Photo: Andy Miller, Wilderness Committee - Tla-o-qui-aht leader Moses Martin, with the Hawiih (Hereditary Chiefs) behind him, addressing the large gathered crowd.

Today, Wilderness Committee representatives - myself (Geoff Senichenko), Andy Miller and Paul Morgan attended the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations Esowista village beautification and expansion sod turning ceremony.

It was an honour to attend this important ceremony where the environmental community, among others, was thanked for supporting the expansion project. Several years ago, Moses Martin, a Tla-o-qui-aht leader asked for the Wilderness Committee's support in their expansion plans for the overcrowded Esowista village for new housing by removing a parcel of nearby land from Pacific Rim National Park. Since the Tla-o-qui-aht were never consulted when the park was created in the early 70's and were completely surrounded by park land that made it very difficult to build more housing, we gladly offered our support.

The ceremony was great. It was a beautiful day, with many speeches, words of thanks and thank you gifts, along with traditional singing and dancing. The over four hour event was broken up by a lunch feast of delicious barbecue salmon.

Over the years the Wilderness Committee has worked closely with Tla-o-qui-aht, from the 80's trail buidling and helping to protect the Meares Island Tribal Park (still successfully protected by court injunction)  to more recently helping to protect Ha'uukmin (Kennedy Lake watershed & Clayoquot Valley watershed) Tribal Park, and with offering support to the present Esowista expansion project. We've enjoyed working with them in the past and look forward to many more future projects to work together on, strengthening our ongoing relationship with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations.

Geoff Senichenko,

Wilderness Committee Director of Research and Mapping

P.S.  Check out our new publication on the Ha'uukmin Tribal Park:

http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/sites/all/files/publications/2009_cl…