* ALICE Nyce. has been greeting a steady stream of.visitors to the information centre at the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park in the Nass Valley this year. The | _ Nisga’a are. banking on more tourism development, now that the highway into the | valley has been significantly improved. . M New highway drives. tourism possibilities INCREASED” TOURISM. and"... other.” development opportunities - are thé focus: of the Nisga’: a’ Lisims Government in the . Nass Valley now thatamulti- ‘million... road. improvement . project’ is nearly. finished,- says one of its officials. * “We're, starting to see ‘benefits already,” says Col- _ lier. Azak, the Lisims land and resources director of the -$52.5 million project, which f» is now nearly finished after. eight years of work. . “But the real"benefit has . been to our people.. ‘We're jable to get to education, ' » health and other -services in Terrace much easier and - much safer,” he said. “The two-laned paved Nisga’a: Highway leading into the Nass Valley and in the Nass itself replaces . stretches .of often-flooded and dangerous gravel roads. Nisga’a vehicles regularly ; suffered from tire blow-outs and other damage because of the road conditions. About all that’s left is ' painting centre and side lines that’s due to take place the middle of this month. The road project is not part of the Nisga’a. 2000 land claims and self-govern- ment treaty but it: is consid- ered essential if the goals and objectives of the treaty “economic ..’ are to be met. a A” “Nisga’ a. . company, . . Lisims Backcountry « Ad-' ventures Inc., is: the: central agency charged, with explor- ‘ing and developing tourism opportunities in the area. It’s “now. reaching .out to non-Nisga’a_ tourism ‘op- erators to develop new busi- nesses. . “Commercial recreation tenures are part of our treaty _ and now form. part of our “We're —_ starting to ‘see. _ benefits already.” ees a Collier Azak tourism strategy,” said Azak. The list of business and partnership opportunities in- cludes sport fishing, heli-ski- « ing, heli-tours and hiking. As it is, the Nisga’a are partners with the provincial ” government in managing the Nisga’a Lava Bed Memorial Park in the Nass Valley. Officials from. Lisims Backcountry | Adventures met with interested parties in Terrace last week to talk about business potential. » “In two yéars we hope to be going full swing, ready to offer our backyard to the Agate Beach Picnic Shelter _ Construction Project “BC Parks is inviting tenders for the construction of a picnic shelter in the BC Provincial Park at Agate Beach, - Haiida Gwai (Queen Charlotte Islands), deconstruct’ . the existing picnic shelter, a woodshed, landscape and site clean up. Closing date to submit bids is August 11, 2006. Construction dates are from September 5, 2006 to October 31; 2006. To obtain critical bid documents and © . constiuction plans, please visit the BC Bid web site. Forn more info contact Sean Mitchell at (250) 847-7323 or email him at Sean.Mitchell@gov.bc.ca \ Fa BRITISH COLUMBIA ~The Best Place on Earth | Agate Beach Head and Camp Site Improvement Project BC Parks is inviting tenders for the placement of _ revetment at Agate Beach, Haiida Gwai (Queen Charlotte Islands) and to make improvements to the picnic sites in the park at Agate Beach. Closing date to submit bids is August 11, 2006. Construction dates. are from September 5, 2006 to October 31, 2006.. To obtain critical bid documents and construction plans, please visit the BC Bid web site. be} ra e For more info contact Sean Mitchell at -. 250 847-7323 or email at Sean.Mitchell@gov.bc.ca BRITISH COLUMBIA The Best Place on Earth . world,” said Lisims. Back- country manager Brad Tait « ina release last: week. : _ , “Lisims' will meet with many: associations in the’. “tourism sector to brainstorm ; : - to enhance opportunities:in — our-area and the province of : B.C. and our country, Cana- da,” Tait added. _- . " Azak said the new road _. also opens. up forestry and. other resource extraction Po- tential: ; ; “It’s very, very, prelimi: nary but we are talking: to : includes efforts to improve what’s called the Cranberry Connector, a. forestry: road leading northeast from New" ; Aiyansh to Hwy37 north of. Kitwanga.. About 50km long, it fell into disrepair when logging ended in the area but has had: some work done on it in the> last two years. It’s being regarded as ‘a link to’a,circle route for tourists and others: -by, the Nisga’a and by local and re- gional governments. different industries,”* he - added. oe . Tourism development : , Proud of where nin from... _ Proud of where we're going. 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