Over the last few months, you may have heard about the ridiculous plan by Taseko Mines Ltd. to destroy Fish Lake by turning it into a toxic waste dumpsite for a gold-copper mine, and replace it with man-made Prosperity Lake.
Fish Lake is a lake so rich and abundant it is home to over 90,000 fish, and the Tsilhqot’in people have considered it sacred for time out of mind. It’s a lake so beautiful it was featured in a GoBC tourism promotion and so well known it draws sports fishers from around the world.
We all know that there is no way to replace a natural lake with a man-made one. It’s a cheap and shoddy imitation of the real thing. During the Federal Panel Review Taseko Mines could present no evidence that they could build a lake that was a self-sustaining ecosystem or that the fish would even be safe to eat. The destruction of Fish Lake would have had irreversible impacts on First Nations cultural traditions and rights, destroying both a sacred place and a major source of food. Taseko’s mining plans as a whole would have had a terrible impact on grizzlies in the area.
For these reasons and more, the Review Panel appointed by the Federal government has made the right decision.
This project’s impacts on the environment are unacceptable, and it should not go ahead. Now the final decision goes to the Federal cabinet. Although the review panel’s decision should carry the most weight, we all know politicians don’t always act in the public interest. We need to remind them that we are watching, and that we will not stand by and let them sacrifice Fish Lake to Taseko’s bottom line. Write a letter today, and stand up for Fish Lake!
Andrew Radzik | Outreach Director
Wilderness Committee
Three things make the Wilderness Committee the ideal environmental volunteer experience for me: first, the Committee has an uncompromising commitment to the environment and wildlife; secondly, its staff is forthright, friendly, passionate, politically savvy, committed, funny, and great to work with; and lastly, the Committee provides constructive opportunities to get directly involved in a wide range of activities, campaigns, and issues for the benefit of the environment and wildlife.