WHO IS THE VALHALLA WILDERNESS SOCIETY? 35 YEARS …Having carefully reviewed number of Taseko’s 2011-2012 EIS doc’s on New Pros., don’t see對 any substantial change that would
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WHO IS THE VALHALLA WILDERNESS SOCIETY? 35 YEARS OF WORKING to protect WILDERNESS & WILDLIFE • Formed as a non-profit organization in British Columbia in 1970s • A small group of committed people making a difference for bears and other species – our campaigns have saved + 1.25 million acres in British Columbia, Canada • Campaigns based on scientific research, conservation design approach, & community outreach
35 YEARS OF WORKING to protect WILDERNESS & WILDLIFE
• Formed as a non-profit organization in British Columbia in 1970s
• A small group of committed people making a difference for bears and other species – our campaigns have saved + 1.25 million acres in British Columbia, Canada
• Campaigns based on scientific research, conservation design approach, & community outreach
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Intro, VWS
Valhalla Foundation for Ecology & Social Justice
• A land-trust dedicated to secure private lands around or in protected areas, for conservation
• Owns 240-acre Elkin Creek Nature Preserve
20 km from Fish Lake • Tributary of Taseko • Includes chinook salmon
spawning habitat
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Dedicated to securing private land in and around protected areas. As such, own 240 acre Elkin Creek Nature preserve, 15 km from Fish Lake
Let us not repeat our history and past mistakes of high risk-high impact resource development that creates and extinction debt for future
generations. The Windy Craigy Mine in N.W. BC was turned down for high risk and area now protected. Fish Lake should be turned down & protected.
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As background, please be aware society not opposed to all mining development, esp. small ecol footprint and suitable and proven measures to contain waste and pollution and minimize impacts on F&W. We opposed Windy Craigy proposal gold-copper NE BC b/c strong technical evidence showed significant advers and irreversible enviro. Impact. Province wisdom to reject; Alsek Tatshenshini. Wilderness, ecological values, tourism, cultural/herritage values simply world class…
Position of Valhalla Foundation and Valhalla Wilderness Society is against the mine development at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) due to significant adverse impacts on grizzly bears, tourism, Xeni
Gwet’in values identified by the 2010 CEAA Panel as well as other significant adverse effects we have identified on other sensitive wildlife and the associated ecological integrity of adjoining
provincial parks and the Xeni Gwet’in aboriginal/wild horse preserve
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Our society very appreciative of the independent 2010 CEAA panel’s decision to reject Taseko’s Fish Lake proposal based on signif adverse social and enviro. Impacts. Having carefully reviewed number of Taseko’s 2011-2012 EIS doc’s on New Pros., don’t see any substantial change that would alter findings of signif. Adverse impacts concluded by 2010 panel. Practically defies credulity when Taseko mines is allowed to sum=bmit to fed. Gov’t a revised proposal that their own experts admitted to former panel was a worse option. The proposed open pit mine dev’t would still surround “intact” Fish Lake and make the area unusable for the life of the mine (33). Additionaly, water quality of fish lake would become as contaminated as tailings pond according to Taseko’s own engineering expert. Little fish lake, an important fish bearing, amphib…. We thus fail to see how imprisoning FL within what could be the largest open pit mine dv’t in Canada and its associated paved perimeter industrial roadway is an improvement when so many other issues such as surface water, ground water, and contaminated seepage into the aquatic system are not adequately addresses in the 2011 EIS, nor does it appear serious hydrological concerns can be technically addressed in a sufficient manner that does not cause significant harm to the aquatic enviro’s that are the lifeblood of so many sp. Including major fish pop’s such as the major salmon runs using the Taseko river
First wild horse preserve in western Canada
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: the mine is ACTUALLY WITHIN the Nemaiah Aboriginal and Wild Horse Preserve, which is the first of its kind in W Canada. Larger than BNP, ecologically of national and international stature
Since 1989 Valhalla Wilderness Society and other conservation groups have supported the Nemiah
Aboriginal Preserve Declaration
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Nemaiah people spelled out in their 2010 Aboriginal Declaration that the preserve would have no industrial logging, hydro-electric dev’t nor mining. The mine proposal presents a much larger significant adverse impact on the ecolog. Integ. Of the aborig. Preserve than any current land uses, incl logging
Xeni Gwet’in are a horse culture
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The first point is a reiteration of info. We previously presented to the 2010 CEAA panel
DNA studies in Brittany Triangle (TACHELACH’ED) show ancient bloodlines
• Xeni Gwet’in created western Canada’s first wild horse preserve
• Horses probably originated from Spanish horses to the south in about 1750
• DNA study headed by Dr. Cothran, Texas A & M University shows some Spanish ancestry but Canadian Heritage horse and Yakut horse, an ancient breed of Russian heritage, main contributors to ancestry
• Horses in wild horse preserve crossed by Taseko/Whitewater road likely have same ancestry
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DNA studies in the area show that these horses have ancient bloodlines
1989 Xeni Gwet’in Nendduwh Jid Guzit’in or Aboriginal Wilderness Declaration. 2002 ?Elegesi Qiyus Wild Horse Preserve or Eagle Lake Henry Cayuse Wild
Horse Preserve
• Declared that no industrial logging, mining and hydro-electric development
• Aboriginal protection should be recognized by our provincial or federal governments but it is not, as we can see today
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We urge you to give the same recognition to Aborigianl protection of the area as you would for extant mineral bodies in places such as Yoh and Glacier Nat. Parks; leave minerals in ground and land intact, unaltered for future generations.
Taseko Mine Highway will cause considerable wild horse mortality as horses regularly cross current bush
road to access habitats on both sides.
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The Taseko mine highway would cause considerable wild horse mortality as horses regularly cross current bush road to access habitats on both sides
Taseko-run salmon a precious natural resource
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Secondly, The whole upper taseko is a splendind and extremely rish grizzly-bear salmon wilderness
Currently 9 private lodges that market wilderness tourism and generate millions in revenue. Mining is not compatible with
this.
• Photo shows proposed location for Xeni Gwet’in tourism lodge
• 2010 Prosperity Panel recognized wilderness values & negative impacts of mine to wilderness tourism
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Even the 2010 CEAA panel recognized the area as “a pristine, untouched, and unique ecosystem with exceptional vistas, clear glacial fed lakes and streams, relative remoteness and abundant wildlife” In fact, a postcard featuring FL was issues by GoBC as one in a series promoting tourism in the province.
Abundant scenery & wilderness
Mine threatens ecological integrity of major adjacent parks and Xeni aboriginal preserve. Mine & Mine Highway creates a high
fragmentation/blockage for some grizzlies and other carnivores and creates a carnivore mortality sink
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The proposed 56,000 hectare prosperity mine claim area and the whole uppoer Taseko Watershed are surrounded by 3 large PP’s; Big Creek, Tsy’los, and South Chilcotin Mtns Park. The unprotected but largely intact mid-upper Taseko still provides natural cross valley corridors that allow grizz, wolverines, grey wolves and many other sp to travel virtually unhindered b/n these major parks. Such wildlife connectivity extends to 2 other parks; upper lilooet and nuntsi.
The wolverine is only one of a number of sensitive species that will undergo increased road mortality from
the New Prosperity mine
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Large carnivores are becoming increasingly rare around the world, whereas the Nemaiah Aboriginal and Wild horse preserve offers refuge to several healthy large predaotr-prey systems. Without specific provincial species at risk legislation which would protect threatened species and their habitats, it becomes even more necessary to proactively protect and preserve large tracts of intact wilderness so that large carnivores can thrive in perpetuity.
Now pave mine highway to Tetzan Biny (Fish Lake) will impact major cross-valley wildlife corridors between
parks
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History has shown us that if large carnivores and their habitats are not deliberatley protected, they are doomed. In the world biodiversity crisis that we have reached today. Large tracts of intact land connected by wildlife corridors have become invaluable on a global scale for their ecological values and the ecosystem services such areas provide.
Many other animals will be killed on the paved Taseko mine paved highway.
Traffic 3x
2010 grizzly bear conservation study headed by Dr. L. Craighead for Valhalla Society and Friends of Nemaiah Valley showed Chilcotin Region continentally
significant for threatened dryland grizzly bear on east side of coast ranges. Extinct in U.S.
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A grizzly bear conservation study was recently done by Craighead and McCrory in 2010 covering the east side of the coast range, foothills and plateau from South Tweedsmuir Park to Big Creek Park (Chilcotin Ark).
Found West Chilcotin mountains & foothills core grizzly
refugium larger that Greater Yellowstone
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The study found that this large area of occupied grizzly habitat was similar to that of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which is revered as world class. The report provides a suggested framework to protect large carnivore species using recovery of the Chilcotin Dryland type grizzly bear as an umbrella species over the long term.
Global warming = increased ecosystem & wildlife stress. E.g. Clearcuts & roads increase drying conditions and impact sensitive wildlife like grizzlies - more resiliency for wildife to climate
change if leave wilderness intact and don’t fragment it like this.
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The report also addresses the increasingly important role that intact ecosystems will play in the face of climate change. The report recommends MORE protection of this rare, relatively intact ecosystem to meet conservation goals. A mine does not fit.
Mine & new paved highway to Fish Lake will fragment continentally important dryland grizzly bear ecosystem
on east side
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Any further resource dev’t allowed in the mid-upper Taseko such as New Prosperity would thus drive a wedge of fragmentation b/n existing parks, and with a paved Hwy and major transmission line, diminish some of the cross valley connectivity and block access to some grizzlies from the east of the hwy to salmon-bearing areas west of the mine
Roads & clearcuts under SRMP & Tetzan Biny mine biggest access issue and threats to sensitive wildlife, incl. main access road &
transmission line to Fish Lake
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Once a road and transmission line are allowed, other resource dev’t will be quick to follow with a cascading downfall of ecological connectivity and integrity. The area will become the same industrial landscape that borders the Taseko Watershed to the N and E, and in which Grizzly bears are already near-extirpated and many identified species at risk are struggling for survival. In conclusion on this point, collectively these aboriginal and provincial protected areas represent a huge investment by Society in preserving lasting legacies for future generations. But the New Prosperity Mine severely threatens this ecological integrity. It would be a huge loss to society to have these important protected areas become islands of extinction over time due to this panel approving new P, the biggest threat to griz. Bears and ecol. Integ. In the Taseko watershed.
Pink/orange areas show units where grizzly bears are considered threatened in BC, including the Chilcotin Ranges GBPU.
Population down to about 100, but Xeni have a protected core
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POINT 3: We cannot see how the New P 2011 EIS provides sufficient evidence to alter the previous panel’s ruling regarding significant advers impacts on grizzly bears.
New Prosperity Mitigation & Grizzly Mortality Reduction Plan
• Valhalla has been involved in access management issues and Bear Smart programs for the past 30 years in BC
• New Prosperity mitigation may help with proper garbage control but will not be able to stop high mortality to grizzly bears and other wildlife from mine site, mine highway traffic kills and increased hunter access
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. The South Chilco. G. bears are already threatened and a recently written statement to the CEAA panel form the province indicated there is not recovery plan on the books (despite what the company may claim). Mortality factors, including conflicts with ranchers, likely remain at levels above that which would allow pop’n recovery and stability. Mitigation measures downloaded to the province by the NEW P EIS recommendations are thus totally unrealistic and unatainable. TheConservation Officer service has been cut back for years and is often unable to respond to rancher-grizz. Conflicts efficiently, so rancher will shoot bear or sometimes shoot without reporting (personal comm, reliable but annony, guid outfitter). Province has eliminated Bear Smart funding. VWS involved human-bear conflict reduction programs for several decades, snail pace improvement. Thus we don’t see Taseko’s mitigation as feasible. Highway mortality and habitat displacement will remain significant adverse impacts.
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If New P is approved the South Chilcotin grizzly will eventually go extinct. A conservation reality is that a small geographic area such as New P can be a signif. Ecological drain…known as a mort. Sink, creating and extinction debt to be paid by this and future generations. This is a well established and notorious dynamic affecting griz. Bear population viability and med to long term persistence. It seems an improper response to pass an extinction debt onto this and future generations when the return pay-out is in as little as 20 – 40 years.
We support the Xeni Gwet’in created Aboriginal Preserve & B.C.’s first Wild Horse Preserve. Now have Rights & Title Case. Near-intact ecosystem including grizzlies, wolves, cougars,
wild salmon but where people can still survive on the land. A unique people and culture and landscape. A world-class aboriginal protection model as big as Banff National Park
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POINT 4: the New P project proposal does little to address or reduce its impacts on the traditional use of the land by First |Nations or on their cultural herritage. For years we have supported the Xeni Gwet’in stewardship plan for traditional uses, wilderness and cultural tourism in their aboriginal preserve that includes tha Taseko Watershed.
Valhalla has supported the Xeni tourism plan
• Elders wish non-motorized access for backcountry tourism
• Elders wish tourism to focus on all animals and the land, not just one or two species
• Integrate Xeni cultural/heritage values into tourism
• Best opportunities are for low key wilderness tourism. High values
• Xeni have built the Earth Lodge and are planning a tourism lodge
• Having Canada’s largest open pit mine in their back yard and a paved 55 km road to Fish Lake jeopardizes low key tourism opportunities for the Xeni in the Xeni Gwet’in Caretaker area.
Local heritage/cultural features - Earth Lodge Centre & Hiking Trails
Potential bear - salmon viewing Zone at Taseko outlet for Xeni
tourism
2005 tourism study found high wildlife/wild horse values for Xeni Tourism Program
• Retaining the world-class wilderness intactness is key to a sustainable Xeni Gwet’in tourism/wildlife viewing program as well as for other lodge operations and the local lifestyle.
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Their sustainable stewardship plan would be adversely influenced by the mine development if allowed to occur.
Some places like Fish Lake too special & sacred and minerals should be left. Grand Canyon National Park, unfortunately, had a uranium mine until the 1960s. Taxpayers now spending millions
to clean up contamination.
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In closing, having carefuly reviewed some of the newer EIS documents provided, we cannot see how the New P project proposal improves onaddressing the signif. Adverse environmental effects identified by the 2010 panel, nor reduces its impacts on the traditional use of the land by first Nations or on their cultural herritage and tourism plans.
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The mine proponents also continue to ignore potential and established Aboriginal rights and title. The new project proposal makes no difference to the cummulative effects on grizzly bears; they would go extinct. We strongly urge you to maintain the position of the previous CEAA panel and NOT approve New Prosperity.
