Bulkley Valley Stewardship Coalition
The Bulkley Valley Stewardship Coalition appears to be a volunteer-run organization, not an organization with a clearly published executive director. Public reporting identifies Len Vanderstar as one of its directors and a prominent spokesperson.
So in a nutshell it is a one man band. Here is what we know about Len Vanderstar
Len Vanderstar who started another eco fantic organization called Clean Air Now.
Len Vanderstar wrote a letter to town council asking them to “phase out the bright lights of Canadian Tire & Toyota”
Len Vanderstar bought property next to Newpro is Smithers and wants them to stop making noise.
Len Vanderstar is also on the Old Growth bandwagon.
Len Vanderstar work was in forestry, he calls himself a resident habitat biologist.
Core professional credentials
Registered Professional Biologist (R.P.Bio) and retired Registered Professional Forester (Ret. R.P.F.).
Holds a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.).
Operates Northern Habitat Solutions, an applied conservation biology consulting company, focusing on watershed sustainability tools, Indigenous‑led land‑use planning, and forestry/ecology initiatives. Set up and taught Northwestern Community College’s Forest Technologist Program in Hazelton, which he says had an Indigenous emphasis, achieved accreditation within three years, and later laddered into UNBC forestry/natural resource management programs.
Len Vanderstar is a retired British Columbia provincial government biologist and forester based in Smithers who has become a prominent local voice on forestry, air quality, and wildlife habitat issues. Vanderstar has lived in the Bulkley Valley since 1989 and worked for about 25 years as a habitat protection biologist with the provincial Ministry of Environment/Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) in the Skeena Region before retiring in 2018.
His bio lists numerous founding or director roles in environmental and community groups, including:
- Friends of Wild Salmon (founding/current director), involved in campaigns against open‑pen fish farms, the Northern Gateway pipeline, and the Petronas LNG facility on Lelu Island/Flora Banks.
- Bulkley Valley Clean Air Now and Bulkley Valley Voices for Good Air (founding/current director/affiliate).
- Babine River Foundation (director), with work on grizzly bear conservation and ecosystem restoration.
- B.C. Mountain Goat Society (director).
- Science advisor to What Matters in Our Valley on coal‑mine proposals affecting the Telkwa caribou herd.
- Acknowledged as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for completing the “Summits of Canada” expedition (first Canadian to summit the high point in every province and territory).
Environmental advocacy and public positions
Vanderstar is actively involved in several local conservation and air-quality groups and frequently comments on forestry and industrial impacts:
Air quality and pellet mills: He is a co‑founder/director of Bulkley Valley Clean Air Now, a group opposed to slash burning and concerned about emissions from the Drax wood‑pellet mill in Smithers.
He has publicly argued that the mill has used large volumes of whole logs (including old‑growth) rather than just “slash,” and has called on the province to suspend or tighten the mill’s permit and require full fibre‑source disclosure. This turned out to be a fabricated lie. (Read Silent Politicians on Pinnacle Pellet Plant Lies) the goal here is not about telling the truth, its about altering public perception.
Forestry practices: He has highlighted logging in high‑elevation forests near Smithers and criticized auctions of old or mature stands by BC Timber Sales.
Wildlife and habitat: He has served as a science advisor to What Matters in Our Valley and commented on caribou recovery (e.g., Telkwa herd) and the risks of incompatible development on conservation lands.
Moose forage project: He managed a test project east of the Babine Mountains aimed at increasing moose forage, funded by the Forest Enhancement Society of BC and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
In short, locally he’s known as a former government habitat/forestry specialist who now focuses on watchdogging industrial forestry, air pollution from slash burning and pellet production, and wildlife habitat protection around Smithers.
Len Vanderstar was one of the contributors to Forestry and Carbon in BC, Jim Pojar was the editor of this propaganda study, it was paid for by SkeenaWild Conservation Trust and published by Taylor Bachrach. It is currently being used by the BC NDP do implement forestry practices in our region.