspired to take action in making sure that it’s there for future generations,” he shares.

Submitted by Wildsight