Doig River First Nation to develop land use plan with B.C., using Indigenous knowledge and Western science

Doig River First Nation says it's developing a joint land use plan in partnership with the province to help guide resource development and protect important areas on Crown land in northeast B.C.

A land use plan for the nation's territory was completed in June 2024 with input from Doig River members, and approved by chief and council.

The Peace River Regional District met with chief and council on Jan. 29, during which the nation provided an overview of the joint land use plan.

Tyson Solmonson, a lands and resources program coordinator for the nation says they're now looking at which parts of their territory can be included in the joint land use plan with the province.

"There's cultural, spiritual and environmental values in many of these places that are important to Doig people and the people of the northeast," he said.

Sanjay Tewari, a land and resource planning officer with the province also attended the meeting, and said the plan is meant to allow First Nations to practice treaty rights in a meaningful way while allowing sustainable industrial development.

"It's basically bringing together Doig's interest and province interest and inputs from the general public to come up with a plan," he said.

A public engagement period is open until March 31, 2026. The feedback will be used to create a first draft of the joint land use plan. Further engagement and consultation will follow, says Tewari.

The plan is divided into three large sections: a northern area, a central area, and a southern area, stretching north above Fort St. John and south below Dawson Creek.

A landscape pilot project was established for an area between Chetwynd and Dawson Creek, assessing cumulative impacts of resource extraction and testing implementation of a land management framework based on cultural values. The pilot project is a joint effort between Doig River, the B.C. Energy Regulator, and industry partners.

The nation says it combines Indigenous knowledge and Western science to guide sustainable development, protect cultural values and increase transparency.

"The reason that this area was chosen is that it was a challenging mix of different tenures and different industries in the area," Solmonson said, noting oil and gas are present, along with wind projects.

K’ih Tsaa?dze Tribal Park was included in the nation's 2024 land use plan. The 45,000-hectare park is located roughly 40 kilometres northeast of Fort St. John and crosses the B.C. and Alberta border.

The nation intends to expand the park to over 100,000 hectares, protecting boreal ecosystems and species like caribou.