Today the Wilderness Committee is honouring William “BJ” Alexander of the St'át'imc (pronounced Stat-lee-um) Nation, Seton Lake Band in Seton Portage, BC with the 2009 Eugene Rogers Environmental Award. The award is being presented at the Wilderness Committee’s Annual General Meeting, from 2 to 5 PM at SFU Wosk Centre for Dialogue, in Strategy Room 320.
The award is given out annually to a grassroots environmentalist who has made an outstanding contribution towards protecting the environment of BC. This award has been presented for 16 years and is accompanied by a $1,000 prize.

“BJ has brought together First Nations, environmentalists, scientists and volunteers to collectively promote the implementation of the St’át’imc Land Use Plan, particularly regarding wilderness protection and cultural/spiritual utilisation of the magnificent Cayoosh and South Chilcotin Mountains. These mountains contain some of the biggest remaining wilderness areas in southern British Columbia. Many of the ancient First Nation trails that criss-cross this wilderness have been restored thanks in large part to BJ’s ‘nation building’ efforts and organizing skills,” said Andy Miller, Staff Scientist at the Wilderness Committee.  

“He also has worked tirelessly to communicate the message that the visionary St’át’imc Land Use Plan be honoured, that special wilderness areas be protected and that First Nations youth fully use these areas for cultural purposes. More recently BJ’s efforts to identify the location of industrial toxins and assess their impact on the health of citizens in St’át’imc communities, and his work to re-open community farms to encourage healthy lifestyles have had many positive effects,” said Miller. 

BJ is being recognized for 10 years of work with the Wilderness Committee and other groups that resulted in 20 remote wilderness expeditions led by St’át’imc Nation youth during which over 50 km of ancient trails were repaired, new archaeology sites found, and lifetime-friendships forged. BJ worked on projects ranging from the deep-water filming of the breeding cycles of mysterious but declining populations of kokanee salmon, to chemical analysis of soils suspected of being polluted by industrial waste, to re-opening historic farms. 

“BJ and his extended family and friends also welcomed the Wilderness Committee and our hundreds of volunteers into their communities and homes to share with us the pristine splendour of their wilderness territory and teach us their culture. This year alone, they hosted over 100 Wilderness Committee volunteers hailing from 27 different countries to labour away on farm, trail, and remote wilderness cabin-building projects. The many feasts and cultural celebrations were memorable for all involved,” said Miller.  

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For further information:

William (BJ) Alexander, Award Winner, 250-259-8227 (Seton Band Office)

Andy Miller, Wilderness Committee Staff Scientist 604-683-8220 or cell 604-992-3099

Click here for BJ Alexander’s bio and the Eugene Rogers Award.