Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS)

Qui sommes-nous

Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS), founded in 1979, is a Canadian grassroots non-profit environmental organization, based in Tofino, British Columbia. It focuses on protecting Clayoquot Sound’s globally rare ecosystem of temperate rainforest and ocean (designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), and on building a local, conservation-based economy.

We act as peaceful and courageous advocates for all marine and terrestrial life in Clayoquot Sound. Clayoquot Sound is a magnificent, biologically rich, mostly wilderness area on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It encompasses 350,000 hectares of land and ocean.

Activities
• From the beginning, public education campaigns, from local to international, have been a key tool of Friends of Clayoquot Sound. By disseminating information about environmental issues facing Clayoquot, FOCS creates awareness and engages people to take action to protect the area. Pursuing both environmental and culture change goals, FOCS advocated for a transition to an environmentally friendly economy and society.
• In the early 1980s we focused on working with Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations to protect Meares Island in their traditional territory. This was the first time Canadians had blockaded loggers to prevent an ancient forest from being cut. The campaign received national attention and culminated in the Meares Island Tribal Park Declaration by the Tla-o-qui-aht.
• In the late 1980s a series of logging blockades ensued, culminating in the mass protests of Clayoquot Summer 1993. In the iconic act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, 12,000 people attended our Peace Camp, and 856 people were arrested for peacefully blocking the road. This succeeded in drawing international attention, making protection of temperate rainforests a global priority.

Campaigns:
• Ancient Forests: Friends of Clayoquot Sound works to protect all of Clayoquot´s ancient temperate rainforest, beginning with the intact areas that are unfragmented by logging. Magnificent 1,000-year-old trees should not be turned into pulp and boards but need to be protected as part of Canada´s and the world´s natural heritage.[
• Wild Salmon: Twenty salmon farms are located along Clayoquot Sound´s coastline. These industrial salmon feedlots are housed in open net-pens suspended in the water along the inlets. Hence their wastes and chemicals are dumped directly into the water, and diseases and parasites can be passed to wild salmon. Friends of Clayoquot Sound opposes the environmentally dangerous practice of open net-pen fish farming and advocates turning aquaculture into a sustainable practice by farming fish in closed containment systems on land.
• Mine Free: There are currently two mining projects at exploration stage in Clayoquot Sound: an open-pit copper mine on Catface Mountain (Chitaapi), and the Fandora gold mine. The mining company would use massive excavation (mountain-top removal) to extract the low-grade ore (0.4% copper) from Catface. Friends of Clayoquot Sound opposes mining in Clayoquot because it is inherently unsustainable and causes long-lasting environmental damage. FOCS is working with local communities to stop these projects and to have Clayoquot Sound legislated as a mine-free area.

Jeh Custerra is a Campaigner of Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.