Andy Miller - staff scientist

Earlier this year I began receiving a flurry of emails from members of the St’at’imc (say Stat-lee-um) Nation near Lillooet, BC about possible renewed interest by the BC government to allow an ill-advised ski resort city to be built in a beautiful and pristine high mountain valley, known as Melvin Creek, deep in the Cayoosh Mountain range near Lillooet, BC. The resort idea, first floated in the late 1990’s, was immediately met with strong resistance at the time from First Nations, scientists, and conservationists alike. Scientists were worried about the populations of grizzly bear and mountain goat in the valley. Conservationists were worried about the long list of industrial threats to the relatively pristine Cayoosh Mountains, and First Nations, although also concerned about these things, were also worried about losing the home of their Winter Spirit, and many kilometers of ancient trails and traplines.

Scientists responded to the threat by fast-tracking their studies that showed the resort would have negative ecological effects. Conservationists responded by forging stronger partnerships with First Nations throughout the region and to help clear ancient trails to facilitate wilderness access for First Nation youth. First Nations responded by establishing a protest camp at Melvin Creek and meeting directly with government to say, emphatically, NO to the ski resort and YES to protection of the St’at’imc Winter Spirit. As a result of this united opposition, most felt that the ski resort idea was dead.

Now, ten years later, some people believe that the ski resort city idea appears to be rising from the dead like a Halloween ghost.  

Luckily, the protest camp at Melvin Creek has over the years grown into a full-fledged St’at’imc Nation community with year around residents and a plan to build a small youth facility at the camp, located only 100 metres from highway 99, 7km east of Duffy Lake. The camp (called Sutikalth in the St’at’imc language) has epic symbolic importance, hosting thousands of visitors annually from around the planet since the 1990s. The visitors come to give thanks to the St’at’imc Nation for defending their territory. Members of the St’at’imc Nation regularly stop in to drop off provisions and provide moral support for the few inhabitants living completely “off the grid” at Sutikalth.

Back in 2002, the Wilderness Committee and St’at’imc youth started re-clearing an ancient high-country route into Melvin Creek, used by St’at’imc peoples for cultural and spiritual purposes for thousands of years. Over the years the Wilderness Committee and the St’at’imc Nation have mounted nearly a dozen trail building expeditions to Melvin Creek.

In response to the apparent recent renewed corporate and BC government interest in the proposed Melvin Creek Ski Resort, the Wilderness Committee sought and received approval to work with First Nation youth to complete the trail system, linking upper Melvin Creek to other ancient First Nation trails leading to St’at’imc communities including N’Quatqua, Seton Portage and Shalalth. Today, the Wilderness Committee is proud to announce that the final trail linkage between upper Melvin Creek and Mount Melvin, leading directly through the proposed Ski Resort has been located and we are beginning to mark it with stone cairns and flagging.

The Wilderness Committee is also proud of the fact that for the first time in many years, St’at’imc youth and hunters have clear trail access directly from their communities to destinations throughout the northern Cayoosh range. 50 km of ancient trails have been cleared and numerous First Nation youth have stronger cultural and spiritual ties to the sacred St’at’imc wonder known as Melvin Creek and the Cayoosh Mountains.

With the pending completion of the trail system First Nation youth are planning hikes directly through the Cayoosh Mountains to Melvin Creek and, most importantly, reintroduction of the St’at’imc Nation tradition of holding annual gatherings at a giant ceremonial meeting rock deep in the wilderness of the Cayoosh Mountains, where their ancient trials meet near the headwaters of Lost Valley, Barkley Valley, Wade Creek, and Melvin Creek. The ceremonial meeting rock, a giant square slab of white marble, awaits their next gathering.