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

Hi Craig,

I wanted to quote the two paragraphs below, specifically, though your
entire message was well reasoned and appreciated...at least by me.

On Monday, November 05, 2007, at 9:49:18 AM PST, you wrote:

> Before you approach any tribal council you should consider that,
> from the tribe's point of view, the land was not given to the tribe
> but rather was returned to the tribe. From their point of view
> people have been using their land all this time without permission.
> There will be members of the tribe who will be in favor of continued
> public access and other members opposed to it. But like small
> communities everywhere the majority will probably be concerned about
> jobs and keeping their kids and grandkids in the area.

> If I were trying to convince a Tribal Council to do something I
> would first attend a few Council meetings and see what their plans
> for the area are. It may well be that their ideas and your ideas are
> the same. If not, I would design a presentation that would best
> blend what the tribe wants with what I want. I would spend time
> talking about providing local jobs, how kayaking is an eco-friendly
> activity, and how the tribe can use tourism to increase its
> visibility to the outside world.

I've found that the Quinault tribal council, and their various
committees, can be very accommodating to non-tribal people if they're
approached with respect and a sincere wish to work out solutions that
have the potential to be good for everyone.

As it is now, the Quinault "River Committee" has certain rules for the
use of both Lake Quinault and the lower Quinault river. They do, at
this point, allow Spring through Fall recreational boating on the
lake, as long as an inexpensive permit is acquired for each boat (I
have two kayaks, and sometimes like to take a friend along, so I have
two permits). They do have a small hatchery on the lake, and so their
rules are also designed to keep the lake and river fish populations
healthy and thriving.

Currently though, and for the past several years, the permits are only
good from April to November. For a while, I didn't realize this, and
simply continued my year 'round paddling on the lake. No one ever gave
me any problems, and tribal members even waved to me whenever they saw
me on the water. Once I learned of the seasonal limits, I wrote to
them asking about the possibility of extending the permits; at least
for canoes and kayaks. They were very receptive to the idea, and
invited me to attend a River Committee meeting to discuss it.
Unfortunately, I became very busy just then, and had to be somewhere
else at the time of the meeting. I'm still in contact with them, and
will soon attend a meeting to present my proposal. I'm sure we can
work something out.

I'm not always in agreement with tribal ideas and actions (sometimes
I'm very strongly opposed, depending on the issue), but I do also
agree with their point of view that such lands are not "given" to
them, but "returned", and I respect that.

The situation in BC will be interesting to watch as it unfolds in the
coming years, and I hope that well intentioned Canadians and
reasonable tribal leaders can sort out these issues to everyone's
satisfaction. Even the tribal leaders are aware of modern realities
(their people are no longer the only people around, for instance), and
they too can understand and appreciate how others might be concerned
about access to natural places that are important to all of humanity,
and not just themselves. Give respect, and there's a good chance to
receive respect in return.

-- 
Melissa
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