Communities Need to Create One Voice
By 250 News
Dan George, talks to conference about need to harmonize
The mountain pine beetle is having a significant impact on First Nations, just like other northern communities says Dan George, the CEO of the First Nations Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative.
There are some added complications for First Nations says George, like the impact on cultural-traditional practices. The beetle devastation has changed wildlife corridors, disrupted water tables and is having an increased impact on the ability to gather traditional medicines and berries. It also poses increased fire risk, especially to the more than two dozen First Nations communities which are only accessible by logging roads.
Dan George called for a harmonization of efforts. He posed a question to the group "What can we do to mitigate effects of the mountain Pine Beetle recognizing we are all here to stay?" He said that in order to move forward there has to be a harmonized strategy "Only through being co-operative and collaborative will there be any strong move forward".
"I think the Stand up for the North Conference is a beginning of trying to get us to gel as a team, a team B.C. approach if you will, or a team Northern B.C.. I think that all the different gropups have a significant amount in common in terms of their mandate and the strategic goals they have identified for themselves. I've been to different forums and interacting with all these people and we are working towards a ways and means of how we can bring some focus, some sharpness to the work that we are doing."
Dan George is not unhappy with the progress the Province has made so far on Mountain pine beetle initiatives in resarch and silviculture projects "All these things are starting to come together. It may not be as quickly as we would like, it may not be as focused as we would like at this point, but from the circle I travel in, everything is on the table and it is just a matter of prioritizing what is most important at this point."
He is firm on this point, working together. "Our success as British Columbians, as Northerners is to work together. We need to recognize we may see things differently, but that's o.k., we have to capitalize on that diversity."
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Posted by: kimbo on November 7 2006 9:59 AM
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I tend to agree. I am a very active participant in three forums, two are industry led with input from the general public, and one is partially funded by the federal government. In addition, I consult to a subsector of the forest industry, which brings me even closer to some of the on-the-ground practices.
Most of the 24+ resolutions identified have been on the table for some time and several are being acted on already. Perhaps a backgrounder of where the industry, the government and researchers are at this time would have been helpful to build on.
I could go over each one and give you my view of them, but that would be too lengthy and very few here would be intersted in that sort of detail.
In my view, the get-together was more emotion based than science and business based. Eventually the latter will have to be strengthened without loosing from the emotion and politically charged atmospehere which will sustain the driving force.