ʔEsdilagh Tŝilhqot’in Territory: The ʔEsdilagh First Nation (Alexandria First Nation) enacts an internal permitting system for their members to exercise their Aboriginal right to sustenance hunt for bull moose only within parts of their traditional territory.
The community of ʔEsdilagh had shut down moose hunting to their members since 2017. The community of ʔEsdilagh and its members restrained from hunting moose during that time due to concerns of low moose numbers and the unknown negative effects that the 2017 wildfires may have had on the moose population. Through numerous community meetings the tough decision to halt all moose hunting was put in place.
During the temporary halt on moose hunting, the ʔEsdilagh community also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) in 2018. The MOU was an immediate tool to assist in the enforcement of any community member that went against the communal decision to temporarily ban hunting moose. A newly agreed upon MOU will be re-signed within the next couple of weeks, and it will include the internal permitting system in place by ʔEsdilagh.
Although the moose populations and densities are not at historic levels, the recent population estimates completed indicate that the moose population is now at a place where limited bull moose harvest for sustenance can occur, and ʔEsdilagh feels there are enough moose for their community to authorize a set number of internal permits. Parts of Management Units 5-02D, 5-13B, and 5-14 (see map) will be included in the permitted area for the ʔEsdilagh members to hunt for bull moose from August 1 – December 30, 2020.
Quotes:
Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Roy Stump, ʔEsdilagh First Nation: “Food security has been and remains a challenge for our people. We have had to sacrifice our aboriginal rights to hunt for the last few years to preserve and protect the moose populations. We are optimistic that the bull moose population is stabilizing and that there exists the opportunity to have limited and sustainable bull moose harvesting once again for our community. We remain cautious, and will continue to make decisions for the benefit of mother earth and for our people, both those here now and the generations to come.”
Nits’ilʔin Yaz (Councillor) Chad Stump, ʔEsdilagh First Nation: “3 years ago, our community was faced with the difficult decision to cease bull moose hunting in our territory since the moose population was struggling. The situation became ever direr after the 2017 wildfires wiped out significant portions of moose habitat. With the moose population indicating stabilization, we feel comfortable to permit a limited and sustainable bull moose harvest for the purpose of sustenance. At the community level, we will continue to monitor moose recovery and ensure that we are implementing measures that will continue to benefit the moose population and ensure that their population remains healthy.”
