eS ee ee meeerernenney After setting up -two block- ades of logging operations in the past month, the Gitksan- Wet’suwet’an - Tribal Council, representing native Indian bands east of Terrace, is considering its next move in the effort to draw public ‘attention to their land claims action and the continued removal of resources from what they deem to be their tribal ter- ritories, by Michael Kelly: The first protest occurred Feb. 11 when the Indians stop- ped logging trucks at Little Oliver Creek 40 kilometers east of Terrace. They seized heavy equipment and decked logs at the site, but the logging contrac- tor, Tide Lake Logging of Ter- race, subsequently went through the blockade and recovered the machinery. Recent reports in- dicate the logs are still on the site. On Feb. 29 the Gitksan blockaded a major industrial artery north of Kispiox for one day, preventing about 60 logging trucks from moving timber out of the logging grounds in the up- per Kispiox River and Skeena River watersheds to mills in the Hazelton area. About 30 RCMP members from the Prince rupert subdivision, inlcuding 10 mem- bers from Terrace, arrived at the site the next morning but return- ed home after discovering that the blockade had been dismantl- ed the previous night. Terrace RCMP Staff Sergeant Len Jarvis said the Terrace detachment will continue pro- viding manpower to police any future blockades. He said the blockade duty will not leave the local police short-staffed, but he added, ‘“‘There may be some people who won’t get many days off.”’ Tribal council president Don Ryan said a meeting ‘was scheduled last night among Foresters amend ethics In a resolution passed by a vote of 81-52 the Association of B.C, Professional Foresters (ABCPF) decided at its annual meeting Feb. 19 to consider examining all complaints of improper forest practices, not just those pertaining specifically to its own membership. The issue arose out of a furor generated by the Westar 85-2 case, which was a critical examination. of questionable logging practices used by Westar in the Nass Valley and other portions of Tree Farm License #1 near Terrace during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Management planning and harvesting methods on _ TFL#1 during that period were also the subject of a report by Registered Professional Forester Herb Hammond, who was engaged by the Nisga’a Tribal Council, and former B.C. Ombudsman Karl Friedmann, who was fired by the government shortly after completing his report. Freidmann stated in the report, ‘‘It appears to me that the Ministry is willing to allow poor forest management practices to continue in order to ensure that Westar continues to operate in - the short term, and to accept. the consequent risk that the forests within TFL#1 will be depleted and worthless in. the long term.”’ Tom Waterland, Minister of Forests at the time, rejected the criticisms of his ministry contained in the report. The ABCPF code of ethics states: ‘‘the Professional Foresters’, and therefore the Association’s, first priority is to the public through the protection and enhancement of the long-term integri- ty of the forest resource.’’ Prior to the passage of the Feb. 19 resolution, however, the ABCPF considered itself restricted to in- vestigation of its own members’ activities. The new resolution, if implemented, could empower the Association to investigate ac- tions by forest companies and the government as well. Dave Parker, current MLA for Skeena and Minister of Forests and Lands, was woods manager for B.C. Timber, Westar’s log- ging division on TFL#1, from £982 until the division dissolv- ed in 1983, Afterward he became fiber supply manager for Westar and subsequently set up an independent consulting firm in Terrace before entering politics full time. JIM FULTON Member of Paliament. for Skeena Invites You to an OPEN HOUSE 7:00 p.m., Friday, | March 11th Skeena Room, Terrace Hotel SPECIAL GUEST Moe Sihota _ MLA. for Esquimalt-Port Renfrew | NDP Critic for. Attorney-General and ICBC All:members of the public are _ invited to come and ask questions. - _No-host bar available Gitksan-Wet’suwet’an chiefs to discuss the next stages in their strategy, but the outcome of the meeting was not available at press time. “A direct challenge” Although one tribal council spokesman said recently the pre- sent round of actions was trig- gered by a question in the group’s comprehensive land claims trial. in Vancouver -regarding why the Indians haven’t taken steps to protect the resources they claim to own -Ryan said the Gitksan have been protesting forest practices in the area since the 1960’s with what he termed a ‘‘velvet glove’ approach, ‘‘That doesn’t work anymore,’’ he said last week. ‘We're really upset. The whole stumpage scheme is not rehabili- tation and treatment-oriented. Some’ of these areas are un- suitable for clear-cutting and the habitat is being destroyed. We (Indians) are accused of taking tax. dollars (for land claims trials), but what about the tax dotlars that go into forest in- dustry infrastructure, spraying and these management prac- tices? To us, the ecology is the primary economy.’” Ryan said the last straw was the recent announcement of a timber sale amounting to 400,000 cubic meters annuaily to be extracted from the Sustut River area. The Sustut enters the Skeena River from the east 120 kilometers north of Hazelton, and Ryan said it’s one of the most valuable areas of timber left in the Northwest. ‘‘We told the government in 1985-86 we would not accept any new log- ging,’’ Ryan stated. ‘‘We con- sider this a direct challenge.” A Responsibility to Protect the Land A study of logging practices in the area by Silva Ecosystems Lid. released last week found numerous flaws in the timber harvesting methods used in the area, Criticisms included high- ~ Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 9, 1988 3. - Indians ponder next move in protests grading (taking only the best trees), poor utilization, overcut- ting, soil disturbance and inade- quate reforestation. An official for Westar, the company that holds mast of the cutting license in the area, reacted by saying the company is following industry- wide standards set by the Ministry of Forests. Despite the report, Ryan said, the Indian community is not en- tirely united on the issue. Terrace, “There’s always debate and divisions, like in the white com- munity,’’ he said. ‘But it’s the Indians who are going to have to take a stand.”’ “Some of our people have said, ‘The land is destroyed, © there’s nothing we can do’... but we cannot abandon the land. Even if it’s devasted, we have a responsibility to protect it,’’ he concluded. Kitimat. vie for surgeon Should we regionalize or cen- tralize medical services in the Northest? The Board of Direc- tors of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine debated the topic for more than two hours at a recent meeting but they are still a long way from agreement. Whether a new orthopaedic surgeon should set up office. in Kitimat or Terrace was the ques- tion that initiated the debate. It ended with everyone except Peter Weeber agreeing the Regional District should recom- mend Kitimat as the most ap- propriate place, but the realiza- tion remains that the new practi- cioner may prefer Terrace. _ Wednesday is Terrace promoters argued for centralization of all medical specialists in Terrace because it is the most central community in the Northwest, while those favoring Kitimat pointed out that Kitimat Hospital had employed the last othopaedic: surgeon, has the space and equipment and is currently at- tempting to recruit a new or- thopaedic surgeon at their own expense. The debate will probably continue for some time to come but most directors agreed that ultimately the medical profes- sion would provide the answer. Men’s business shirts or Ladies’ cotton blend: dress shirts expertly laundered TWO LOCATIONS TO SEAVE YOU BETTER!! ® Kiddie Corner from the Post Office — Thornhill Public Market Wrens rickards Cleaners Terrace Centennial Lions Club 9th Annual Diamond Dinner Saturday, March 26, 1988 Inn of the West —MAJOR PRIZES: DIAMOND TRIP FOR TWO TO SAN FRANSISCO Courtesy of ERWIN’S RING N UMEROUS DOOR PRIZES Ticket sales begin on March Ll, 6 p.m. at Erwin Jewellers in the Terrace Shopping centre a a pm