Sacred Headwaters Klabona (Tahltan) | |
|---|---|
 Sacred Headwaters | |
 Location in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates:57°13′00″N129°01′00″W / 57.21667°N 129.01667°W /57.21667; -129.01667 | |
| Location | Kitimat-Stikine RD andStikine Region, British Columbia |
| Native name | Klabona (Tahltan) |
TheSacred Headwaters is a largesubalpinedrainage basin centred aroundKlappan Mountain of theKlappan Range in northernBritish Columbia. It is the source of three wild salmon rivers: theSkeena River,Nass River, andStikine River. It is also referred to as the Klappan Valley, although the Klappan—a tributary of the Stikine River—is only one of the area's watersheds. LocalTahltan people call the areaKlabona, which is loosely translated as "headwaters".
The area has a significant population ofgrizzly bears,stone sheep,caribou,wolves, andmountain goats.[1]Salmon swim over 400 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the upper reaches of the river.[citation needed]
 | Theneutrality of this section isdisputed. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please do not remove this message untilconditions to do so are met.(March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Tahltan Nation has a culture that is intricately woven into all aspects of their language, art, governance, and everyday life.[2] The Tahltan Nation is divided into two clans, Crow and Wolf; each clan is further divided into several smaller family groups.[1] Placing an importance on culture is how the Tahltan Nation has been able to preserve their heritage, language, and lands for so long. The Sacred Headwaters are located right in the middle of the Tahltan's territory.[3] This shows how long these Sacred Waters have been culturally embraced by the Tahltan Nation, using it as a ceremonial and cultural event grounds. The Sacred Headwaters have been a part of the Tahltan Nation's territory for thousands of years, and they had been struggling for decades to have access to the waters and preserve the land for future generations.[4] There are three major zones that are being heavily affected by major industrial activity: Zone A has been under major industrial activity for a minimum of 20 years; Zone B, an area with high concentration of Tahltan values, is under economic development; and Zone C is proposed for economic development that is environmentally and culturally responsible, and conforms to regulatory processes and agreements between the Tahltan Nation and the BC government.[5] In August 2019, the Tahltan Nation won the right to culturally preserve and save their sacred headwaters in a court case between the Nation and the government of BC.[6]
The Sacred Headwaters is rich in mineral and energy resources, particularly coal andcoalbed methane. Several industrial development projects were planned for the area, includingFortune Minerals' open-pit Klappan Coal Mine[7] andRoyal Dutch Shell'sKlappan Coalbed Methane Project.[8] Shell Canada in 2009 conducted several environmental baseline studies within the Klappan tenure area.[9] The British ColumbiaMinistry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources estimates the Klappan coal deposit could contain as much as 8.1 trillion cubic feet (230 km3) of coalbed methane gas.[10]
Fortune Coal Limited (FCL) entered on 13 July 2011 into an unincorporatedjoint venture withPosco Canada (POSCAN). The venture, an 80–20 split, was based on mineral rights held by FCL and finances provided by POSCAN. FCL was 100% controlled byFortune Minerals Limited, an Ontario-based company that traded on theTSX Venture Exchange. POSCAN, which contributed $30 million to the project, was a subsidiary of one of the world's largest steel producers,[11] and had strong ties to theGovernment of South Korea.[12] The financial resources of the FML were not sufficient to bring any of its properties into commercial production as of 2012. The Klappan project was estimated to need $789 million to begin production, and to generate substantially less than 1,000 jobs.[13] FML called this the "Arctos Anthracite Project".[11]
Thegovernment of British Columbia, in whose jurisdiction the mineral rights are held, planned on 20 September 2013 to dispatch a minister to deal with the First Nations' blockade of the project.[14] Some First Nations groups committed to defending the Sacred Headwaters. "We dare Fortune to get us arrested," said group spokesperson Rhoda Quock. “We have cameras here. We will make sure the world knows what’s going on.”[15] On 23 September Quock was interviewed[16] onCBC'sAs It Happens, and asked Fortune to obtain an injunction. The CEO of FML said on 24 September that the company would not seek an injunction, and that they would let the BC government mediate a settlement instead.[17]
The Klappan Coalbed Methane Project was a proposal byShell Canada to develop acoalbed methane project in the Sacred Headwaters. In 2004, the British Columbia government grantedRoyal Dutch Shell a 400,000-hectare (4,000 km2) tenure for coalbed methane development. It was accessed by road via the abandonedBC Rail grade, which intersectsBritish Columbia Highway 37 south ofIskut. As of summer 2008, Shell's project was in the exploration phase. Shell drilled three exploratory wells in 2004 and was preparing to drill 14 additional wells in 2008, 8 of which were proposed for the headwaters of the Skeena River. If developed, Shell's project would have entailed a network of gas wells connected by roads and pipelines, as well as a pipeline to deliver the gas to market. Shell disclosed neither how many wells would have been necessary to make the project economically viable nor route options for the delivery pipeline. The Klappan Coalbed Methane Project was opposed by bothFirst Nations groups andnon-governmental organizations. ThePembina Institute, an environmentalistthink-tank, released a report on the potential impacts of the Klappan Coalbed Methane Project on wild salmon, calling it a "risky experiment" as commercial coalbed methane production had never been attempted in a salmon-bearing watershed.[18] On December 18, 2012, the B.C. government announced that Shell Canada would relinquish its tenure on the land, and that oil and gas development would be banned in the Sacred Headwaters.
In April 2015, the Government of British Columbia bought all coal licences in the area around Mount Klappan, halting development for the foreseeable future. At the same time, the Tahltan First Nation and provincial government began working on a long-term plan for the Sacred Headwaters.[19]
The campaign to protect the Sacred Headwaters from industrial development is profiled in a 2022 documentary film,The Klabona Keepers.[20]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
