Lost Valley a Treasure Chest of Biodiversity and St’at’imc Culture
Mike Alexander, who lives in the St'at'imc community at Seton Portage near Lillooet, British Columbia, looks out over Lost Valley
Several hundred kilometres to the north of Vancouver lies the mountain country of the St’at’imc (pronounced Stat-lee-um). Their land is one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth--encompassing the biggest mountains, canyons, rivers and lakes in southwest BC.
St’at’imc communities are strategically located near ancient transportation routes and salmon rivers in towns and villages such as Lillooet in the east of their country, Mt. Currie in the west, Seton Portage in the north and Port Douglas in the south.
St’at’imc, is both the name of the people and that of their ancient land. St’at’imc have their own history, language, songs and creation stories. They have been blessed with abundant clean water and wildlife such as; salmon, sturgeon, eagle, spotted owl, mule deer, mountain goat, cougar, grizzly bear, wolf and many plants used for food or medicine.
However, the neighboring communities of Greater Vancouver and southwestern British Columbia are putting ever more pressure on the St’at’imc’s natural wealth. Hydroelectric dams on the Bridge River have decimated several salmon runs and drowned out critical valley-bottom wildlife habitat. The power line swaths leading back to Vancouver have scarred the landscape. Logging operations have flung clearcuts and roads throughout their territory opening it up to increased hunting pressure and damaging wildlife habitat. The train linking Northern BC to Vancouver occasionally derails spilling pollutants into streams and lakes of the region, and a proposed ski resort in the Cayoosh Range at Melvin Creek threatens grizzly bear and mountain goat populations.
William Terry Sr. of Lh7us (Seton Portage).
"It is critically important to preserve areas like Lost Valley because the heritage features and archaeological values that exist there really are a symbol of our lands and evidence of our presence on those lands for the past several thousand years"
- Chief Garry John, St’at’imc Tribal CouncilSeveral years ago the St’at’imc invited the Western Canada Wilderness Committee to come and see parts of their territory that had not yet been impacted by industrial activity.
We were taken to the 10,000 hectare Lost Valley, the largest unlogged watershed in the Cayoosh Range. The St’at’imc had discovered that BC Timber Sales – a logging operation owned and operated by the Government of British Columbia – were planning to log the Lost Valley. What we saw in the valley amazed us. We went away determined to do what ever we could to help protect it from the government’s logging scheme.
Picture this: Lost Valley Creek thunders through an awesome gorge in its lower reaches before spilling out into Anderson Lake only four kilometres away from the St’at’imc community at Seton Portage. The creek contains some of the purest fresh water to be found anywhere in the province. Lost Valley Creek’s headwaters rise in the high alpine of the Cayoosh Range, home to rare wildlife such as the spotted owl, the most endangered bird species in Canada. Other species living in Lost Valley include a population of grizzly bears listed as threatened by the province and several hundred mountain goats that occupy the surrounding peaks and alpine ridges. Located in Lost Valley’s middle reaches is a remarkably biodiverse mosaic of wild forests that range from dry ponderosa pine forest to rainforest to subalpine forest all within a few kilometres. Beside the creek the forests regulate, filter and cool the water, ensuring its high quality and predictable flow.
The Lost Valley is about twenty kilometres long, with a history of aboriginal use many thousands of years old. A well-worn footpath can still be followed up the Valley past redcedar trees with the telltale scars of historic bark harvesting and cache pits that hint of past hunting trips.
Will the BC government heed the St’at’imc’s strongly held wishes to protect Lost Valley and cancel plans to log the area? Read on to find out more about Lost Valley and how YOU can join the effort to protect it.
