) By HUBERT BEYER:

‘__,.We leave Willlams Lake carly

‘in: the. morning for a “Tour of

Lignum, West Fraser’: -and
Weldwood i to.give people.a bet-

ing:is, all abouts: :
ails Plateau, a flat? un-
la

years ago,

d. eposits” “that:“formed: the
Mhich! grows “the: current

the'area.’" 5":

Our first stop is at the ‘top of :

Fatwell: ‘Canyoun, To the left of
the Chileotia River, which flows

idiife me Area,
created dnc 973;:

‘The area.is home to anative ~
Californina

population O|
Bighorti:S 1¢ep.
here and:

“It was from
e ‘Deer Creek: Park

herd to the. north, that the big.
gest . successful ‘transplant’: ‘of: ”
animals in North ‘America: oc-,

curred, helping to boost the
world population ‘of Califor-
mains. ‘Bighorn Sheep from
1,700 in 1961 to’ 3,500 today. ”
‘The entire. upper slope on the
southside: “of the Canyon was

logged in the early 60's: The—

method used was the ‘diameter
limit ‘cut,”” according to which
every tree over a certain size. is
cut down,: and, only a few: trees
are left staiding as seed trees,

That method is no “‘Tonger |

deemed’ “acceptable ‘by current
standards, but 30-years later, it
is nearly impossible to tell that
any~ disturbance ‘took: place
heré.. The forest looks as if it
had always been here.

_«, Av little further on, we come,

‘. Wpon an area that was logged in
1968. About 40 per cent of the: -:
timber. volume was removed to”:

ting what hain want has
with | ‘communications,

‘ “They. don’ t know where to

focus their energies. T's not:

good enough to whine and com-
plain. Fact’ “instead - of

emotion,”.‘he said.’ <"., ws
A Mohawk from fhe. Six Na

jobs’ with’: cing tan Vancouver Sun
- and. CBC,” ‘Maracle: received :a ~
journalism, degree anid then

ter understanding of what a Joes .

ndscape. carved » by.

leaving
‘blanket’ ‘of: material

Ow us, is the Junction ©

. news outlets.

th
-our neon ‘Said Maracle::

open up the stand and en-
courage more.:vigourous .
- growth. This: system also pro- |
ithe Working Forest’® ‘Sponsored —
land organized by. the city’s five
‘major: sawmills,’ Jacobsen.
' Bros., Fletcher Challenge P&T,

vides good. coyer for wildlife,

~ Next we're, taken: to. an area

that had -been: struck ‘by. pine

“beetle infestation and‘was clear. |
> eut’in, 1983.-Tom White, presi-
dent of ‘the’ Cariboo Lumber
- Manufacturers’.
:-. points. out that clearcutting is i
Still, the. best: _was’to ‘fight the i
e'. pine beetle, © rer .
‘In ‘fact, : Sweden, which. ‘is _
often held up ag the model ,for |
‘foresty’ practices, -uses’ clear-
‘ ciitting as the final phase of any
; ‘lodge-pole pine harvest, not asa
“matter or- preference, but by
‘Wh -Vegislation.
forests’ and vegetation: types! ih

Association,

This; White explains, helps to

/Byery’ area Ww
cellent: ‘Tegeritation and growth,

no. matter“ when it was last - |

harvested, “There is also abun-

dant _ evidence... of vigourous . *

silviculture. activity, Which as

. brought a measure of economic

improvement to the local Native
population, More than 80 per

: cent of all siliviculture work in. |
. the drybelt forests of the area is

done by Native Indian crews. |
Natives are also actively in-

volved “in -horse-iogging, a
harvest practice very much en-

couraged by the Cariboo forest

‘companies,

_ We can hear the noise of irons ‘
dragged through the forest bya |
.team of horses from afar, and
-when we arrive at the logging
site, “it’s. as if, we had stepped
' back i in time; 2

* Instead of the usual noise and
acitivity of an active logging site

with its skidders and delimbers, ©

all.we could see was .three
beautiful Belgians stomping

That eventually lead toa stint

~.. as host of a CBC: Radio show on
a native affairs: called Our Native:
' Land. It has since become a vic-

tim of. budget cuts.
~ Maracle's : experience . “with -

wo mainstream: news: Organizations»
Ml reinforced: his: belief: of. the im- -

+ portarice of native. communica-
_ tions outlets.

“By “and. large they do.a: good |

: to: knoy me ‘the frontline, stuff, the
_ they: ‘il tine ‘the:rest of ‘séciety.’ job, of: ¢ frontline, st 5

headline stuff of first” ministers |

_ conferences, : land claims and

constitutional ° ‘conferences,"”
said. Maracle of mainstream

-“The problem is the context.
The'rationales are sitter ‘that

“They (mainstream media)

eee poe pe Pe er eee

‘oF insects, such as the pine . |
beetle and dwarf mistletoe, and -
- provides enought open area for
the, “su un’ $. heat: to Propagate

went to work for the Toronto
Globe and‘Mail. -

i SELEC TIVE LOGGING using heavy horses. is practised in the .

Cariboo. Pictured. here is Roy Barter and his tear near Soda
Creek. They were working on a job near the B.C: Hydro line. The

Terrace Standard, Monday, December 30, 1991 ~

sn't horse around

technique is favoured by some as a sustainable development op- -
WENDY HOLM PHOTO. WILLIAMS LAKE TRIBUNE. °°

tion.

. through. the woods, sure-footed :
‘and eager, dragging, big. trees

behind, them: ' ve.

‘Greg’ Loring’ “and “his ‘two
sons, a local .Native family,

direct the horses - with voice

commands to drag the trees toa:
» big pile to be picked up later by
-a logging truck. The bigger stuff.

is taken out by two horses hitch-
ed together,
Greg and his sons enjoy | ‘their

are well-intentioned; ‘well
educated, but.yet:they:still have
as their values. ‘the beliefs that

_ don’t always mesh. witrh those
ea) ce “the: ‘qmhajority . ‘of : native Peo-

ple,”* .
What is ‘needed oy those news,

: Whe, added, .

organizations: ‘afe-more stories

~ onthe unemployment, Violence;
housing conditions, alcohol -
abuse and effects of residential |
schools. that’ affect: ‘native: ‘com-"*| °
et, munities, ‘said ‘Maracle. | :

“You. don't: ‘deal’ with: ‘pro-

* plemé -by, ignoring: ‘them,"”: she

said.
Maracle also has a different
perspective of the events at Oka
in 1990.

He says the charge by a

Quebec provincial police tac-

“tical squad against the barricade

“at Oka was'simply another case |

of. police’ overreaction,”

either,” seid M cle,

oo tidency of: the ‘police :
r * forces in Quebec) isto: shoot. fj
“firstand ask. questions laters
of”: They're a law unto themselves...

“and it’s nat: just. with natives

“open, and they make a good liv- -
Ing. In.a good year, they can
_, make $30,000, and their only

expense’ is feed. The ° horses
work hard, and must be well-
fed,

White says:that. some Native
crews start out’ horse-logging
arid then progress to. skidders

quite rapidly. Not every year, he»

says, lends ‘itself to horse-

logging, but there is and always
-jobs. They love being out in the.”

will be a Place for it,

‘such sites i in British Columbia’ 8

We stop for lunch at .the

Gaspard creek camp. An old log .

cabin, a couple of hundreed feet

from the camp, bears witness to - -

the hardship that accompanied
life here in earlier days. An én-
tire family died in that cabin
during the 1918 flu epidemic
because. they couldn't Teach a

. doctor. :
- In the afternoon, we visit a.

Provenance Trial site, one of 60

interior. Here, pine’ trees from.
all ‘over north America. Were,
planted in 1974.. The. site’ is:
monitored onan ongoing. basis.
“"to. determine which trees do best -

‘all
planted at the same time, ranges:

in this area, .
- The height of the: trees,

from a foot to 14 feet. Pines

‘from Alaska aren't doing: very.
well, Some of the best-looking
trees

come. from the

Tweedsmuir area. |

PROMINENT JOURNALIST Brian Maracle, right, was in town recently to ive a course to Henry
~Michell, teft, and other Northern Native Broadcasting trainees. With years of experience in print and
electronic news organizations, Maracle says native media outlets provide a valuable education and in-

formation service. A Mohawk, Maracle got his start in journalism back in the 1970s | in Vancouver.

ids 18 issue, 1
"SEEMS ‘to - have. provoked

aint the crimes” of . all

‘found’ traila or unimprov- -
“ed natural routes.
>): Elnow. the trails Famitalk,

Ing “about ftom first hatiel €x-

: “switch backed”

a ‘note |
“with. -disthay that my-simple -
‘- effort®.to correct .an:.error .-,

" more; support. for: the error, .
“not to mention a complaint -,

mst all Indians: in: :
‘The: a is trails in the ;

‘Dorreen-Ritchie'a area; in'par- |
ular built trails as opposed,’ - “destinatlons forthe Indians

rience. as ‘those contri

. sreded and where. “necessary,
: “to: give
y_ Slearance for pack. horses, a

‘

_Skeena River — the main
area of Indian activity and
 they-gerierally lead to cabins
‘near. mineral ' properties .or
“placer diggings. There ‘are
also some wagon trails on the.

‘flatter’ ‘ground - “and” some

ms hand-graded trails leading to

abandoned homesteads. -
None ; of ' these: ‘were

«Brot to’ white contact,

anyone who’ oo Cer
“they travell elted; hu sed, fish
: the ' i

- “people, and nobody. else. call
show. them | to. you either, fol

can ‘show you evidence ‘of,
their, - presence,
debarked ‘cedar trees Or. att
‘old Gitksan Hrapline cabin., oe

‘such. as -..

course, to get to their objec.
tives, 80... ite, chose: the.

| “As i a supporter of 2 just laid claim settlement .

_ and as oné.who wishes well to all native:Indians,

am liseppointed. ‘when © 1 eure claims: oak

-are-any trails ‘bull

sort that they had to build:

~ when the ‘railway Cand
“highway put.an. end’ to: the
“old way of: travel’ along. ‘the
~‘Skeena’ River.: I’m’ pretty
good at spotting trails, and I
can’t find any of these Indian
trails.
in contrast, the white set:
tlers and prospectorsoften
lived i in the area year-round
and. possessed “pack. horses ©
‘and wagons ‘which: ‘needed
od: trails ‘and roads of. the

“Whites have been: present

in: numbers in the’ Dotreen:

Ritchie area ‘since Henry.“
McDame found: gold in’

. pear to’ ‘undermine the: Indi
. cause, 4

7 substantiation available:
‘make?.a- good case orth
Gitksan,*):

_wespect: for the truth: Dodie
tlons:, of leadership

land. élaim settlementand as:
one: !who- wishes: well’ ‘to fall:
native: Indians, I'am: ‘disap. «.

. pointed: when false: claims Rae

. There i is plenty: “of ‘solid

. Ibis. important: ithe wall Ins:
dians: ‘elect’ Beople with: cool:
heads,’ sound judgmént*and:s

— Page A?

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