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Tourism

Director Report

As we head into summer, we have started to see the familiar annual increase in migratory travellers passing through the Nation. Accommodation providers have reported a healthy jump in occupancy rates for April (compared to last year) and we are looking forward to seeing how far tourism rebounds to pre-COVID levels.

Alex Buri

Tourism Director Our continued focus this year is on creating a strategy that will guide the next three years of ecotourism development, built on a strong foundation backed by community buy-in. With that in mind, the past few months have seen the research component of that strategy largely completed. This has included a survey of current tourism infrastructure and potential tourism products ranging from new accommodation options to cultural tours to trail rides — with a focus on sharing Tahltan culture and ways of life. I have been inspired by all the conversations I’ve had with both Tahltan entrepreneurs as well as ecotourism leaders from other First Nations who are already seeing the positive benefits of a sustainable ecotourism economy. “I have been inspired by all the conversations I’ve had with both Tahltan entrepreneurs as well as ecotourism leaders from other First Nations who are already seeing the positive benefits of a sustainable ecotourism economy.”

Starting this May, my focus will switch to visiting highpotential ecotourism regions in-person and assessing the viability of potential products. In parallel, we will also begin a series of community and member engagement sessions to gather input and feedback to guide the strategic decisions we make going forward. This will help us understand what kind of tourism we want to see, how many visitors we can safely sustain, and which areas may or may not be off-limits for tourism. I am looking forward to hearing your feedback on these topics and to sharing our vision for ecotourism at the upcoming Annual General Assembly (AGA).

Throughout the spring, we have also been evaluating the purchase of numerous businesses that would serve as strategic tourism investments for the Nation. While the process of due diligence and evaluation takes time, we are looking forward to sharing future announcements with you. We are also on the hunt for a 12–15 passenger shuttle van which we will use to create new tourism products aimed at keeping visitors in the territory longer.

Wildlife

Director Report

Westin Creyke

Interim Wildlife Director I am excited to be transitioning into my new role as Interim Wildlife Director after spending one year as the Guardian Coordinator. The Wildlife Department has been busy throughout the late winter and into the spring with multiple projects.

Our team in the Wildlife Department encourages everybody to get out and enjoy the arrival of spring. While doing so, please be mindful that bears come with it so proper garbage and food management is encouraged. Without a Conservation Officer currently stationed in Dease Lake, problem bears are likely to be the Guardians’ problem.

TAHLTAN PREDATOR PROGRAM

The Guardians were able to trap a total of nineteen wolves from Klappan, Tseneglode, Willow Creek, Muddy Lake Road, Burnt Trailer, and Dease River throughout winter and early spring. During that time, community members utilized the incentivized harvesting program to hunt and trap fourteen wolves from various locations. The harvest incentive remains for wolves and grizzlies but is no longer in place for black bears.

Additionally, we were able to deploy collars on wolf packs at Dease Lake, Level Mountain, and Klappan. We had planned on deploying two more collars, but poor snow conditions forced us to postpone our final day of wolf captures until November. This is in addition to collars on wolf packs in Edziza, Telegraph, Creek, Iskut, and Spatsizi. The information gained from these collars will be used to plan further predator management actions and support changes in caribou and moose management.

TAHLTAN CARIBOU COLLARING PROJECT

We deployed additional caribou collars on the LevelKawdy, Tseneglode, and Spatsizi herds and deployed our first round of collars on the Edziza. Caribou collars had not been deployed on the Edziza herd until now as the low population total made capturing riskier, so we needed to wait for ideal capturing conditions. The collar information, with Tahltan monitoring surveys, is being summarized, then will be reviewed with Tahltan Knowledge and community members. The review will support mapping the ancient and historic ranges with current trends. This information will support Tahltan recovery of caribou herds in the Nation.