Fairy Creek Protests

February 23, 2026 By: Clay Roper-Daniels

Dr. Norman Fennema

HIST 3991: Environmental History

Clay Roper-Daniels

Feb. 22, 2026

Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection

https://www.cbc.ca/radiointeractives/features/the-fallout-of-fairy-creek

 

I choose the “The Fallout of Fairy Creek” CBC article as my media report because I’ve never heard of the protest before, even though it was one of the biggest in Canada’s history. In 2020 and 2021, the protests in Fairy Creek involved over 1,100 environmental activists who were arrested for stopping logging of old-growth trees in British Columbia. The protestors used civil disobedience strategies like road blockades and tree-sitting to physically prevent tress from being cut down. These forests are largely considered ecologically irreplaceable, due to their long lifespan and essential support for biodiversity. However, despite their best efforts, logging continued, while the RCMP spent roughly $19 million dollars on enforcing the protests. Nonetheless, public awareness grew considerably on the issues regarding deforestation during and after the Fairy Creek protests.

This example circles back to same actions that were present in How to Change the World: The Revolution Will Not Be Organized by Jerry Rothwell. In his documentary, he highlights the progress made by the environmental movement in the 1970’s through civil disobedience. The documentary tracks the nonviolent protests of Greenpeace activists to stop the testing of nuclear weapons and commercial whaling. Furthermore, a tool they used to influence the public opinion on the matter was the use of powerful media imagery. Although they were unsuccessful in completely halting operations, they promoted long-term changes in policies that paved the way for environmental protection. In a similar fashion to the Fairy Creek fallout, both protests raised awareness to better the future of the environment.

In my opinion, both examples show that civil disobedience works, even if there are not instant results. The public should be allowed to take action on issues involving the environment without being overruled by industries and governments. I stand with protesters because they are trying to protect their ecosystems and their future. Meanwhile, logging companies are only concerned about the short-term profit of lumber production. In most cases, owners and shareholders aren’t from the area and have little to no connection to the land they are exploiting.