“Sacred,” “special,” “magical,” “a gem," so attendees described swiwelat (Princess Louisa Inlet) during a multi-purpose celebration Aug. 13.
Approximately 50 people gathered at MacDonald Memorial Lodge on the inlet to mark the retirement of BC Parks ranger Ming Neil (see separate article), to reflect on the accomplishments of those involved in managing the area, and to share views on building a secure future for the cultural and ecological features of the inlet.
Coast Reporter was invited to the celebration by the Princess Louisa International Society. They organized the scenic 90-minute boat trip north from Egmont to the inlet. The trip included a contingent from the shíshálh Nation and Talasay Tours, local MLA Randene Neill as well as her constituency assistant Donna Bell.
Perspectives from the Nation and the society
Opening the event, Talasay founder Xets’emits’a (Candace Campo) shared her traditional knowledge of the area. Explaining with a smile that the inlet was a traditional site of marriage celebrations and honeymoons, she said, “There is a lot of joy that has existed where we stand right now; not just for hundreds, but thousands of years." Knowing chuckles rippled through her audience.
Society president Tom Captain’s remarks built on that levity, noting that it was a day to celebrate recent accomplishments of those involved in the management of the area. He emphasized his group's intention to “do whatever we can with the Nation and provincial government to protect the natural and cultural values of the swiya."
Background and future outlook
Since the arrival of settlers in the late 1700s, the tenure of and interests in the area have been mixed. In 1919, James F. "Mac" MacDonald purchased 18 hectares of land along the inlet. He donated the property to the society in 1953, and 1964, the province acquired the land to form Princess Louisa Marine Park. There were other settlers in the area and in 1950 a lodge was built at the entrance to the inlet. That was purchased in 1953 by the U.S.-based Young Life organization, which has operated the site as a non-denominational Christian camp for youth.
Another key player is the BC Parks Foundation, a charity dedicated to creating, within the province, “the greatest system of parks and Indigenous protected areas in the world." That group spearheaded a 2017 campaign that raised more than $3 million to purchase private lands that were added to the park.
“The province and the Nation are discussing a swiya land use plan. We are not at the planning table but we contributed and encouraged them to designate the (inlet) watershed area as a protected area,” society spokesperson Mel Turner told Coast Reporter.
“We are looking for a responsible watershed management regime, mixed or turned over to one group, it doesn’t matter… We want all this written down so that everybody understands the rules and regulations that apply. We need to work with the Nation, the Foundation, BC Parks and the private land owners, such as Young Life, and others.”
Turner pointed out that “boating needs to continue but the water needs management." He said the society wants consideration of a speed restriction for watercraft in the inlet, a prohibition on use of jet skis and noise restrictions. Those things are disruptive and he believes they do not recognize or respect the area’s cultural significance.
In the view of MLA Neill, the Nation and the society are working well together to steward the Inlet. She commented that “everybody has a vested interest to make sure that this place is taken care of the way it needs to be."
"I will do whatever I can to make sure it is taken care of," she said. "When we all work together to protect something we love, anything is possible.”
“Princess Louisa is a very spiritual place, with outstanding natural and cultural features that need to be respected and it needs to be well managed. If you don’t do those types of things, you stand a chance of losing it,” Turner summarized.
Nature on display
An example of the Inlet’s bounty appeared on the return to Egmont, as a boat ferrying guests encountered humpback whales. On board, kway?imin (Andy Johnson), ambassador of shíshálh culture retrieved his drum from his satchel and offered a song, other passengers drinking in the scene as the mammals breached and waved.
