Declared an Indigenous Protected Area by the Kanaka Bar Indian Band. Legislated protection is still pending as discussions with the provincial and the federal government continue.
Fraser Canyon near Lytton, BC, Nlaka’pamux territory. See PDF map.
320 km2 / 32,000 hectares total area. 120 km2 / 12,000 hectares of old-growth forest.
Nlaka’pamux
Home to some of the most endangered and diverse old-growth forests in BC, the T’eqt’aqtn Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) proposed by Kanaka Bar encompasses the Kwoiek and Four Barrel Watersheds and adjacent parts of the spectacular Fraser River Canyon. T’eqt’aqtn means “the crossing place”—in reference to two opposing whirlpools that enable the Fraser to be crossed here with just four paddle strokes.
This region is one of the most biologically rich and ecologically diverse areas in BC, including 42 species at risk. It encompasses the transition zone from coastal to interior ecosystems, including old-growth interior Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, western redcedar, white and Engelmann spruce, and whitebark pine. Of particular value is the protection of old-growth forests from the Interior Douglas-fir (IDF) zone, which is the most underrepresented ecosystem in the protected areas system in BC. In fact, this proposed IPCA includes the largest specimens of interior Douglas-fir trees known in the country!
The region’s varied habitats range from valley bottom to mountain top, to rainforest, to dry savannah, hosting a wide variety of fascinating species, including mountain goats, tailed frogs, and rubber boas (Canada’s only boa!). The region is also home to the imperiled Stein/Nahatlatch population of grizzly bears, which is considered to be among the most genetically isolated populations of grizzlies in North America.
A new protected area here would be contiguous with the adjacent Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park to the north and near the Mehatl Creek and Nahatlatch Provincial Parks to the west and south. This ecological connectivity is vital for maintaining viable populations of animals and plants, especially wide-ranging megafauna such as the grizzly bear.
In addition, the proposed IPCA hosts numerous archeological sites, including one of the oldest petroglyphs in all of Canada.
Through the Old-Growth Solutions Initiative (OGSI) (a partnership between Ancient Forest Alliance, the Endangered Ecosystem Alliance (EEA), and the Nature-Based Solutions Foundation (NBSF)), we are working to provide key support from start to finish to develop and establish the T’eqt’aqtn IPCA. This includes funding stewardship initiatives and capacity for land-use planning, recruiting large-scale philanthropic funding, and purchasing private lands of high conservation and cultural value to be given back to the community. We also work to raise public awareness through wide-spead social and news media campaigns while pressuring the provincial and federal governments to support the IPCA with significant conservation financing, helping to create a conservation-based economy in activities such as eco-tourism, stewardship, restoration, and clean energy that will bring greater prosperity to the nation.
The IPCA plan is still undergoing further development, including consultation with neighbouring communities and land-use planning before it is finalized, and boundaries are preliminary for now. Ultimately, it will require legislated protection from the province, likely through a Provincial Conservancy designation, and greater financial support from the provincial and federal governments, including for sustainable economic development, before it is finalized.
How to support: Help our partner, the Nature-Based Solutions Foundation, hit their next fundraising goal of $500,000 for the Kanaka Bar’s T’eqt’aqtn IPCA.
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