* Pristine wilderness area at the head of the Kispiox Valley, adjacent to Swan Lake provincial park. 50,110 hectares in size. Approximately 65 kms north-east of Hazelton.
*World famous sports fishing river for Steelhead and several species of Salmon. People come from all around the globe to fish the waters of the Kispiox River.
* The affected tributaries are many, and include: the Kispiox main stem, the East Kispiox, the Nangeese, and many small but significant salmon bearing creeks.
* The logging interests are: Skeena Cellulose, and small business operators. (Selling logs mainly to Skeena Cellulose.)
* Prime habitat for all species of salmon, including coho, and steelhead.
* It is well known for the grizzly bears that live and den in the upper slopes of the mountains and fish in the rivers in the fall.
* Up to 70 % of the remaining salmon stocks in the Kispiox spawn and rear in this area. The Kispiox still has a healthy run of coho largely because of this undeveloped pristine watershed.(as many as several thousand wild coho use this area, but accurate figures are not available as very little if any research has been done to establish what we are going to lose by logging it off) Note that the Bulkley/Maurice river system, where the coho is virtually extinct has been extensively logged and developed throughout the entire drainage. This makes it all the more important to hold onto the existing healthy ecosystems while they are still productive.
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* After many years of community based planning sessions and meetings attempting to reach a consensus, a proposal was sent to cabinet last summer for eventual approval. This spring a "decision" was handed down: The proposed boundary was approved for some kind of protection, with the exception of a large amount of the lowland timber stands along the East Kispiox and another area of significant size, in all totaling 15% of the area and a much higher percentage of the total timber. A final decision has not been made on these areas. It is exactly in the areas containing the timber stands that the highest value coho salmon habitat is found. So the heart of the area we are trying to protect is being ripped out. As we have seen so many times in BC, the rich ecosystems in the valley bottom is being logged off and the people and the salmon are left with the rock and ice of the high country. Once again the salmon come out the losers. * The opportunity for low impact, sustainable, long term economic opportunities will be lost here if this whole area is not left intact. Not only will it affect the upper Kispiox directly but the downstream affects of more logging in the Kispiox watershed will leave the same inevitable negative impacts as always: more extreme water flows, greater siltation of salmon habitat, more radical change to the flow regimes of the river.
* The rights of the Gitksan houses whose territories are in this area are seriously impacted by this as well. The opportunity for future, sustainable, traditional or non-traditional activities for the Gitksan will be lost if logging plans go ahead. The Timing: The Kispiox Watershed Protection Coalition has, in our possession, Ministry of Forests maps showing the road pushed into these areas and cut blocks all laid out along the river. The dates for this work are 1998-2001. This work could start as soon as this summer.