Boreal Footprint Project
2003 marks the third year that the Boreal Footprint Project (BFP) has
been working to enhance public understanding of the biological and
cultural values of the worldwide boreal forest. This will be the
project’s final report.
World Parks Congress: This past fall, BFP published a new report,
“Aboriginal Experiences in Canada—Parks and Protected Areas,”
detailing the experiences of indigenous peoples with protected areas
management in Canada. The report, together with other case studies, was
compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) to be distributed to stakeholders at the Fifth World Congress on
Protected Areas. The report proved popular at the recent World Forestry
Congress in Quebec City, Canada, and was picked up by a variety of
organizations, indigenous people, and governments. The report is
available at www.taigarescue.org.
BFP goes to Washington: In the spring of 2003, BFP’s Rural Development
Expert Sarah Lloyd went to Washington, DC, to take part in roundtable
discussions on assessing sustainability in American forestlands. A
review of socioeconomic criteria and indicators of sustainability
written by Lloyd and BFP Founder Chanda Meek was submitted as part of
the official record. Lloyd was also able to meet Bill Clinton’s Forest
Service Chief Mike Dombeck. The report, published by the US Forest
Service this past fall, can be read at
http://www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/.
Grassy Narrows Makes Headway: Members of Grassy Narrows First Nation in
northwestern Ontario, Canada, continue the year-long blockade of
logging roads to protect their right to hunt, trap, and fish on 25,000
square miles of wilderness recognized by the Canadian government as the
tribe’s traditional land area. On December 3, the Ashishinabek people
began the action with a peaceful demonstration on a highway used by
Abitibi Consolidated, the largest paper producer in North America, to
ship clear-cut trees from the area. On November 13, Abitibi offered to
leave a 10-square-kilometer buffer around the Grassy Narrows reserve
lands, and to refrain from clearcutting within 20 kilometers of the
reserve, thereby protecting 1,250 square kilometers from clearcutting.
The blockade, led mostly by women and youth, has been going strong even
through bitterly cold winters. This conflict is at the heart of a case
Grassy Narrows has brought to Ontario courts to decide whether
Abitibi’s brand of industrial forestry can co-exist with Grassy
Narrows’ constitutional right to live off of their lands.
BFP supporters have sent hundreds of letters of protest to Abitibi and
the Canadian government. These letters of protest have lit a fire under
the company, with hopeful results. As Grassy Narrows’ Grand Chief
Jourdain said, “Our people just want to have a say in the state of our
forests, participate in the opportunities [created by forest
resources], and maintain our way of life into future generations.”
After working with the Taiga Rescue Network and bringing our campaign
to the US, BFP is closing shop, as our team of specialists has gone on
to new challenges. Director Chanda Meek moved back to the boreal zone
in Fairbanks, Alaska, to research power-sharing agreements between
native governments and state agencies. BFP Program Associate and boreal
volunteer extraordinaire Megan Dunn has begun a new career as a union
organizer. Sarah Lloyd has inherited an organic farm in Wisconsin and
is also working with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, an organization that
promotes the care of natural resources and fosters an ethical
relationship between people and land. We thank all of BFP’s supporters,
including Earth Island Institute, for all the support over the years.
Several large environmental organizations have begun new boreal
campaigns, and we here at BFP are proud to have been able to provide
vision and leadership in the promotion of boreal conservation. To stay
up to date on the fate of the boreal forest, check out our allies at
the Taiga Rescue Network at www.taigarescue.org.
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