North Vancouver's Tsleil-Waututh First Nation is planning to become the 131st nation to sign a declaration that would ban Enbridge's Northern Gateway project and other proposed pipelines from crossing their land in order to protect the vast Fraser River watershed.

The Fraser Declaration is set to be signed tonight by the Tsleil-Waututh after a ceremony honouring members visiting from five first nations with territories between Prince George and the Coast Range that have campaigned across the country in opposition to the project.

Meanwhile, Enbridge announced last month that almost 60 per cent of the 45 aboriginal communities along its proposed pipeline route have accepted an equity position in the $5.5-billion project.

"The numbers are significant from a political or moral perspective, but ultimately it will come down to half a dozen first nations along, or near, the coast who seem implacably opposed and who will take this to the courts if necessary," said University of B.C. political science professor Michael Byers.

"If this issue goes to the courts, we are looking at probably a decade of delays."

The Tsleil-Waututh cannot legally challenge the Northern Gateway project as it would not pass anywhere near its territory, but Chief Justin George says his nation still opposes the pipeline.

However, he said the nation plans to challenge the proposed $4.1-billion twinning of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline, which ends within the nation's Burrard Inlet territory.

George said his nation intends to fight Kinder Morgan's expansion and will seek intervener status once the National Energy Board's public hearings begin for the project.

His community remembers when Kinder Morgan's pipeline was struck by a city contractor in North Burnaby on July 24, 2007, he said.

Nearly a quarter-million litres of crude spewed into a residential neighbourhood and, via the storm sewers, into Burrard Inlet.

At the time, the B.C. Ministry of Environment said oil sheens as large as three metres by 10 metres spread throughout Bur-rard Inlet, as far west as Canada Place in Vancouver and as far east as Deep Cove.

"The risks associated are just too high," George said. "Our goals are to be able to eat healthy foods harvested from our waters.

"We want to mitigate and reduce ongoing environmental impact in our waters."

Enbridge has sought support from first nations along the route of its controversial pipeline, which would cross northern B.C. and half of northern Alberta, a distance of 1,177 kilometres linking Bruderheim, Alta. with the B.C. port city of Kitimat. Enbridge intends to build a terminal at Kitimat, where tankers will load oil sands bitumen and transport it through coastal waters en route to Asian markets.

The first nations groups opposed to Enbridge's pipeline have publicly announced their position, but the identity of those in favour of the project remains secret.

Enbridge did not respond for comment before press time.