Historic Atlin- Taku Land Use Agreement

Vancouver, B.C. July 19, 2011

VANCOUVER, B.C.—The Taku River Tlingit First Nation today signed

historic agreements with the British Columbian government establishing

land protection measures and shared management responsibility for their

ancestral lands.

The Wóoshtin Wudidaa (Flowing Together) Land Use Plan protects more

than seven million acres from commercial logging and designates over

two million acres as First Nation Conservancy Parks. In addition, the

Taku River Tlingit and provincial government have agreed to a joint

governing process, Wóoshtin Yan Too.aat (Walking Together), to guide

future resource-related decisions.

For more than twelve years Utah-based Round River Conservation

Studies has worked with the Tlingit in northern British Columbia to

provide technical assistance, conduct community interviews, and craft a

conservation design to help guide their land planning. Supported by the

Campion Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Swift

Foundation and Wilburforce Foundation, Round River also helped to

establish an endowment fund with the T’akhu  Tlèn Conservancy to

assist in the implementation and management of the agreements.

“These agreements represent long overdue respect and recognition for

my people, an acknowledgement of who we are as a people and our

Tlingit khustiyxh, or way of life on the land, that we are so intricately

connected to,” says Taku River Tlingit First Nation Spokesperson John

Ward.

Michael Soulé, a Round River Trustee and pre-eminent conservation

biologist, says he hopes the successful negotiations will be helpful to

First Nations and global conservation: “This agreement with the BC

government is precedent setting and will encourage other First Nations

world wide to confidently strive to protect wilderness and wildlife on their

ancestral lands.”

Contacts:

Dennis Sizemore, Round River Executive Director, 801-694-3937

John Ward, TRTFN Spokesperson and Round River Trustee, 250-651-7900

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