Several hundred kilometres to the north of Vancouver lies the mountain country of the St'at'imc Nation. Their land is one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth, encompassing the biggest mountains, canyons, rivers and lakes in southwest BC. In this mountain paradise you find the 10,000 hectare Lost Valley, the largest unlogged watershed in the Cayoosh Range. Here the the St'at'imc discovered that BC Timber Sales - a logging operation owned and operated by the Government of British Columbia - were planning to log the Lost Valley.

Save Lost Valley

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.24 - No.01 - Winter 2005

St’át’imc Land use plan aims to protect their territory from further industrial damage

In July 2004, the St’at’imc released their Nxekmenlhkalha lti tmicwa, Part 1 (Preliminary Draft Land Use Plan) for the northern portion of St’at’imc territory.

The St’at’imc produced their own land use plan in response to a land use planning process for the Lillooet region that was initiated by the NDP government in 1997, and which was concluded earlier this year by the BC Liberal government – all without proper consultation with the St’at’imc.

The Liberal government’s proposed plan gives most of the forests in the St’at’imc’s territory to the logging industry. The Liberal’s plan also downsizes the South Chilcotin Mountains Protected Area by 20 percent - as a result of lobbying efforts by the mining association, backed by corporate giant Teck Cominco. The BC Liberals are furthermore pushing for the construction of a ski resort city high up in the Melvin Creek drainage. All in all the Liberal plan is a death sentence for the wildlife and wilderness in St’at’imc territory as well as being very damaging to the St’at’imc culture and way of life.

In stark contrast to the government’s land use plan, the St’at’imc’s land use plan has a very strong conservation theme, identifying large portions of their territory as “Protection Areas” where industrial developments such as road building, logging, mining and mineral exploration are prohibited. Lost Valley has been designated as a Protection Area for the conservation of cultural values, old forests, grizzly bear, mule deer and high quality water.

Within the St’at’imc’s traditional territory, areas such as the Upper Bridge River Valley, South Chilcotin Mountains and Melvin Creek Valley have also been designated as Protection Areas. You can read the full St’at’imc Land Use Plan on their web site at: http://www.statimc.net/

Premier Gordon Campbell has expressed that before his government decides on a final land use plan, they will enter negotiations with the St’át’imc. Western Canada Wilderness Committee fully supports the St’at’imc Land Use Plan and calls on the government of British Columbia to honour it.