History was made recently with The Wildlife Management Area MOU signing between the province and the Chehalis people on Feb. 24 during a traditional ceremony.
The MOU will ensure that 1,000 acres of wetlands on the west side of the Harrison river will be protected as well as the species that call it home, including the thousands of eagles that flock there every fall to feed.
After two decades of deliberation, with opposition from the district of Kent, who held their ground with concerns over the ability of farmers to drain their fields as well as concerns over the ability to remove gravel from the river to prevent flooding and the potential loss of commercial and recreational opportunities, concessions were made and the MOU caught a foothold.
“There have been discussions with the district of Kent and The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural resource Operations, and basically, we have an understanding with them about areas of concerns and we have an agreement with the government that we can continue to do what we need to do to service our citizens,” Mayor John Van Laerhoven told The Observer.
The deal also had a push from Chilliwack-Hope MLA Laurie Throness who noted the “logjam” and fought alongside the district to see concerns quelled for an agreeable solution.
“When I became the MLA, the initiative had been stalled for many years. To break the logjam, I opposed the agreement’s approval until the district’s concerns were satisfied, which forced negotiations to begin in earnest,” he said. “Ministry staff adjusted the boundaries of the WMA and drafted a creative MOU to protect the district’s interests interests. In consequence, the district passed a motion last summer to support the WMA, leading to signing of the MOU.