A4 . Terrace Review _ Wednesday, February 20, 1991 _ Wilderness area ~ concept draws — _ diverse interests | by Tod Strachan About 100 local residents gathered at the Inn of the West Feb, 13 to hear representatives of the ministries of forests, parks and energy. describe plans for new wilderness ‘areas in the province. Nine of those.in the crowd offered a few ideas of their own. . - ~ Provincial Parks and Wilderness for the 90s is a misnomer for the program. This is the name used by the forests ministry, while B.C. Parks describes it as Parks Plan 90 and energy amd mines uses the name Resource Management for B.C.’s Protected Areas. And along -with these differences in names come a few differences in mandate and objectives... Regardless of these differences, however, the Terrace meeting, 11 others in the northwest and many more held around the province have a distinctive theme: coopera- tion between the three ministries in addressing a problem of common concem and the desire to: listen to public and commercial concems. The first order of business was to ' describe the two primary designa- tions designed to preserve our environment; Class A Provincial Parks and Wilderness Areas. Wil- demess Areas protect “wildemess values” within designaied boun- daries by preserving unique cn- vironments, maintaining biological diversity and providing oppor- tunities for a "wildemess experi- ence". There is no logging allowed within a Wilderness Area. There are no roads. But there may be- mineral exploration and mining, which often co-exists with trapp- ing, hunting, and grazing enter- prises and a variety of recreational uses such as fishing and hiking. A Class A park, on the other hand, offers no mining opportunity and existing trapping and grazing activities are in the process of being phased out. Mining interests, while they can continue exploratory and develop- ment work in a newly designated Wildemess Area, may find them- selves on a government-set time- table. After 10 years, Wilderness Areas can be redesignated as Class A Parks, bringing to an end all mining exploration and develop- ment work. The Ministry of Forests has proposed 59 areas in the province to be considered for Wilderness Area designation. Thirteen of these are in the Prince Rupert Forest Region. A Wildemess Area has been proposed for Swan Lake, near the Iocation where Orenda Forest Products would like to build a pulp and coated paper mill. And pro- wilderness study areas in the general Swan Lake area include the Damdochax Creck area and the Atna Pass/Shelagyote Peak area. South of Terrace there's the Kitlope water shed, which takes in a good portion of West Fraser's TFL #41. East of Terrace, a por- tion of the Telkwa pass between Terrace and Smithers has been tagged, and in the Ootsa Lake area there’s Entiako Lake. To the west are the Simpson- Gamble Lakes chain, Banks Island, Dundas Island and Stephens and West Porcher Island. Near the Yukon border is the Windy Craggy area, the Kawdy Plateau/Level Mountain area and the Chutine , Lake/Whiting River area. Strong concem was noted by a West Fraser spokesman and [WA Local 171 over job loss that would result from the dedication of the Kitlope water shed and the resul- tant deletion of sizeable chunk of TFL #41. Ian Gordon, representing the Seven Sisters Society, noted the "conspicuous" absence of the Seven Sisters arca from the plan and asked if the native land ques- tion had been considered when wilderness study arcas were first proposed. Danny Sheridan, representing the B.C, Yukon Chamber of Mines, spoke in favour of employment opportunities and against the fur- ther alienation of land. On behalf of the Northwest Trappers Associ- ation Rob Seaton suggested that after years of no action, the government was moving too quick- _ ly in designating wilderness lands.. Seaton also questioned the ability of the. Ministry of Forests to manage our forests, particularly "after the PA17 fiasco", and in addition noted problems with the Ministry of Parks. The existing park system is under-funded, says Seaton, and visitors to provincial campsites are overcharged. Diana Wood spoke for the Ter- race branch of Women in Timber in calling for an overall provincial land strategy for the benefit of all. And others like Jorma Jyrkkanen of the local hiking club, Rob Brown of the local chapter of the Steelhead Society, and Terrace resident Rene Mikaloff spoke generally of greater environmental protection and expanded wilderness opportunities. Also mentioned by some were other areas not listed in the government’s plan such as the Khutzeymateen valley north of Prince Rupert. It was explained, however, that many areas such as the Khutzeymateen are already under study, or in the process of receiving some form of protection, and were therefore not considered in this current proposal. Representing the province at last Wednesday's meeting, were district manager Hugh Markides and Lakelse zone manager Gordon MacDonald from the Ministry of Parks, district geologist Dave LeFebure from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and district manager Brian Downie and regional recre- ation officer Eric Buss from the Ministry of Forests. Would you want your auto mechanic to do your income tax. and your tax man to fix your car? Terrace Teachers want your ~ Your School Board is hiring non-teachers to provide instruction for your children. child’s education to be provided . | by qualified teachers. job work experience. ‘Hire a Student. This summer, back the future of Canada’s workforce — provide a high school, college or university student with practical on-the- Under Challenge ‘91, the Government of Canada's summer employment for students, organizations of all kinds — private businesses, municipalities and non-profit groups — are eligible to apply for funding assistance that supports | Your children are entitled to the best — professional teachers! | ! kemace Distriot Teachers! . Association | the creation of summer job opportunities for students, Apply now through your local Canada Employment Centre — listed under Employment and Immigration Canada in the blue pages of your telephone directory. Back the future. Become a Challenge’91 employer. It's good for students, employers, and the future of Canada. Calle Applications must be postmarked no later than March 18,1991 oe 7 ivi oer pate tor Youth _ Gouvernement du Canada _Minisire Etat A la Jeunesse