Twin Island caretakers leaveBy Laura Walz, Reporter
Powell River Peak January 22, 1998
Magdalene and Paul Knepperges, caretakers on Twin Islands for 10 years,left Saturday because of the logging that is taking place there.
"We're leaving for good," Magdalene said on Saturday morning when theyarrived at Lund by boat. "They are going to log the whole island."
Describing the islands as unique habitat, Magdalene said they should have been protected as a park or a reserve. "It's such a beautiful place, such a unique place," said Magdalene. "There were huge old Douglas firs and, in Iron Point, a grove of old arbutus trees that were very unique."
Twin Islands, located between Cortes and Hernando Islands, northwest of Powell River, was used as a retreat by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during royal tours. The Queen stayed on the island with Princess Anne in 1971 and again with Prince Philip in 1994. "The Queen enjoyed taking walks without having security guards on the islands," Magdalene recalled. "Prince Philip walked around the swampy lake and was flabbergasted at how beautiful it was."
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed at a large lodge that was built on the islands by craftsmen.
Magdalene said plans are to log 70 per cent of the islands. "There are six fallers and 11 machines there. They have been blasting too for a log sorting area."
Magdalene said if they're going to take 70 per cent of the trees on the islands, that would adversely affect the ecosystem. "It's much drier than on the mainland. It will be tough going for the trees that are left standing in the summer."
Magdalene also said there are also eight nesting sites for eagles and one for the endangered Northern Goshawk. There is also a seven-acre swampy lake which has numerous tree-breeding ducks, such as hooded and common mergansers and wood ducks. Sightings of owls and marbled murrelets are common.
Magdalene added that the islands had been hand-logged sometime early in the century. "They have cut all the big trees down already. There were 150-year-old cedars on the islands which have been cut down."
Mike Jenks, one of the owners of Twin Islands, did not return phone calls from The Peak.
Jenks reportedly bought Twin Islands for $4 million from German aristocrat Max Von Baden, whose mother was one of Prince Philip's four sisters. The deal closed December 1 and the first logging crew arrived a few days later.
Some residents of Cortes Island have been protesting the logging activity.
One day last week, the logging crew was prevented from travelling over to Twin Islands because of the protests.
Jenks, a Gabriola Island resident, was in the centre of another protest last summer when his company started logging on Denman Island. He also was the owner of approximately 155 acres north of Lund which was clear-cut, then resold.
Magdalene said the German family who sold Jenks the property didn't know it was going to be logged. Magdalene, who spoke to the family over Christmas, said, "They're very upset about it, very upset. Every time she (Von Baden's wife) thinks about it, she has a knot in her stomach."
Because his property is private property, there are no regulations on how the logging is carried out. According to ministry of forests operations manager Ferd Hamre, the only regulations that exist deal with water quality and some types of wildlife habitat. "The ministry doesn't regulate logging on private land," Hamre said. "Owners are not allowed to damage habitat or water quality, but other regulations under the Forest Practices Code don't apply."
Sliammon Treaty Society research coordinator Maynard Harry said Twin Islands is in Sliammon's traditional-use territory. "There are three recorded midden sites and a CMT (culturally modified tree) inventory has been done. All have been damaged by past activity."
Harry said Sliammon is currently preparing a report to send to Jenks about the concerns it has with the islands. Sliammon Treaty Society negotiator Norm Gallagher confirmed Sliammon's concerns. "It's a high traditional-use area. It's in our traditional territory and we do have concerns about the area."
Magdalene said that when the lodge was being renovated in 1974, two skeletons were found in the basement. "One was of a 20- to 30- year-old native woman that was 300 to 500 years old." The other skeleton consisted of a few bones that were unidentifiable.
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