Re: [Paddlewise] Loss of Kayaking Areas on Vancouver Island. BC, Canada

From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:15:17 -0800
Harvey Golden wrote:
> I'll be the first to admit I know very little about this situation, but
> it seems to me that a good starting point would be to ask the new owners
> permission to use launching and camping sites.  I know its not the
> white thing to do, and we have a tried and true history of fixing such
> inconveniences with violence and rascism, but it might be a nice
> gesture.

Harvey, as usual, yours is the voice of reason and rationality.  In fact,
the (sometimes intense) dialog on West Coast Paddler has pretty much
evolved in that direction.

However, there is quite a bit of anxiety up there about the future 
development of public lands which had previously been "locked up" by the BC 
government, at least on a de facto basis, for recreational use, in 
particular massive areas of Clayoquot Sound, etc.  This is not just 
hand-wringing ... rather, it is honest concern, in the face of past 
practices of __some__ (not all) of the First Nations peoples in BC.

Change is difficult, especially when a resource you thought was "safe" is 
no longer.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Sun Nov 04 2007 - 18:15:33 PST

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