News
Sacred Headwaters CBM Update: July 2008
As of early July the Sacred Headwaters campaign, now involving many regional, national, and international ENGO’s, has shifted into high gear. While we (the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition and Friends of Wild Salmon) have been very successful in raising the alarm regionally over this important issue, as far we now Shell is still planning to carry on their 2008 drilling program this fall in the headwaters of our wild steelhead and salmon rivers. It is worth remembering as a steelhead angler, that this project is proposed in the headwaters of “Steelhead Paradise”.
- on May 24th the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition (SWCC), the Friends of Wild Salmon, and the Gitanmaax band jointly sponsored the Sacred Headwaters Summit in the Gitanmaax hall in Hazelton. It was a rousing success, a standing room only event that over 400 people attended, with representatives from seven Northwest First Nations, including the group at the forefront of this issue: the Tahltan Nation. There is no doubt that a big, loud, passionate message was sent to Royal Dutch Shell and the B.C. Liberal government: No coabed methane development in our headwaters!!!
- since then the campaign has taken on a much broader, and very active approach, continuing to educate and inform people in the Northwest of the perils of this project. There are almost too many of these small initiatives to mention, but one that is essentially the key to the summer’s activities is the resolution that was drafting stating opposition to the project, with the goal being to have every form of regional governing body (town councils, regional districts, band councils, even organizations such as rod and gun clubs), as well as individuals, to sign on declaring the headwaters of our rivers free of coalbed methane exploration and development.
- the SWCC will be attending virtually every event held throughout the Northwest this summer.
- it is imperative that all anglers and hunters speak out against this project and sign the resolution, available from the SWCC website: www.sacredheadwaters.com
- Shell is holding a series of “open house” information sessions around the region, showing people pretty pictures of their work and their proposed work., SWCC and other groups in the different communities will be hosting our own information booths and events right outside each and every Shell event, to make sure that people understand the true nature of this development the impacts it will have on our wild steelhead and salmon stocks.
- the Klabona Keepers are hosting the 3rd annual Sacred Headwaters Gathering in Iskut on July 16, 17, 18. I would encourage all steelhead anglers to attend this event.
Of course all of us involved in this campaign are hoping for a peaceful and civil resolution to this issue that will see the headwaters of these three important wild salmon and steelhead rivers kept free of this kind of large scale industrial development. However, if Shell pushes ahead with their drilling this fall, things may get substantially more heated. Stay tuned.
Todd Stockner
Kispiox Valley, B.C.