2006/07 Annual Workplan Approved

The stage is well-defined for McGregor’s final year in Phase III of the Model Forest Program – our partners’ needs strongly relate to McGregor being located at the center of three key factors: 1) the mountain pine beetle epidemic; 2) the “New Relationship” with First Nations, and; 3) rural community vitality. An excellent slate of projects has been proposed by partners and they reflect the major challenges facing northern British Columbia.  The Board of Directors has approved the 2006/07 Annual Workplan (pdf), which includes several keystone projects that demonstrate national leadership and local community engagement, including :

• developing PlanNet software application – an internet-based and spatially-referenced land use planning tool;
• hosting a conference on the socio-economic and environmental factors affecting the vitality of BC rural communities;
• organizing a workshop on climate change that focusses on community-level impacts and adaptations;
• entering into a contribution agreement with the Carrier Sekani and the Lheidli T’enneh nations to facilitate the establishment of a partnership-based Sustainable Development Institute.

Who Stands on our Board of Directors?

The MMFA is advised by a diverse and talented Board of Directors comprised of representatives from first nations, industries, federal, provincial and local governments, practitioners, researchers, and general interest groups. This year we are privileged to welcome a number of new directors to the team. We have recently completed a webpage profiling all our directors and we invite you to visit the site to learn more about our directors. We also plan to profile two directors with each newsletter issued. In this issue we will profile one of our new directors from the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Tara Marsden; and the chair of the Board, Wayne Martin, from the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.

Tara Marsden - Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

Tara Marsden is a member of the House of Gamlaxyeltxw, in the Lax Ganeda (Frog/Raven) Clan of Gitanyow. She grew up in Kitwanga, Hazelton and Prince Rupert before moving to Prince George to complete her Bachelors and Masters of Arts Degrees in First Nations Studies and Political Science at the University of Northern BC. She has also completed the BC Legislative Internship Program, and subsequently worked with the BC Government Caucus. Tara most recently wrote her masters thesis in Political Science on consultation and accommodation between First Nations in Northern BC and the Province of BC. Tara currently works for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council in the Treaty Department as a Communications Officer. Previously, she also held the positions of Treaty Policy Analyst and Land Use Planning Coordinator for the tribal council.

Wayne Martin (chair) - BC Ministry of Forests and Range

Although I was born and grew up in the suburbs of Montreal, I have spent most of my working years in BC. The Ministry of Forests continues to be my employer after completing a Ph.D. (in Forestry) at UBC in the fall of 1985. We have spent about twenty enjoyable years in Northern BC between Smithers, Burns Lake and Prince George, experiencing different jobs, living in smaller communities, and meeting and working with excellent people. The names of the Forest Service offices may have changed but many of the same people still reside and contribute to their community and the Forest Service’s well being. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to move from Burns Lake to the larger centre of Prince George in 1999. I continue to serve as regional staff manager for the Northern Interior Forest Region since that time.

Implementing the “New Relationship” with First Nations

Decision-making on natural resource management has been a source of contention between the two levels of government and First Nations.  Despite numerous court cases, modern treaty negotiations, and other efforts at relationship-building, First Nations still lack the capacity and the recognition of government to engage meaningfully in decision-making.  The McGregor Model Forest (MMF) has addressed this by seeking an improved relationship with the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC), whose traditional territories coincide with the research area of the MMF.

A working group has been established of MMF and CSTC staff to develop a concept, framework, and plan for a Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), which would design and pilot shared decision-making models that recognize Aboriginal Rights and Title and Treaty Rights.  A preliminary concept paper has been completed, and further work has been planned for the new fiscal year.  The concept paper reflects the vision of the “New Relationship” document signed by the First Nations Leadership Council and the Province of British Columbia.

The document states:
"We agree to establish processes and institutions for shared decision-making about the land and resources and for revenue and benefit sharing, recognizing, as has been determined in court decisions, that the right to aboriginal title “in its full form”, including the inherent right for the community to make decisions as to the use of the land and therefore the right to have a political structure for making those decisions, is constitutionally guaranteed by Section 35. These inherent rights flow from First Nations’ historical and sacred relationship with their territories. "

The SDI would breathe life into this commitment, and would ensure that a high-level agreement is implemented on the ground.  The months ahead will involve exciting and groundbreaking work for the joint working group, the MMF Board of Directors, and the CSTC.

Update on the NFS BC Coalition

The BC Coalition for Implementation of the National Forest Strategy held a meeting in Victoria, Feb 20, 2006 to coincide with the annual general meeting of the National Forest Strategy Coalition.  About 20 participants discussed the report “Living up to Our Commitment”, an interim report on BC’s progress towards the goals and objectives outlined in the National Forest Strategy (NFS).  There was lively discussion around the report with First Nations expressing some concerns about lack of FN input and perspective in the report.  This will be addressed by providing the FN communities with an opportunity to write a supplemental piece to be distributed concurrently with the report.  The Coalition also discussed ideas to include in the next year’s activities in support of the NFS.  Gordon Weetman, Chair of the BC Coalition, reported on the Coalition’s activities to the National Forest Strategy Coalitions Annual Meeting.  The McGregor Model Forest Association continues to provide secretariat support for the Coalition’s activities.  The second newsletter, Coalition Update (pdf), is available for viewing online.

Communities and Climate Change Workshop

 Workshop:         Communities and Climate Change: Planning for Impacts and Adaptations
 Date:                    May 17, 2006 - stay tuned for more details
 Location:            Civic Centre, Prince George 
 Organized by:    McGregor Model Forest and FORREX
 Sponsored by:   Natural Resources Canada - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program; McGregor Model Forest; University of Northern British Columbia, FORREX

Is your community prepared to deal with the impacts caused by climate change?  Flooding, ice-storms, pests, disease, wildfires, and potholes are some of the impacts that communities need to plan for.  While we can’t predict all the potential impacts (did anyone predict a mountain pine beetle epidemic of this magnitude?), we need to start recognizing the areas where we may be vulnerable so that we can begin adapting plans to reduce our risks.

There is a significant need to improve the linkages and coordination between climate change researchers and community planners, leaders and practitioners, the people who need to make changes on the ground to prepare for our future. Information and knowledge being developed is not effectively being mobilized or transferred to where it is needed most.  This workshop will initiate this process of knowledge transfer, helping to prepare for impacts and develop mechanisms for adaptation, and will propose some innovative new mechanisms for continuing the linkages beyond this one-day event.

For more details about this workshop, please view the second announcement and registration form (pdf).

Russia Project