VANCOUVER - Yesterday the Canadian Boreal Institute of Ottawa expressed its support for the land use agreement between British Columbia and the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Today in support of the same agreement, Tides Canada announced that it will provide funding for the implementation of the agreement.
Tides Canada has created a $5-million endowment fund to provide resources for the implementation of the plan. The initial funding will come from four partner foundations (The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Swift Foundation and Campion Foundation). An advisory committee led by a representative of the T'akhu  Tlèn Conservancy will advise Tides Canada on how best to deploy the funds to support the Taku River Tlingit in delivering the promise of the Atlin-Taku land use plan and build their role in the stewardship of the region.
The Taku is among North America's largest wild salmon-producing rivers and it boasts extraordinary biodiversity, making it a premier continental conservation opportunity. The Taku River Tlingit has profound cultural connections to the Taku and before this agreement almost none of the watershed was protected. Now about 26% of the watershed has been fully protected while providing opportunities for high-bar salmon protection and economic development ventures.
Tides Canada (www.TidesCanada.org) is the country's largest public foundation dedicated to the environment and social justice.
Comments
Rod
I have difficulty in seeing this agreement as a victory for the mineral industry. Instead, rich American liberals are dictating how Canada should be run.