'Namgis Forest Planning

During ‘Namgis comprehensive community planning, completed in 2017, we heard from members that it is crucial to develop a territorial plan and ensure that ‘Namgis is making all decisions about the use of land within the territory.

Based on this direction, ‘Namgis has been working in partnership with the BC Government and Western Forest Products since 2021 to complete the Gwa’ni Project and Forestry Pilot for most of the Nimpkish Valley. “Gwa'ni” is what our people named the river currently called the Nimpkish. The name honours our ancestor Gwa’nalalis, who became the river. This work has involved several rounds of community engagement with ‘Namgis, including multiple open houses, focus groups, and a community survey on our land use planning values. The Gwa’ni Project resulted in joint recommendations to better protect resources including rivers, lakes, watersheds and forests in portions of ‘Namgis Territory that are in the land use plan area, while supporting a successful, sustainable forestry economy. The Forestry Pilot resulted in the collaborative development of a Forest Landscape Plan that is being delivered to the Province.

More recently, ‘Namgis began working on a collaborative forest planning project with Mosaic Forest Management which focuses on sustainable forest management based in shared values and interests. The name of this new project is T’łuładi which means "having elk".

In 2024-2025, the T’łuładi Project technical team will engage with members to build on the work we began through the Gwa’ni Project, and will focus on understanding ‘Namgis members' values and priorities related to forest planning. The T’łuładi Project will continue those discussions and learn more about the specific priorities that ‘Namgis has in the Bonanza area.

The T’łuładi Project will result in a final plan intended to define joint objectives and strategies to inform good forest stewardship and sustainable resource management of the portion of Tree Farm License 47 (TFL 47) that overlaps with ‘Namgis Territory on northern Vancouver Island. This commitment aims to increase the transparency and clarity of resource planning in the overlapping area of TFL 47.

The Meaning Behind the Name "Gwa'ni"

Gwa'ni is what our people named the river currently called the Nimpkish. The name honours our ancestor Gwa’nalalis, who became the river. (Nimpkish itself is an anglicized terms referring to 'Namgis). This land-use planning project is called Gwa'ni to recognize that, for millennia, our people have been living on the lands and waters in the planning area.

The Gwa'ni Project logo, commissioned by 'Namgis member Shawn Karpes. The logo is an interpretation of the story of how Gwa’nalalis became the Gwa'ni River.

Click here to read the story of Gwa'nalalis.