Province/Tahltan Government outlined the details of the Klappan Plan

The Province of British Columbia and the Tahltan Central
Government have developed a land management strategy for the Klappan

The Province of British Columbia and the Tahltan Central Government have released the details of a wide ranging land management plan for the Territory of the Tahltan people.

The area is of significant concern for the Tahltan holding Sacred headwaters considered one of the key ecological areas of note in the world and one which they have been fiercely protective towards.

That importance of the area to the Thaltan formed the main thrust of the preamble to the 25 page report.

The Klappan Plan over this area includes approximately 636,000 hectares in northwestern British Columbia, and encompasses the area identified by the Tahltan people as the “Sacred Headwaters,” an immense subalpine basin which is the birthplace of three salmon bearing rivers, the Skeena, Nass and Stikine. These rivers are fed by water purified in the peat lands and the tributaries of the Klappan. 

The longstanding Tahltan relationship with this area continues to this day as it is home to many resources, including fish and wildlife, which sustain the Tahltan people and communities.

The report charts much of the past discussion towards the creation of the plan and notes the shared vision that the province and Tahltan Central Government have towards its stewardship, with a range of recommendations to sustain the values of the Klappan and increase long term stability towards land and resource use in the region.

The plan itself features three distinct zone with a range of acceptable land use options for each zone.

Zone A: Major industrial activity in the Sacred Headwaters zone’s approximately 287,000 hectares is deferred for a minimum of 20 years, but the plan includes flexibility for amendments should consensus be reached by both the Tahltan and the Province on adjusted land-management objectives in the future. While industrial activities are not considered generally acceptable activities in this zone, other land uses and forms of tenure, such as recreation and guide outfitting, are considered generally acceptable.

Zone B: An area with a high concentration of Tahltan values, proposed project designs for economic development in this more than 49,000-hectare zone will need to account, in advance, for all relevant cultural information collected, with consideration of ways to address, avoid, minimize or mitigate potential impacts.

Zone C: At more than 284,000 hectares, this zone provides predictability for proposed economic development that is environmentally and culturally responsible and conforms to regulatory processes and agreements between the Tahltan and B.C. government. Economic development, including potential industrial activities, is viewed as appropriate and acceptable in this zone and will generally be supported.

Doug Donaldson the MLA for the Stikine region and Minister of Forests, Lands Natural Resource

Operations and Rural Development highlighted the milestone that the agreement makes for.

“I live in the northwest and fundamentally understand the significance of this milestone for creating land use certainty in the plan area, which contains such an abundance of vital ecological values for the watersheds involved. Congratulations and thank you to all of the Tahltan Nation Elders, members, provincial government staff and countless others who have worked steadfastly together to realize this vision. Meduh.”

Among the Fires Nation leaders signing onto the plan Tahltan Central Government President Chad Norman Day made note of the importance of the Klappan area and the Sacred Headwaters.

“The signing of the Klappan Plan has been many years in the making and I commend all the people and partners who have tirelessly advocated and worked alongside the Tahltan Nation to make this historic day a reality,” Day said. “The Klappan area and Sacred Headwaters are culturally significant to our people, and one of the most ecologically important areas in the world, so we are truly excited to see this area protected for all future generations.”


You can review the full report here.

For more items of interest from the Skeena and Stikine districts see our archive page here, for notes on the North Coast constituency see our Legislature archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review