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No Prosperity For Fish Lake

Living in the most sparsely populated region of British Columbia is both a privilege and a curse. In addition to enjoying world class outdoor recreational pursuits, the quality of life includes all the fresh air you can inhale, chance encounters with wildlife not on display in cages, and a pace to the day that won’t skyrocket your blood pressure into the stratosphere. However, due to its geography, northwest British Columbia is also a treasure for industrial projects that, if approved, would permanently scar the landscape, irreparably spoil the precious life giving water, and adversely interrupt traditional lifestyles.

Northwest British Columbia desperately needs a shot in the arm economically. Jobs are scarce, optimism teeters precariously atop the head of a needle, and families vacate this gorgeous venue for greener financial pastures at their earliest convenience. It is this very fact that looms over the region and is being held as a bargaining chip by both the proponents of industrial projects and the provincial government.

There are no shortages of proposed industrial projects for the region. Of the most recent, Enbridge is pushing their Northern Gateway Pipeline project with plans to construct a twin pipeline from outside Edmonton, Alberta to a yet to be built facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, and then loaded on to massive cargo ships destined for Asia.

Another pending project is the Prosperity Mine located at Fish Lake, southwest of the Quesnel and Williams Lake areas of BC. Don’t you just love the cuddly names given to Earth wrecking projects? In this case, the ‘prosperity’ in Prosperity Mine is reserved for the various levels of government who will reap something in the order of 600 million dollars in tax revenues over the 20 year lifespan of the mine.

One of the more ridiculous components of the open pit gold and copper proposal by Taseko Mines of Vancouver is the complete draining of two natural lakes (Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake) and the construction of a man-made replacement lake. Those ruined natural lakes would then be converted into toxic tailings ponds. Would it not be saner to leave the natural part of the ecosystem of those two lakes and just construct an artificial tailings pond?

Teztan Biny, the aboriginal name for Fish Lake given by the ancestral Tsilhqot’in people supports a genetically unique species of Rainbow Trout that has historically been a food source for the First Nations and grizzly bear alike.

A federal review panel has clearly stated that Prosperity Mine is a bad idea and that it posed “significant adverse environmental effects”. Despite this, the BC provincial government approved the 800 million dollar Taseko Mines proposal. Does this mean the Harper government will rubber stamp its approval to permit a Spring 2011 construction of Prosperity Mine?

The Tsilhqot’in Nation has a hearty tradition of protecting the Chilcotin Valley and area. In 1864, they fought to protect the land from the invasion of gold prospectors. They kind of won. They were successful in preventing a gold rush on their traditional lands, however, some of their War Chiefs were hung after being lured to false treaty negotiation meetings. Shameful.

In their fight against Prosperity Mine, the Tsilhgot’in people are resolute. They openly proclaim to sacrifice their lives to ensure their traditional lands do not fall victim to the devastation that a two kilometer wide open pit mine and its ancillary destruction can wreak on a little corner of the planet that has sustained them since time immemorial.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photographer. Author. Poet. Songwriter. Student of Human Behavior. Community Activist. Social Commentator. Environmental Steward. Wage Slave.

Visit Curtis Sagmeister online at www.sagmeister.ca

Posted by Curtis Sagmeister Friday Sep 03, 2010 15:01
Categories: Fish Lake, RAVEN General | Tags: Aboriginal, British Columbia, environment, First Nations, fish, fund-raising, indigenous, lakes, mining, Prosperity, Taseko, Tsilhqot'in, water, Xeni Gwet'in

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