News
To All PIKA MembersOn October 21st, the Maa-Nulth (Ucluelet) First Nation voted to accept a new Treaty with Canada and the Province of BC. This treaty releases the band from the authority and restrictions of the Indian Act and as part of the overall settlement transfers several parcels of BC Crown Land to Maa-Nulth ownership.
John Kimantas, author of The Wild Coast Series of recreation guides to the coast, has reviewed the details of the treaty and raised an alarm as to the extent of the land being removed from the Crown Land inventory.
So why is this important to us? Well if you have enjoyed paddling in any of the following areas, you will find that some parts of these are now under new ownership! The areas affected by this Treaty alone include:
The Deer Group
Barkley Sound ( The Broken Group) (Effingham Inlet) (Torquart Bay)
Brooks Peninsula
Kyuquot
The Mission Group
More details and a lot of ongoing discussion are available on Dan Millsip's excellent web site:http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1486&start=0
In this discussion forum you will see John Kimantas call for the re-activation of the BC Marine Trail Association on a priority basis. The concern is not so much that these important recreation areas have changed ownership as the fact that few if anyone in the paddling community saw this coming. The BC Marine Trail Association (BCMTA) has been in existence for several years but their web site only refers to an annual 10K race as the primary fundraiser. There is no information as to their goals or achievements.
I contacted BCMTA to ask for an update as to what has been accomplished during its 14 years, indicating that we want to get involved, and I asked for information as to when and where they meet. The link for BCMTA is http://members.tripod.com/~jralittle/bcmta.html The BCMTA operations are based out of Ecomarine on Granville Island.
In the WCP discussion forum John Kimantas (see link above) laid out a 12 step plan of action and has challenged PIKA and the Nanaimo Paddlers to jump into action. See John's general commentary about the Marine Trail on his web site.
http://www.thewildcoast.ca/MarineTrail.htm
The Council of BC Yacht Clubs has established their Provincial Boat Havens, and the Washington Water Trails Association has a series of trails covering various parts of the State - including up to the Canadian border. The FAQ's attached below provide a summary of how their system works. http://www.wwta.org/about_us/faq.asp#10
I have sent out notes to Nanaimo Paddlers - also named by John Kimantas as another club that could take action to get this thing back on track. It is hoped that their executive is also considering this matter and that we will be able to work together with them and other paddling organizations and interest groups.
So far it appears the BC Marine Trail Association has not achieved much and now is the time to get our favourite camp sites secured before they are sold off by a forestry company of become restricted Reserve Lands. Think about which sites you have especially enjoyed and that you would want to insure you, or your children, will still be able to enjoy that same camp site 5 or 10 years from now.
Please gather what information you can about this issue and be prepared to add your support - that is become an active volunteer in your club. You can make a difference!
Bill 45 - the Maa-Nulth Agreement and documents - Final Official Version
- Refer to Chapter 5 for details on Public Access
- See also Appendix I -2 for the map showing continued access in Torquart Bay.
(Site1 & Site2)
http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th3rd/3rd_read/gov45/gov45-3.htm
DECEMBER 2007
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Fax: 250-285-3126
10.11.2007. 10:07