Iskut is a small, mostly Indigenous community in the Stikine Country of northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It is located on Highway 37, at the north end of Eddontenajon Lake just south of Dease Lake and the crossing of the

Stikine River The Stikine River ( ) is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and ...

Community

Iskut is the home of Iskut First Nation, a group of the

Tahltan The Tahltan or Nahani are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut. The Tahltan constitute the fourth division of the ''Nahan ...

people, which also includes the communities of Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek. Two bands comprise the Tahltan Nation, the Iskut First Nation and the Tahltan First Nation or Tahltan Indian Band. Iskut Indian Reserve No. 6 and Kluachon Lake Indian Reserve No. 1 are the two formal

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." R ...

in the vicinity.BCGNIS entry "Kluachon Lake Indian Reserve 1"
/ref> Klappan Independent Day School, the Iskut First Nation Band Office and the Iskut Valley Health Services building are the primary public service amenities. Shopping and gas can be purchased at Kluachon Center.

Location

Iskut is located at the 407 km mark on Highway 37 and is approximately 6–7 hours from both Terrace and Smithers and within 9 hours drive from

Whitehorse, Yukon Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's Downtown Whitehorse, downtown a ...

Recreation

Recreational activities in the area include fishing at any of the lakes of the Iskut Chain Lakes, which include, moving south to north, Nadatadasleen Lake, Kinaskan Lake, Tattoga Lake, Eddontenajon Lake and Kluachon Lake. Snowmobiling and ATVing are very popular activities for locals of the area.

Resource Development

The opening of Highway 37 through the Iskut area has supported new resource development. Ongoing mining and energy projects include the Red Chris copper and gold mine, and the Volcano Creek hydroelectric project.

Coal-bed methane conflict

Iskut is well known for the protracted disagreement over the use of the area for resource extraction. The rapid expansion of mining throughout the area has given rise to much controversy over the level of consultation given to local First Nations' people. Of particular public interest has been

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

's plans for

coalbed methane ''Coalbed methane'' (CBM or coal-bed methane), coalbed gas, or coal seam gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, Australia, and other co ...

extraction on the Klappan Plateau, the Tahltan people's traditional hunting and trapping territory. Klappan has been named the Sacred Headwaters because it forms the headwaters of several significant salmon rivers, including the Skeena, Spatsizi and Stikine rivers. The Spatsizi Plateau region has occasionally called the "

Serengeti The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game r ...

of the North" due to the diversity and number of different species that call the area home. The controversy over Sacred Headwaters is also further complicated by the different levels of

government. The Tahltan Central Council (TCC) speaks for the entire Tahltan First Nation but between the three significant communities, some people feel that TCC does not fairly represent the feelings of all communities equally. At the forefront of the battle over the Sacred Headwaters is a group of Iskut First Nation members called the "Klabona Keepers".

References