Serengeti of the north
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- Published on Thursday, 05 September 2019 07:04
- Written by editor
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We asked. You answered. Now we deliver!Remember back in August, in the dog days of summer, 67 of you dear readers supported our last-minute decision to send reporter Sarah Cox and photographer Taylor Roades to a proposed Indigenous protected area in northern B.C.?
This week we’re thrilled to publish a two-part series on their journey to the stunning traditional territory of the Kaska Dena, a trio of nomadic Indigenous nations that have a plan to protect 40,000 square kilometres of the rich and thriving landscape they’ve stewarded for millennia.
We’ve got maverick forest fire fights. We’ve got boat rides. We’ve got melting shoes and cuss words.
But, in all seriousness, we’ve also got an in-depth feature that delves into the significance of Indigenous-led conservation efforts and what they mean to the communities and cultures they impact.
And the timing couldn’t have been better: just days after our team returned home from northern B.C., the federal government announced it will provide $587,500 to advance the Kaska Dena plan.
Next week, Kaska Dena chiefs will fly to Victoria to meet with three key provincial ministers about their proposal — which can only move forward with provincial approval.
Aside from detailing what the new proposal means, we’ve also got a boots-on-the-ground feature that gives a whole new perspective on what it means to be an Indigenous land guardian (and, equally important, what it does not).
We’re endlessly inspired by your support. Thanks for keeping the wheels on the bus around here and making important stories like these possible.
There’s always more so be sure to scroll down for our latest.
Happy September,
Emma Gilchrist
Editor-in-chief
‘Serengeti of the north’: the Kaska Dena’s visionary plan to protect a huge swath of B.C. wilderness
By Sarah Cox
The First Nations that have lived in B.C.'s north for thousands of years are out to prove that a conservation economy and extractive economy can thrive side by side — but first they need the provincial government to get on board. Read more.
Meet the Kaska land guardians
By Sarah Cox
In a wild, roadless area in remote northern British Columbia, First Nations land guardians keep tabs on their traditional territory, including in an area proposed for a new Kaska Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. Read more.
‘We’re going to court’: B.C. First Nation to proceed with Site C dam ‘megatrial’
By Sarah Cox
In a six-month trial, the provincial NDP government will have to fight against the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples whose traditional territory and burial grounds will be destroyed by a hydro project — one that could now be cancelled at the eleventh hour. Read more.
The Narwhal in the world
If you picked up the Victoria Times Colonist last weekend, you might have noticed a little dash of Narwhal along with your Sunday reading. The newspaper re-published Judith Lavoie's story on BC Timber Sales becoming a lightning rod for controversy as a three-page weekend feature