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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🙌
Host Gloria Macarenko delves into our fraught love affair with the iconic and endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales who have become political poster children for climate change.
There's no time like the 🎁 to support your favourite crew of fearless independent journalists by becoming a monthly member. We aren't (that) bossy — pick your own amount 💝
Oh hey there, welcome back to class 🤓 If you notice any friends missing during this critical first week, be sure to forward on our signup sheet to avoid detention! 😉
