Principles of Native stewardship and sustainable development demand James Bay II and Kemano II be halted
The Fraser River's great sockeye salmon and steelhead runs will be in great jeopardy with so little water left in the Nechako, a major tributary.
Chinook salmon spawning and rearing grounds will be greatly reduced if the increased diversion of Nechako waters is allowed under Kemano II. Photos like this would, perhaps, be all we would have left of the great Nechako fishery.
Eider Ducks use this region. The habitat of millions of migratory birds will be destroyed if the 16 billion dollar, 9,000 megawatt Nottaway-Broadback-Rupert phase of James Bay II is allowed to go ahead.
James Bay II would disrupt major migratory routes for hundreds of thousands of caribou. The diversions would result in concentrated fresh water outflow during winter into Hudson Bay, causing changes in water temperature and ice conditions which could spell ecological disaster.
Reduced water flow over this Nastapoka waterfall will destroy forever critical habitat for beluga whales and the only run of Atlantic salmon in Hudson Bay.
Beluga Whales in Hudson Bay and James Bay are already in great jeopardy from bio-accumulation of methyl-mercury due to James Bay I. Additional mercury poisoning is sure to occur if James Bay II goes ahead and could very well force them into local extinction.
Fish, the staple of the Cree and Inuit diet, already have dangerous levels of mercury and some species cannot be eaten. If James Bay II goes ahead, fish over an area far larger than British Columbia will be inedible, for probably many decades.
This stretch of the upper Nechako River near Greer Mountain Stream would be an empty, muddy channel if the flows are reduced to 13% of the natural flows as allowed by the Alcan-Canadian government agreement of 1987.
Recreation would be ruined on the Nechako if the agreement of 1987 is not rescinded.
INUKSHUK Ken Kirkby
STEWARDSHIP FROM SEA TO SEA TO SEA
Thousands of mysterious stone Inukshukiat, reminders of the need for stewardship, dot the
homelands of the Inuit.
