Lesley Starratt says the wilderness area just west of Hudson is a place residents consider a sanctuary and has been used for hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and kayaking for generations.
“My mom is 94 and she used these trails,” she said. “Some of these areas are almost sacred to Hudson people. We have utilized and sat at some of these places for our whole lives.”
“We don't have a lot in Hudson, the outdoors is our playground."
Starratt is just one of the residents in Hudson concerned about a proposed plan from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry that would open that area up to logging.
“So the plan, as it is, basically wipes out kilometres of [almost] all of the bush west of Hudson. There's one small protected area of red pine and then basically the bush all the way from the turn off to Lac Seul reserve to Hudson would be wiped out,” she said. “Our recreation area, much of it is located in what is planned for being cut.”
“It would greatly affect the residents of Hudson and also some residents that come from Sioux Lookout to use the trails as well."
Starratt joined with others in the community to bring attention to the issue by starting a petition and a letter writing campaign to the ministry to let them know what they think of the plan.
“It started with my brother posting about it on the Hudson Facebook page,” she said.
Bob Starratt, who is retired after a career in the forestry industry, said the plan needs to change.
“This area, aside from being so close to home and having all the trees cut off aesthetically, it's going to look terrible,” he said. “It's going to be on the north side of the road, There's gonna be 2.7 kilometres of uninterrupted harvest and then on the south side of the road, it goes to 3.9 kilometres of uninterrupted harvest. So you can visualize how, how that's going to be.”
The ministry’s deadline for input on the plan ends on Thursday.
Lesley Starratt said she also wrote a letter to Sioux Lookout Mayor Doug Lawrance and CAO Michelle Larose.
“They contacted us to see if [my brother and I] would meet with them to express our concerns so they could understand what our concerns were. And we did that.”
After that meeting, the mayor and CAO put a letter together for council to consider to submit to the ministry before the deadline for the comment period closes.
The letter was discussed at a special meeting of council on Tuesday, for members of council to give further input.
Suggestions included adding that having wilderness areas within the municipality increases economic development by making it more attractive to people who might want to move to the area, adding a map of walking trails in the area, and wording letter to be firm in council’s opposition to cutting that is shown on the plan.
“What I'm hoping this would do is it would encourage some more dialogue to occur and some other possible methods of harvest or some other things to consider,” said Coun. Joe Cassidy.
Lawrance responded it would be unlikely the municipality would have that much influence for the plan to be taken off the map entirely, but it would make its opposition to the extent of cutting known.
He added he has contacted the Lac Seul First Nation and the Slate Falls First Nation to make them aware of this and they may submit letters of support.
Council unanimously passed a motion to endorse the letter from the entire council.
"Our Council strongly believes that this plan will have negative impacts on our community that have long been accustomed to using these areas for recreation. The tourism industry will also be negatively impacted by the harvest. For the residents, there is a deep connection to the land and many rely on it to enhance their well-being and quality of life," the letter stated.
"We urge the MNRF to consider alternatives and implement a plan that prioritizes sustainability and community well-being. We must work together to ensure that our natural resources are preserved for future generations.”
