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April 2005
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nechako
Watershed Council meeting at Saik’uz Potlach House
has symbolic meaning Friday May 6, 2005 - The April 29th meeting of the Nechako Watershed Council (NWC) held in the Saik’uz Potlach House on the Stoney Creek Reserve had significant meaning and provided fond memories for many of the members. The Saik’uz Potlach House was the location at which over 100 individuals gathered in 1996 – almost nine years ago to the date to discuss ways to address environmental, social and economic issues regarding the Nechako Watershed in a cooperative approach. This gathering led to the formation two years later of the Nechako Watershed Council in 1998. Last week, Chief Colleen Erickson welcomed the NWC to the Potlach House and extended her best wishes for the success of their meeting. The NWC received a comprehensive update on the state of the White Sturgeon stocks in the Nechako River and the recent activities of the Sturgeon Recovery Team. To add to their knowledge on the subject of enhancing sturgeon stocks, the NWC also received a presentation from Don Petersen, of the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Mr. Petersen spoke about the value and importance of building a hatchery and rearing facility to preserve the genetic pool of the Nechako sturgeon stocks. At the end of the meeting the NWC supported the desire of the Vanderhoof Municipal Council to have the hatchery located at Vanderhoof on the basis of good science. In recent months the NWC also started to explore the impact of the vast mountain pine beetle attack on the environmental characteristics of the watershed. To better understand the effects, the NWC heard a presentation from Dave Maloney of the British Columbia Ministry of Forests who described research efforts to assess changes to the water table This information will be valuable to the NWC as they develop their next steps in address pine forest and the issue of defoliation. The next meeting of the NWC will be held in Terrace on
June 10th. For
Information Contact: Henry
Klassen (Nechako Watershed Council Chair) (250)
567-4254 |
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