Ecological Reserve Proposals
Windy Bay Watershed / Dodge Point
Queen Charlotte Islands

Report of the South Moresby Resource Planning Team

excerpts...

FOREWORD

In response to a request from a citizens' group on the Queen Charlotte Islands in November 1974 for the establishment of a Wilderness Area, the Environment and Land Use Committee (ELUC) instructed its Secretariat to examine the proposal. Because of other commitments, the Secretariat did not commence work until the summer of 1976. Their results, the SOUTH MORESBY ISLAND WILDERNESS PROPOSAL, AN OVERVIEW STUDY, were published by the Secretariat in January 1979. One of their recommendations was that:

the Windy Bay Watershed and adjacent Ancient Murrelet colony habitat (at Dodge Point) should be exempted from cutting pending the completion of a detailed analysis of the proposed Ecological Reserve and timber resource values and until a policy decision on the use of this area has been made by the ELUC. Work should proceed immediately on this with completion within 2 years.

As a result of that study, the Ministry of Forests in a press release dated 21 March 1979, specified the following action to be initiated:

an immediate detailed study of resource values in the Windy Bay watershed on Lyell island will be carried out to resolve conflicting proposals in these areas with a final decision on area designation to be made by the Environment and Land Use Committee.

The South Moresby Resource Planning Team was formed under the co-ordination of the Ministry of Forests to undertake a planning programme for South Moresby. This planning programme was to include a report on the Windy Bay Ecological Reserve proposal, which is herewith submitted.

Unanimous agreement could not be reached by the Team on many points which arose during deliberations on Ecological Reserves in Windy Bay and at Dodge Point. As a result, the body of this report has been written by the Team chairman, who has endeavoured to present both the principal majority and minority views. Position statements from each Team member have been included in a totally unedited appendix. Since portions of this report taken out of context may be very misleading, it is recommended the entire report be read before conclusions are drawn.

Nicholas Gessler (Chairman)
South Moresby Resource Planning Team