New 16 million-acre Wildlife Preserve in B.C.

[Washington Hunter]

I just wonder if hunting will be allowed? Didn't see any mention of it in the article...


Wildlife given room to roam
British Columbia rain forest is twice size of Yellowstone

By JEREMY HAINSWORTH

The Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada unveiled a 16 million-acre preserve Tuesday, including parkland covering an area more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park, teeming with grizzly bears, wolves and wild salmon in the ancestral home of many native tribes.

Closing another chapter of the wars between environmentalists and loggers, the Great Bear Rainforest is the result of an accord between governments, aboriginal First Nations, the logging industry and environmentalists.

The preserve will stretch 250 miles along British Columbia’s rugged Pacific coastline — the ancestral home of groups whose cultures date back thousands of years. The area also sustains a rare white bear found only in British Columbia.

“The agreement on these areas represents an unprecedented collaboration between First Nations, industry, local governments and many other stakeholders in how we manage the vast richness of B.C.’s coast for the benefit of all British Columbians,” said Premier Gordon Campbell, who was accompanied by native dancers and drummers for the announcement and formal First Nations blessing.

Campbell said 4.4 million acres of the total would be protected outright and managed as parkland, with another 11.6 million run under an ecosystem management plan to ensure sustainable forestry with minimal impact on the environment.

Full implementation of the project is not expected until 2009.

Decades of struggle

British Columbia’s lush evergreen forests have been the scene of decades of confrontation between environmentalists and loggers. Successful boycott campaigns in the 1990s led to large international companies turning away from British Columbia paper and wood products, forcing the government to find a negotiated solution.

“British Columbians are showing that it is possible to protect the environment and provide the economic foundation for healthy communities,” said Lisa Matthaus, coast campaign coordinator for the Sierra Club of Canada’s British Columbia chapter. “This innovative rain forest agreement provides a real world example of how people and wilderness can prosper together.”

The region is home to hundreds of species, including grizzlies, black bears, the so-called spirit bear, wolves, cougars, mountain goats, moose and deer. The spirit bear is a rare white species and is also called the kermode bear.

A central component of the Great Bear Rainforest project will be a $104 million conservation financing package to support the land-use agreements.

To date, Greenpeace Canada, the Sierra Club of Canada and ForestEthics, the Nature Conservancy, Tides Canada Foundation and several private U.S. and Canadian foundations have raised $52 million to help establish the financing package.

The provincial government has committed $26 million and project partners are working to secure the rest from Canada’s federal government.

Speaking on behalf of the 25 aboriginal groups involved in the project, Art Sterritt of the North Coast First Nations said the agreement would allow for controlled use of the land and let natives continue their traditional lifestyles.

“It wasn’t an easy job,” he said. “Everyone had to make compromises here and there.”

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[MarvB]

Hmmm...wonder if this is the same or in addition to the following:

For the first time in B.C. history, an anti-hunting group has bought the guide-outfitting rights to a prime piece of the province's wilderness with a view to ending permanently the commercial killing of all animals in the area.

Late in November 2005, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation paid $1.35 million to acquire the guide-outfitting rights to five contiguous hunting regions along the central B.C. coast. Together the regions, stretch from the northern tip of Vancouver Island in the south to Princess Royal Island in the north and cover a land mass of more than 20,000 square kilometers.

Raincoast, in conjunction with the six first nations that occupy the
territory -- the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo, Xai'xais, Wuikinuxv, Gwa'Sala-Nakwaxda'xw
and Nuxalk -- intend to put an immediate end to all commercial hunting in the
area. That means no one from outside B.C. would be permitted to kill any
animals in the region for sport. B.C. residents, who operate under different
regulations, may continue to hunt and kill wildlife in the area, but members of
the five first nations hope to see an end to that early next year.

The deal will be announced at a press conference in Vancouver later today. The money was raised by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, fundraising arm of the Raincoast Conservation Society.

According to provincial regulations, licensed guide-outfitters must continue to
facilitate some hunting in areas for which they are responsible. Raincoast
conservation director Ian McAllister, who helped broker the deal, said
Raincoast will live up to those obligations by allowing hunting of some
ungulates -- hoofed grazing animals -- for food. But henceforth commercial
trophy hunting will be a thing of the past.

Additional info:

Raincoast bought the licence from former guide-outfitter Leonard Ellis, who held the guide-outfitting rights to the territory since 1981.
Ellis, who has guided thousands of hunters along the coast, said he discussed
his decision with members of the guide-outfitting community, and was concerned about how they would feel about it.

Dale Drown, executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C., was not available to comment.

Ellis, who operates the Bella Coola Outfitting Company, will now lead
wildlife-viewing tours himself.

 

[BigHornRam]

I was thinking the same thing Marv. B. C., expecially in the Vancouver area has a large percentage of anti-hunters. Sign of things to come in British Columbia IMO.

 

[BuzzH]

What the article FAILED to say, is that residents of Canada will continue to hunt that area.

Looks like "they" really didnt accomplish much of anything.

 

[jmcd]

.............B.C. residents, who operate under different
regulations, may continue to hunt and kill wildlife in the area, but members of
the five first nations hope to see an end to that early next year.

 

[MarvB]

Actually Buzz I think they did, unfortunately and IMHO, accomplish something. Also, as jmcd noted, it DID mention that residents are still able to hunt at this time. Here is the press release from Raincoast themselves:

Christmas Comes Early for Bears of the Great Bear Rainforest

Conservation Organization and First Nations Take Control of Coastal Trophy Hunt Vancouver, BC * BC-based Raincoast Conservation Foundation, with the support of five coastal First Nations, has bought one of the largest trophy hunting licenses in North America in an unprecedented move to make conservation the primary objective in managing wildlife – not sport or profit.

No public funds were used for the purchase of the $1.35 million commercial license, which covers an area of more than 20,000 square kilometres of wildlife rich habitat, including grizzly bear, black bear and the rare white Spirit or Kermode bear, along with wolf, cougar and wolverine populations.

"Buying the commercial trophy hunting rights is a major first step towards shutting down the carnivore trophy hunt on the coast of BC,” said Ian McAllister, Conservation Director for Raincoast. “The next move is in the hands of the province.”

The license purchase follows years of controversy over the trophy hunting of large carnivores in the Great Bear Rainforest, including First Nations opposition to the sport hunt, decisive action by the European Union to ban the importation of grizzly bear parts from BC and threats of international boycotts from the tourism industry.

“We view this unprecedented initiative as part of a larger effort to create a conservation-based economy on the central coast,” said Wuikinuxv Nation chief Alex Chartrand. “Our value system does not support killing animals for trophies and our communities are working hard to develop a sustainable wildlife viewing industry.”

The wildlife-viewing sector in the Great Bear Rainforest is growing exponentially and represents increasing employment opportunities for coastal communities. "This will provide the necessary foundation for our communities to build a sustainable wildlife viewing industry,” stated Kitasoo/Xaixais band manager Percy Starr. "Ending the resident trophy hunt is the next step."

Central Coast First Nations land use plans have formally endorsed an end to carnivore trophy hunting in traditional territories. "For over one hundred years the large carnivores of the BC central coast have been negatively impacted from commercial trophy hunting, today a new relationship is being forged between coastal wildlife and coastal communities," said Heiltsuk Chief Ross Wilson.

“Promoting sustainable businesses like wildlife viewing makes economic sense – the tourism industry applauds the work of Raincoast and the coastal First Nations," said Eric Boyum, of BC Commercial Bear Viewing Association. The license will be operated by Raincoast Outfitters Ltd., while Land Use Plans are negotiated with the Province. Individual donors from nine countries contributed to the license purchase, the vast majority came from Canadian sources.

The groups website states they don't want to exploit wildlife and nature (I actually feel that hunters contribute more to the overall preservation of wildlife speices than most all of these anti-hunting group combined) but yet they run eco-tours and have a "Commercial Bear Viewing Association"? Hmmm....wonder if the busloads of tourites have ever impacted wildlife in Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc....

 

[BigHornRam]

Buzz,

You better book your B. C. griz hunt today. I don't think those hunts will be around in 5 years.

Any of you guys see the old Gordon Eastman video "High Wild and Free"? One segment on it they were steelhead fishing the Bella Coola River back in the 60's. Neat country.

 

[1_pointer]

I actually feel that hunters contribute more to the overall preservation of wildlife speices than most all of these anti-hunting group combined

I agree. Africa's a pretty good case study for this.