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‘No’ to industrial mining and logging, say Ahousaht Ha’wiih

Feb 2 2017/in News Coverage

Tofino —There will be no mining or industrial logging in Ahousaht traditional territory. That was the message the Ahousaht Ha’wiih (hereditary chiefs) delivered at a special event in Tofino on Jan. 25 as they revealed their Ahousaht First Nation Land Use Vision Plan.

“We will not allow mineral extraction from our Hahoulthlee. There will be no mining. That is clear direction (we received) from our people,” said Tyee Ha’wilth Maquinna Lewis George through his speaker.

The plan was developed under the leadership of Ahousaht Ha’wiih with extensive community input. According to Tyson Atleo, the work began in 2012 and since that time there were three rounds of community engagement meetings with Ahousahts living in Port Alberni, Victoria, Nanaimo and Maaqtusiis.

The end product was developed with technical assistance from the Nature Conservancy and Dovetail Consulting. It was recently presented to members living in Ahousaht where, according to Atleo, it received full endorsement.

“This vision was fully supported by both leadership and the community of Ahousaht,” said Atleo, adding that the enthusiastic audience in Ahousaht gave the Ha’wiih a standing ovation for their work.

Atleo gave highlights of the plan, which essentially divided Ahousaht territory up into seven land/marine use management designations. Each designation took into account natural resources historically enjoyed by Ahousaht people and sustainable use and/or protection of the area.

One of the designations is called Wiklakwiih, which means never to mistreat.

In the English language this area is known as Ahousaht Cultural and Natural Areas, and it represents 81.6 per cent of Ahousaht land territories.

This area, under the plan, is set aside to conserve biological diversity, natural landscapes and wilderness. In other words, it will be left in its natural state.

“The management intent for all Ahousaht land use designations is to promote the long-term stewardship of Ahousaht Ha-houlthlee, and to provide lasting social and economic benefits for the Ahousaht muschim and others,” said the Ha-wiih in a media release.

In order to protect the future of Ahousaht cultural and heritage resources, the Ha’wiih stated that industrial logging and mining are prohibited in their territory.

“We are prohibiting uses which may negatively impact Ahousaht community harvesting and that may include finfish aquaculture,” said Atleo, adding that may require further review.

The salmon farming industry has been operating in Ahousaht territory for about 40 years. Cermaq Canada has a protocol agreement with Ahousaht Ha’wiih and provides employment to Ahousaht people.

Maquinna told Ha-Shilth-Sa there will be community engagement about the future of salmon farming in Ahousaht Ha-houlthlee that will include members employed by the industry.

Ahousaht co-owns Iisaak Forest Resources Ltd. (IFR) along with four other Nuu-chah-nulth nations: Hesquiaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuucluthaht and Toquaht. More than 80 per cent of IFR Tree Farm Licenses are located in Ahousaht traditional territory and, according to Maquinna, the business is not doing well.

Maquinna hopes the nations will soon come to an agreement on the future of their forestry company.

The announcement was followed by words of praise from environmental organisations.

“This is an incredible achievement by Ahousaht Ha’wiih and people; it is the basis of sustainable economic development and community wellness,” said Hadley Archer, executive director of the Nature Conservancy Canada.

Valerie Langer, Strategic Projects Director at STAND, said she arrived in Tofino in 1988 and was in awe of the natural beauty. It wasn’t long before she became involved in the logging protests of the day, eventually being arrested at a protest.

She recalled one particular protest that took place in Ahousaht territory 29 years ago. She stood with then Tyee Ha’wilth Earl Maquinna George, Lewis’s father.

“He told the logging company back then that this land was not just a TFL (tree farm license) to him; that it was his land,” she recalled.

Langer praised Ahousaht leaders saying they’ve stepped up to the 21st century requirements of leadership. She vowed to support Ahousaht if needed.

“Thank you, Ahousaht, for one of the best days of my life,” said Langer.

The land use plan represents Ahousaht First Nation’s first phase of their long-term sustainable economic development plan.

In the summer of 2016 BC Premier Christie Clark came to Ahousaht territory to sign a new relationship protocol. The agreement will bring $1.25 million in economic development funding to Ahousaht over five years.

BC and Ahousaht will work on a collaborative approach to resource management and permitting within Ahousaht traditional territory.

Commercial activities permitted where suitable in the land-use plan include low impact commercial and no-commercial recreation and tourism, run of the river hydroelectric development, intensive tourism (lodges, resorts, marinas), forestry (harvesting timber/non timber resources), restoration and silviculture.

Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society (MHSS) CEO Trevor Jones says Ahousaht will be working in partnership with BC Parks and will have a management role at Maquinna Provincial Park at Hot Springs Cove where they hope to deliver four full-time seasonal jobs at the campground made possible by a Canada 150 grant.

Ahousaht Ha’wiih will be in Ahousaht Feb. 22 for an update meeting with their people. They will be reporting on the activities of MHSS (Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society). They will start the day with the official opening of a new fuel station in Ahousaht’s inner harbour.

Ahousaht First Nation applauded for logging ban

Feb 2 2017/in News Coverage

The remote Ahousaht First Nation, near Tofino, has more old growth forests in its traditional territory than any other First Nation on the BC South Coast.

Ahousaht Band leaders have decided it needs to be protected and they took steps to do just that this week to preserve those forests for the future.

Under the first phase of the plan, there will no mining or industrial logging allowed in Ahoushat traditional territory.

About 80 per cent of the territory , that’s more than 170,000 hectares, will be set aside as cultural and natural areas.

The goal is to conserve natural landscapes and biological diversity.

The Ancient Forest Alliance says it’s the largest leap in old-growth conservation in the last two decades on Vancouver Island.

The Nature Conservancy is calling it a blueprint for a sustainable future.

Environmentalists say only about 20 per cent of old-growth forests are still standing on Vancouver Island.

[Original article and video no longer available]

This First Nation Just Banned Industrial Logging and Mining from Vancouver Island Territory

Feb 1 2017/in News Coverage

Connection to the land and ocean has guided the Ahousaht people throughout their history and that bond is now at the root of a new sustainable economic development plan for the First Nation whose territory spans the heart of the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Under the first phase of the plan, announced Thursday, there will be no mining or industrial logging in Ahousaht traditional territory and about Tweet: 80% of 171,000 hectares of #Ahousaht traditional territory will be set aside as cultural & natural areas https://bit.ly/2kvGsTu #bcpoli80 per cent of almost 171,000 hectares will be set aside as cultural and natural areas “to conserve biological diversity, natural landscapes and wilderness and to provide to Ahousaht continued spiritual, cultural and sustenance use.”

During recent years there has been controversy in Ahousaht territory over a proposed open pit copper mine on Catface Mountain on Flores Island and over old-growth logging, which was halted after Ahousaht hereditary chiefs declared a moratorium in 2015.

Another source of dissention has been salmon farms, which have operated in the area for several decades and employ Ahousaht members, and there will be community discussions before any decision is made on their future, hereditary Chief Maquinna Lewis George said at the announcement in Tofino.

The plan says no uses will be allowed that undermine community food fish resources.

“The economic sustainability of our community must be underpinned by sustainable marine and land use planning and that is where we are starting today,” Maquinna said.

The land use vision is the culmination of two years of community work led by the Maaqutusiis Hahoutlhee Stewardship Society, which represents the Ahousaht hereditary chiefs, with technical support from The Nature Conservancy, which has committed to raise a stewardship endowment fund to help implement the land use vision.

“This is the largest leap forward in old-growth forest conservation in over two decades on Vancouver Island,” Ken Wu, executive director of Ancient Forest Alliance, told DeSmog Canada.

The Ahousaht First Nation has more old-growth forests in their traditional territory — both in terms of percentage and in terms of remaining hectares — than any First Nation band on B.C.’s southern coast, he said.

“Their plan raises the bar for conservation across Vancouver Island…where only about 20 per cent of the remaining old-growth forests still stand.”

Nature Conservancy executive director Hadley Archer said the plan is “a blueprint for a sustainable future rooted in sacred cultural values and protective of a globally significant ecosystem.”

Ahousaht, which has about 2,000 members with one-third living on reserve, also received a financial boost last summer when Premier Christy Clark announced $1.25 million in economic development funds for the community over the next five years.

Hereditary Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo said the vision of a more diversified, sustainable local economy, with development of tourism opportunities and community forestry reaffirms traditional teachings that the Ahousaht people are inextricably linked to the natural world.

“This bold vision brings certainty to the future of old-growth forests and ensures functioning marine and aquatic ecosystems into the next millennia. It is a proud day to be Ahousaht,” he said.

The plan divides the territory into seven land use management areas that are designed to protect Ahousaht cultural and heritage resources, maintain and enhance the Ahousaht way of life, protect and maintain biological diversity and natural environments and provide community development opportunities.

Possible activities in the different zones include community infrastructure construction, light industrial development, run-of-river hydro-electric development, tourism and hospitality development, silviculture, food and community timber harvesting.

The plan is being applauded by environmental groups who praised Ahousaht leaders for taking a principled stand to protect their territory.

The land use visions “steps up to meet the environmental and social imperatives of the 21st century with solutions for rainforest conservation and community benefits within their famous territory, located in one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich landscapes in the world,” said Valerie Langer of Stand.earth.

Nuu-chah-nulth political scientist Eli Enns, North American regional coordinator for the Indigenous Peoples and Community Conserved Territories and Areas Consortium, said the agreement is part of a pattern of hereditary chiefs working for sustainable use of their territories.

The Ahousaht people always managed their territory in a sustainable fashion, but, in recent decades the community faced the frustration of seeing the decline of the fisheries and forestry sectors because of reckless decisions made by the provincial government, Enns said.

There was also the irritation of being left out of the booming tourism industry in other parts of Clayoquot Sound, such as Tofino, he said.

“A lot of the emotion of the last 15 to 20 years has been because of trying to transition, but also it has been a call for support,” Enns said, pointing out that many community members continue to struggle with the fallout from residential schools.

“I think the most important story here is resilience. People still know who they are and they still have their values,” he said.

An aerial shot of a clearcut in the Caycuse Watershed in Ditidaht Territory.

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