scooter
12-14-2005, 06:22 PM
I truly don't think that Leonard Ellis truly understands what he's done.
Scott
Eco Group Buys Hunting Rights
Nicholas Read
CNS
http://www.dose.ca/images/gray_line_news_hdr.gif
Monday, December 12, 2005
VANCOUVER— For the first time in B.C. history, an anti-hunting group has bought the guide-outfitting rights to a prime piece of the province’s wilderness with a view to permanently ending the commercial killing of all animals in the area.
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation paid $1.35 million late last month to acquire the guide-outfitting rights to five contiguous hunting regions along the central B.C. coast. Together, the regions, which stretch from the northern tip of Vancouver Island in the south to Princess Royal Island in the north and represent a land mass of more than 20,000 square kilometres, are home to hundreds of native species, including popular commercial game such as grizzlies, black bears, the so-called spirit bear (a genetic anomaly of the black bear that manifests itself in a white coat), wolves, cougars, mountain goats, moose and deer.
But Raincoast, in conjunction with the six First Nations who occupy the territory — the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo, Xai’xais, Wuikinuxv, Gwa’Sala-Nakwaxda’xw and Nuxalk — intends to put an immediate end to all commercial hunting in the area. It would mean that no one from outside B.C. would be permitted to kill any animals in the region for sport. B.C. residents, who operate under different regulations, may continue to hunt and kill wildlife in the area.
The deal will be announced at a press conference in Vancouver later today.
According to provincial regulations, licensed guide-outfitters must continue to facilitate some hunting in areas for which they are responsible. Raincoast conservation director Ian McAllister, who helped broker the deal, said the company will live up to those obligations by allowing hunting of some ungulates for food.
“There is no other example in North America where conservation interests have bought out such a large commercial hunting area before,” McAllister said.
First Nations representatives, who currently are negotiating a Land and Resource Management Plan with the province, say they hope the deal will be expanded in early 2006 to include a ban on resident sport hunting as well. About 40 per cent of all animals killed along the coast are killed by resident hunters.
“First Nations don’t hunt for trophies,” said Heiltsuk chief Ross Wilson. “We kill for need, not desire.”
Wilson said he has met with both provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner and Agriculture and Lands Minster Pat Bell to put forward his nation’s case against trophy hunting.
“I think the minister hears us,” Wilson said. “What he does might be another story.”
Kitasoo band manager Percy Starr was more optimistic.
“I’m very much excited about the status of our government-to-government process now,” Starr said. “It appears they want to negotiate with us. I know there will be some major changes in our relationship. I’m hopeful that they will support what we want.”
He added sport hunting and ecotourism can’t co-exist, and that a live animal is worth much more to their local economies than a dead one.
“Ecotourism works in a lot of areas for us,” Starr said. “People want to see whales and bears, and we try to utilize those opportunities. But when you have a hunting licence in the heart of our territory, that’s not going to help us.”
Raincoast bought the licence from former guide-outfitter Leonard Ellis who held the guide-outfitting rights to the territory since 1981. The society raised the money over a six-month period mainly from private donations, McAllister said.
One of the major donors, Daymen Photo Marketing executive vice-president Michael Mayzel, who with his business partner, Uwe Mummenhoff, contributed a “very significant” amount of money to the project — he refused to say exactly how much — said he did so because of his special regard for bears.
“The killing of bears through hunting has always appalled me,” Mayzel said. “Because it’s just senseless, particularly when people are brought in from other countries strictly to hunt and kill bears, wolves and so on. I just find it appalling. Hunting for food is one thing, but hunting for trophies is wrong.”
Ellis said because of the increasing popularity of ecotourism, and the frequency with which tourists’ and hunters’ paths crossed, it no longer was commercially viable for him to continue to bring out-of-province hunters into the area.
“In the old days, there was basically nobody up in this area except for a few commercial fishermen and loggers,” Ellis said. “Now people have turned a lot of the areas into ’green’ areas on the coast, so people drop in more frequently.
”Hunters don’t like hunting when there are other people around. They like having the place to themselves.“
Scott
Eco Group Buys Hunting Rights
Nicholas Read
CNS
http://www.dose.ca/images/gray_line_news_hdr.gif
Monday, December 12, 2005
VANCOUVER— For the first time in B.C. history, an anti-hunting group has bought the guide-outfitting rights to a prime piece of the province’s wilderness with a view to permanently ending the commercial killing of all animals in the area.
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation paid $1.35 million late last month to acquire the guide-outfitting rights to five contiguous hunting regions along the central B.C. coast. Together, the regions, which stretch from the northern tip of Vancouver Island in the south to Princess Royal Island in the north and represent a land mass of more than 20,000 square kilometres, are home to hundreds of native species, including popular commercial game such as grizzlies, black bears, the so-called spirit bear (a genetic anomaly of the black bear that manifests itself in a white coat), wolves, cougars, mountain goats, moose and deer.
But Raincoast, in conjunction with the six First Nations who occupy the territory — the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo, Xai’xais, Wuikinuxv, Gwa’Sala-Nakwaxda’xw and Nuxalk — intends to put an immediate end to all commercial hunting in the area. It would mean that no one from outside B.C. would be permitted to kill any animals in the region for sport. B.C. residents, who operate under different regulations, may continue to hunt and kill wildlife in the area.
The deal will be announced at a press conference in Vancouver later today.
According to provincial regulations, licensed guide-outfitters must continue to facilitate some hunting in areas for which they are responsible. Raincoast conservation director Ian McAllister, who helped broker the deal, said the company will live up to those obligations by allowing hunting of some ungulates for food.
“There is no other example in North America where conservation interests have bought out such a large commercial hunting area before,” McAllister said.
First Nations representatives, who currently are negotiating a Land and Resource Management Plan with the province, say they hope the deal will be expanded in early 2006 to include a ban on resident sport hunting as well. About 40 per cent of all animals killed along the coast are killed by resident hunters.
“First Nations don’t hunt for trophies,” said Heiltsuk chief Ross Wilson. “We kill for need, not desire.”
Wilson said he has met with both provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner and Agriculture and Lands Minster Pat Bell to put forward his nation’s case against trophy hunting.
“I think the minister hears us,” Wilson said. “What he does might be another story.”
Kitasoo band manager Percy Starr was more optimistic.
“I’m very much excited about the status of our government-to-government process now,” Starr said. “It appears they want to negotiate with us. I know there will be some major changes in our relationship. I’m hopeful that they will support what we want.”
He added sport hunting and ecotourism can’t co-exist, and that a live animal is worth much more to their local economies than a dead one.
“Ecotourism works in a lot of areas for us,” Starr said. “People want to see whales and bears, and we try to utilize those opportunities. But when you have a hunting licence in the heart of our territory, that’s not going to help us.”
Raincoast bought the licence from former guide-outfitter Leonard Ellis who held the guide-outfitting rights to the territory since 1981. The society raised the money over a six-month period mainly from private donations, McAllister said.
One of the major donors, Daymen Photo Marketing executive vice-president Michael Mayzel, who with his business partner, Uwe Mummenhoff, contributed a “very significant” amount of money to the project — he refused to say exactly how much — said he did so because of his special regard for bears.
“The killing of bears through hunting has always appalled me,” Mayzel said. “Because it’s just senseless, particularly when people are brought in from other countries strictly to hunt and kill bears, wolves and so on. I just find it appalling. Hunting for food is one thing, but hunting for trophies is wrong.”
Ellis said because of the increasing popularity of ecotourism, and the frequency with which tourists’ and hunters’ paths crossed, it no longer was commercially viable for him to continue to bring out-of-province hunters into the area.
“In the old days, there was basically nobody up in this area except for a few commercial fishermen and loggers,” Ellis said. “Now people have turned a lot of the areas into ’green’ areas on the coast, so people drop in more frequently.
”Hunters don’t like hunting when there are other people around. They like having the place to themselves.“