Wilp Watakhayetsxw and Gamlakyeltxw are engaging with interested parties and governments for the next two months on the draft management plan for the Ganeda Indigenous Protected Area.
A notice was sent to the provincial government in November 2024 announcing the intent to protect the approximately 8,800 hectares area within the Gitanyow Lax’yip. In the absence of an official list from the provincial government of affected tenure holders, license holders and third parties in the area as requested, Gitanyow has asked the provincial government to distribute the management plan draft to third party interests who hold provincial authorizations.
Plan drafting began in August 2024 when the area was under threat from the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Pipeline and the industrial traffic associated with early construction activities. A checkpoint was set up on the Cranberry Connector to screen traffic and prevent access to PRGT construction vehicles. Despite Gitanyow objections, the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office issued a ‘substantial start’ decision in June this year giving the pipeline provincial authorization.
Discussions for the Indigenous Protected Area began during the four-months that the Ganeda Checkpoint was in place.
The two Ganeda Wilp are seeking though the IPA to protect and preserve the area’s ecological and cultural values from the threat of pipeline development and other industrial activities.
The Ganeda Wilp are concerned about the potential impact of liquefied natural gas pipeline development within the territory as well as more open access to gas exploration in the Bowser Basin, increased road density, and climate impacts from the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG terminal.
The Ganeda IPA would help to ensure food security for current and future generations of Wilp members in the face of an ongoing climate crisis affecting ecosystems, fresh water availability and risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Quotes:
“We see this protected area as a place where we can prioritize a balance between economic development and long-term environmental sustainability, upholding the Gitanyow legal principle of Gwelx ye’enst.
“We’ll strive to protect the Ganeda Indigenous Protected Area from harmful resource development that prevents future generations from enjoying the area’s beauty, abundance, and health. We support restoration for those areas harmed by past development.” Simoogit Watakhayetsxw/Deborah Good
“The area will protect salmon migration and spawning areas through scientific and cultural monitoring of endangered coho and chinook stocks. Tourism, forestry, farming, fishing, hunting, and gathering of plants, berries and fungi will thrive under sustainable management guidance.
“Wilp members’ access would be unfettered and non-Indigenous guests would be welcomed and encouraged to follow ancient protocols of permission, respect and care for the land and waters.”
Naxginkw/Tara Marsden, Wilp Sustainability Director
Draft management plan and cover letter: https://www.gitanyowchiefs.com/wilp-sustainability/ganeda-indigenous-protected-area/
For more information and media requests:
Theresa Beer
778-874-3396
[email protected]
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The Simigigyet’m Gitanyow (Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs) are an innovative, traditional Indigenous government mandated to protect Gitanyow Nation’s lands, resources, and laws. The Gitanyow have never ceded or surrendered title to their lands, rights to their resources, or the power to make decisions within their Lax’yip (Territory). The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs’ goal is to establish government-to-government agreements that form the foundation of a modern-day treaty through an incremental treaty approach. In 2012, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs and the province of British Columbia signed the Gitanyow Lax’yip Land Use Plan to guide all industrial activity. Gitanyow Nation is part of the larger Gitksan Nation, encompassing 6,200 square kilometres in the Nass and Skeena Watersheds (Kitwanga and Kispiox Rivers).