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MARCH 28, 2001, KOEYE POINT, B.C. - A First Nations community on the mid-coast of B.C. and three prominent conservation organizations today announced a unique partnership to secure ownership of a contentious property with tremendous conservation values in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Heiltsuk Nation, Ecotrust Canada, Ecotrust and the Raincoast Conservation Society have committed to jointly purchasing and managing the Koeye River Lodge, which is perched on 74 hectares of land at the mouth of the Koeye River, a critical cultural site for Heiltsuk people, and a valley identified as having some of the highest conservation values of any watershed on the central coast.

Qvíltákv, a Koeye hereditary chief (whose English name is Edwin Newman), said: "The Koeye was one of the major village sites for the Heiltsuk people. We're just happy that we've been able to take control of the lodge. Now we can start to fight to save the area from other developers, rebuild the salmon runs, and protect the headwaters from logging. I'd also like to thank those who made it possible for the Heiltsuk people to purchase the lodge."

Ian Gill, president of Ecotrust Canada, said the purchase of the Koeye River Lodge builds on a three-year partnership between Ecotrust Canada and the Heiltsuk, during which time Ecotrust Canada has assisted the community to develop a conservation-based development plan for Heiltsuk territory. Ecotrust Canada has purchased the Koeye River Lodge with the assistance of Ecotrust, Raincoast and The Land Conservancy of B.C., and will transfer ownership to the Heiltsuk in the future.

"The Heiltsuk made it clear from the outset that the Koeye is the heart of their territory. This is a step towards returning Heiltsuk lands to their rightful owners, and towards building a conservation economy on the central coast," said Gill.

The purchase of the property for almost $1-million (Canadian) was made possible through generous contributions from U.S. philanthropists Howard and Peter Buffett. Howard is a noted wildlife photographer and businessman, and Peter is a musician with a long-standing interest in indigenous rights. Both have visited the B.C. coast. Howard has been involved with Ecotrust as an early board and Council member and is actively supporting major conservation projects in the US, India and South Africa. Mr. Buffett said, "Our interest is in seeing this become Heiltsuk land forever and that it serve them for cultural and environmental restoration purposes. We are assured that they will be the best long term stewards of the Koeye River watershed. We have every confidence in Ecotrust and Ecotrust Canada and their long experience with First Nations communities in British Columbia."

Spencer B. Beebe, President of Ecotrust, applauded the generosity of the Buffetts for enabling what he called "a just transition of ownership" from private fishing lodge operators to the Heiltsuk Nation. "We are delighted to be able to continue our support to the Heiltsuk and reclaim such an important part of their culture and their history," Beebe said.

The Heiltsuk Tribal Council's Chief Councillor, Robert Germyn, said, "It's really good to see that through collaboration with NGOs like Ecotrust and Raincoast, and with the help of the Buffetts, we've been able to secure the property. We are really ecstatic that a prime piece of land is coming back home."

Ian McAllister, of the Raincoast Conservation Society, said protecting the Koeye has long been an important goal of B.C. conservationists. "The Koeye river valley is the only place on the BC coast where grizzly bears walk white sand beaches in open sight of the Pacific. It is a spectacular valley and the opportunity to transfer the lodge into Heiltsuk control will ensure a sustainable future for this important river system."

The parcel of privately-owned land in question was clearcut logged by an earlier owner, and a lodge was then built in 1996, and improved by the current owners. However, it has never successfully operated as a commercial lodge, in part due to the opposition of the Heiltsuk. The Heiltsuk have long opposed any development in the Koeye. Most of the valley is slated for logging by Weyerhaeuser, which holds the Tree Farm Licence for the area, but the valley is currently pristine. "Our next step now will be to start working with the licencees in the area," Chief Germyn said. "I think it makes sense now to seriously consider setting the Koeye aside."

In recent years, the Heiltsuk have built cabins in the watershed to house cultural and scientific education camps for Heiltsuk and non-native children and elders, which have been supported by Ecotrust Canada, Ecotrust and the Raincoast Conservation Society.

New plans for the lodge include building and site renovations, establishment of a scientific field station, ecotourism operations, youth camps, and in the winter months, use of the facility for a healing and recovery centre for Heiltsuk and other people. Further funds remain to be raised to cover transaction costs and to provide operating monies for the successful operation of the facility under Heiltsuk leadership.

The Koeye River is 7 km south of Namu, and 45 km south east of Bella Bella, which is the main Heiltsuk village and the largest First Nations community on the central coast. The 18,000-hectare Koeye watershed was first identified as an area of critical ecological importance in a 1991 report by Keith Moore, COASTAL WATERSHEDS: An Inventory of Watersheds in the Coastal Temperate Forests of British Columbia, published by Earthlife Canada Foundation, Ecotrust and Conservation International.

It is anticipated that the purchase of the lodge will be celebrated at a community feast to be held this summer.

For more information, contact:
Qvíltákv (Edwin Newman) (250) 957-2354
Robert Germyn (250) 957-2381
Ian Gill (604) 682-4141
Spencer Beebe (503) 227-6225
Ian McAllister (250) 957-2480
To contact Howard Buffett, please call Spencer Beebe.