Save Lost Valley
Ancient Landscape Needs Protection
For several years the Western Canada Wilderness Committee has been working with the St'át'imc (pronounced Stat lee um) to jointly investigate the 10,000 hectare Lost Valley, which is a roadless never-logged watershed located in the heart of their territory. The Lost Valley drains the western portion of the wildlife rich Cayoosh Range, which is located in the southern Coast Mountains. To the north of the Cayoosh Range lies Anderson and Seton Lakes and to the south of the range lies the Duffy Lake Road and Cayoosh Creek.
We have found Lost Valley to be an amazingly beautiful and biodiverse valley, harbouring both coastal and interior plant and animal species. The valley also has ancient trails and many signs of previous use by aboriginal people including bark-stripped redcedar trees, cache pits and rock shelters. It is a living museum of St'át'imc history and culture and an example of St'át'imc forest stewardship.
We look forward to learning more about Lost Valley and other wild areas in St'át'imc territory.
The following is St'át'imc's description of their territory:
ST'ÁT'IMC Territory
The St'át'imc are the original inhabitants of the territory which extends north to Churn Creek and south to French Bar; northwest to the headwaters of Bridge River; north and east toward Hat Creek Valley; east to the Big Slide; south to the island on Harrison Lake and west of the Fraser River to the headwaters of Lillooet River, Ryan River and Black Tusk.
The St'át'imc way of life is inseparably connected to the land. Our people use different locations throughout our territory of rivers, mountains and lakes, planning our trips with the best times to hunt and fish, harvest food and gather medicines. The lessons of living on the land are a large part of the inheritance passed on from St'át'imc elders to our children.
As holders of one of the richest fisheries along the Fraser River, the St'át'imc defend and control a rich resource that feeds our people throughout the winter, and serves as a valued staple for trade with our neighboring nations. The St'át'imc can think of no other better place to live.
Ci wa lh kalth ti tmicwa (the land is ours). The St'át'imc hold Title, rights and ownership to our territorial lands and resources. We are ucwalmicw (the people of the land). We are a nation, not an interest group. As proclaimed by our ancestors in the Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe, May 10, 1911: We claim that we are the rightful owners of our tribal territory and everything pertaining thereto. We have always lived in our country; at no time have we ever deserted it or left it to others. The source of these rights is St'át'imc law.
In July 2004 the St'át'imc released their Nxekmenlhkalha Hi tmicwa, Part 1 (the St'át'imc Preliminary Draft Land Use Plan) for the northern portion of St'át'imc territory. This is the portion of the territory that includes the Lost Valley.
The St'át'imc land use plan has a very strong conservation theme. They have designated various portions of their territory as "Protection Areas" where industrial developments such as road building, logging and mining are prohibited. Lost Valley has been designated as a Protection Area for the conservation of cultural values, old forests, grizzly bear, deer and high quality water. You can see the St'át'imc's land use plan on their web site.
The St'át'imc communities at D'Arcy, Seton Portage and Shalath have been using and are using various parts of the Lost Valley watershed for hunting and the gathering of plants for generations up until today.
However, despite the St'át'imc land use plan, the BC Forest Service have designated Lost Valley as a timber source for BC Timber Sales.
The Wilderness Committee, along with a number of other environmental organizations have identified BC Timber Sales as the worst logging operation in BC. For example, BC Timber Sales is the biggest logger of spotted owl habitat in the province. The Northern spotted owl is a forest-dependant endangered species. It is considered to be Canada's most endangered bird species. See the Wilderness Committee's Logging to Extinction Report about the logging of spotted owl habitat. (Note. BC Timber Sales former name is BC Small Business Program).
BC Timber Sales is owned and operated by the government of British Columbia. See: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/bcts/
The BC Forest Service office charged with overseeing proposed logging in Lost Valley is the Cascade District Office. See: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dcs/
BC Timber Sales has already surveyed the valley and marked out proposed cutblock boundaries and road locations.
Western Canada Wilderness Committee strongly supports the St'át'imc land use plan and opposes these plans by BC Timber Sales to log Lost Valley.
Lost Valley has long been recognized by various Provincial government agencies and planning processes for its extremely high wildlife and aboriginal cultural values.
In the late 1960s, a 13-hour mountain goat flight survey conducted by the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks observed over 700 mountain goats in the Cayoosh Range with the centre of goat activity being near the Lost Valley – Melvin Creek divide. At present, the Cayoosh Range supports a recovering population of about 300 mountain goats and is still regarded as having one of the highest density mountain goat populations in the province.
In 1993 the BC government's Kamloops Regional Protected Areas Team proposed the Melvin and adjacent Lost Valley drainages for protection because of high wildlife values, including mountain goat and grizzly bear.
In April 2001, the NDP government of Premier Ujjal Dosanjh announced that as a result of the government's recently completed Lillooet land and resource management plan, Lost Valley would become a First Nations deferral area, where no development could take place pending negotiations with the St'át'imc. This is the same plan that designated the 71,400-hectare South Chilcotin Mountains Park and a dozen other protected areas in the Lillooet region.
In 2002 Provincial government biologists confirmed a spotted owl residing in the Lost Valley ancient forests. A little over a century ago biologists estimate there were 500 pairs of spotted owls residing in their southwest BC forest habitat. Today biologists estimate that because of logging, there are only about two dozen birds left. As of 2004, biologists have been able to locate only 4 active spotted owl nests in BC.
However, by July 2004 the Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell had dropped the First Nation's deferral area designation for Lost Valley, opening it to logging plans. In fact the Liberals announced a greatly watered down protection plan for the entire Lillooet Region, eliminating 20% of the South Chilcotin Mountains Park as well as many of the protected areas announced by the NDP in 2001 - opening them up to logging. The Liberals' plan for the Lillooet area amounts to an extinction program for much of the region's remaining wild lands and wild life. You can see the Lillooet Land Use Plan at: http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/sir/lrmp/lill/
Premier Gordon Campbell's extinction plan for the Lillooet Region stands in stark contrast to the St'át'imc's land use plan.
Premier Campbell has said that talks between government and First Nations are the final step towards finalizing the Lillooet Land Use Plan. We presume Mr. Campbell is suggesting he will be talking to the St'át'imc about their land use plan.
Please contact Premier Campbell today and tell him how you feel about the need for him to honour the St'át'imc's land use plan and protect ecologically and culturally important areas like the Lost Valley.
Write:Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
Room 156
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
Ph: 250-387-1715
Fax: 250-387-0087
premier@gov.bc.ca
