Hesquiaht First Nation has been successful in its attempt to stop a logging crew from harvesting a cut block in its traditional territory.
Hesquiaht’s concern first came to light by way of a joint news release issued by the nation and the Friends of Clayoquot Sound on Aug. 5.
Tribal Administrator Bernard Charleson said Hesquiaht had been “blindsided” when work crews arrived to set up operations in their village on Aug. 4.
Complicating the matter is that the tenure is held by Iisaak Forest Resources Ltd., which is owned and operated by a consortium of Central Region Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.
The two blocks Iisaak hoped to harvest are old growth timber located near Hesquiaht Peninsula Park, above Hesquiaht Harbour. One block is in Hesquiaht traditional territory and the second is in Ahousaht territory, said an Iisaak representative.
Last week, Charleson said Hesquiaht council had not been consulted and did not receive any notification of the cut.
“Our position is that there should be no commercial activity in that area of any type, such as commercial fishing. And that includes logging,” he said.
Charleson said the area has been heavily impacted by past logging operations. On land, the yarding and hauling killed off salmon runs in a number of small streams and the resulting siltation destroyed clam beds in the estuaries, he explained.
The Hesquiaht Fisheries Department has worked to restore those salmon streams damaged by poor logging practices. Charleson said the one fish-bearing stream that has seen some success would be endangered by the proposed logging and road building.
“It’s right behind Stephen Charleson’s Hooksum [Outdoor] School. The river supplies water to the school,” he said.
Bernard said any logging in the area could affect the “site livability” of the school itself.
At the time Ha-Shilth-Sa spoke with Charleson, he advised that Hesquiaht had not devised a plan to oppose the logging, but on one point he was adamant.
“We will take whatever steps are necessary to prevent logging in our territory,” he said.
Charleson said his Nation would work in concert with Hooksum Outdoor School, FOCS and the Hesquiaht community to fight the proposed operations. He noted that Hesquiaht has had previous success in shutting down commercial incursions into its traditional territory, but not before considerable damage had already occurred.
Contacted last week, Iisaak General Manager Paul McWilliams said he felt equally “blindsided” by the FOCS news release spelling out Hesquiaht’s objections to the proposed logging. McWilliams said he would consult with Hesquiaht council to work out a solution to the situation.
On Tuesday, Bernard Charleson advised that Iisaak had provided Hesquiaht with a stop-work letter, advising that they would not proceed without further discussions.
“They haven’t started building the road, yet. The equipment is still sitting there,” Charleson said.
On Wednesday Aug. 12, McWilliams contacted Ha-Shilth-Sa to provide an update. He characterized the impasse as the result of “poor communication” between the partners in the consortium.
“As it stands, we’re not moving forward on that small block in Hesquiaht territory,” he said. “We will harvest the other block, which is in Ahousaht territory. [Ahousaht First Nation] has reiterated their full support for the harvest,” said McWilliams.
The equipment that is parked in Hesquiaht territory is needed for the Ahousaht phase of the operation, so it will not be removed for the time being, he said.
