October 21, 2009
MLA Pays Tribute to Novel Community Forest

VICTORIA – West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre made the following statement in the legislature yesterday to highlight the Cheakamus Community Forest, one of the first operations on the B.C. coast to employ a new ecosystem-based management approach.

“I rise today to pay tribute to all those involved in the successful launch of the Cheakamus community forest limited partnership.

“I was privileged to attend the recent opening ceremony at the Squamish cultural centre in Whistler where community members and partners gathered to celebrate and mark the significance of the partnership among the Resort Municipality of Whistler — or RMOW — and the Squamish and Lil'wat first nations in achieving the first 25-year tenure license with the province.

“Cheakamus community forest is one of the first operations on the B.C. coast to employ a new ecosystem-based management approach, which will allow for timber forest harvesting without compromising the forest ecosystems or undermining other tourism, recreation or cultural forest values.

“Community forest agreements are a mechanism by which the province transfers decision-making to communities that wish to more fully participate in the stewardship of their local land base. They support new options and economics, recreation, wildlife and watershed management.

“In this case, it provides a great opportunity for the RMOW, Squamish and Lil'wat nations to further strengthen their ties through an equal economic partnership that honours cultural traditions and manages resources in a manner that protects the wild spirit places now known as conservancies that were recognized in the Sea to Sky land resource management plan.

“This agreement offers the partnership the right to an annual harvest of 20,000 cubic metres of the 30,000 hectares in the surrounding Whistler area. The region encompasses the Callahan and Brandywine valleys to the south, the Wedge, 16, 19 and 21-mile to the north, and Cheakamus valley to the southeast.

“More than three-quarters of this land are alpine lands that will contribute to the management of forest values other than a productive working forest, which makes this community forest agreement unique.

“This agreement represents a dream come true for many in the community, such as forester Don MacLaurin, Peter Ackhurst, the inaugural chair and former Whistler mayors, going back to Terry Rogers, Ted Nebbeling, Hugh O'Reilly and current Mayor Melamed.

“So congratulations to Heather Beresford and her team from RMOW, and importantly, congratulations to the three equal partners for their vision, their spirit of cooperation and mutual respect in making this a reality.”

-30-