BLESSING CEREMONY COMMEMORATES HISTORIC AGREEMENT

VICTORIA – A traditional First Nations blessing ceremony for a cedar log destined to be carved into an ocean-going canoe commemorates the historic Coastal B.C. Land Use Decision announced in February 2006 and embodies the spirit of collaboration and principles of sustainability that characterize the agreement, Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell announced today.

“The intricately carved canoe will be an enduring symbol of our partnership with the Nanwakolas Council and speaks to the vision of their president, Dallas Smith who has been a driving force behind this project,” said Bell. “The selected cedar tree was harvested incorporating the principles of ecosystem-based management, which is central to our goal of sustainable forestry in the Central and North coastal region.”

“Our carvers are renowned the world over for the beauty and quality of their work. We are pleased to create a traditional canoe to commemorate the achievement of the coastal B.C. land use agreements” said Dallas W. Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council. “This ocean going canoe will serve as a symbol of the partnerships necessary to make these agreements possible. The canoe will be an ongoing reminder that if we are not paddling together we will not get anywhere.”

The Coast Land Use Decision, announced in February 2006, protects one of the world’s greatest ecological gems while balancing the needs of the environment with the needs of the people who depend upon the land for their livelihoods and way of life. Vast areas of temperate rain forest are protected, while providing a unique framework called Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) for resource industries to work within.

EBM is a new adaptive approach to managing human activities that ensures the coexistence of healthy ecosystems and communities. The intent of EBM is to support a sustainable economy while protecting a healthy ecosystem. This will help ensure that monumental cedar trees such as the one harvested for the creation of the commemorative canoe will be available for future generations, helping to preserve First Nations culture.

After felling in late April, the canoe log was transported the week of May 14 by water to Port Hardy. A First Nations fisherman, James Walkus towed the log from near Smith Inlet on the mainland to its destination using the seine boat Canadian Joye.

Initial log preparation and carving will occur in the near future and the log will be transported to Victoria later this summer for completion of the carving and painting. The cedar tree is emblematic of British Columbia’s coast rainforest ecosystem. Cedar plays a vital role in First Nations culture, the region’s biodiversity and in the continued vitality of the forest products industry.

Since the original announcement of the agreement, the Province has created 65 new park conservancies, established proposed land use legal objectives, got the Plan Implementation Committees and an EBM working group organized and operational, and signed a ground-breaking agreement with the federal government and an alliance of philanthropic groups which sets aside $120 million for First Nation sustainability initiatives.

On May 9, 2007, the World Wildlife Federation gave its prestigious Gift to the Earth award to Premier Gordon Campbell, representing the many people and organizations who worked for more than a decade to conserve the ecologically sensitive areas of the Central and North Coast.

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Media contact:	Liz Bicknell Communications Director Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-2862 250 213-3072 (cell)	Dallas Smith President Nanwakolas Council 250 203-0280 (cell)

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