From The Safari Times:

Environmentalists Buy B.C. Hunting Concession

Our friends over at The Hunting Report, a newsletter serving the hunter who travels, have shared with us the following information that should be of interest to anyone who has hunted, or is interested in hunting. More information about The Hunting Report is available at the end of the story.

An environmental group in Canada has sent a shiver of anxiety through the hunting community by buying the guide-outfitter rights to a 20,000-square-kilometer hunting concession that stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island in the south to Princess Royal Island in the north. The environmental group is the Raincoast Conservation Society, and the area they purchased is the one formerly owned by Bella Coola Outfitters. The $1.35 million buy-out will put an end to hunting in the area by all non-Canadians and could lead to the end of all hunting there, even by Canadians.

The outfitter who sold out is Leonard Ellis, who is quoted in Canadian press accounts as saying he was tired of dealing with pressure from anti-hunting groups and the Society simply made him a fair offer. As this was written, Ellis had not returned calls from The Hunting Report regarding the sale.

The unanswered questions at this point are: 1.) Will all hunting, even by Canadians, indeed be stopped here; and 2.) Is this the start of an avalanche of hunting buy-outs by environmentalists?

The first question hinges upon how the BC government reacts to the sale. At present, hunting rights and animal quota in BC are conveyed to individuals with a use-it-or-lose-it restriction. In this case, Raincoast will definitely be able to put an end to commercial hunting simply by deciding not to cater to tourist hunters. What will be harder - and what will require government action, or inaction - is any attempt by Raincoast to bar residents from utilizing the quota assigned to the concession.

At this writing, opinion on how the government will rule is sharply divided. One source we spoke with, who formerly worked for the Environment Ministry, doubted the Raincoast Conservation Society would be able to have those permit-use requirements waived, as it would cause a tremendous backlash in the hunting community. Another knowledgeable source, however, a strong pro-hunter with a long track record, was less sanguine. He told The Hunting Report that the political situation was such that the Environment Minister and the Minister of Agriculture and Lands might well fold to anti-hunting demands and grant the waiver. Government spokespeople have so far refused to comment either way, saying only that negotiations were in progress and a resolution was expected in the New Year.

As for the possibility of this buy-out being the beginning of an avalanche of lost hunting opportunity, the answer is more clear-cut. There is almost no chance, most observers say, that buy-out fever is going to spread among the holders of BC's 235 guide-outfitter areas. For one thing, no environmental group has anywhere near the money necessary to pay fair market value for most the province's hunting areas. The Bella Coola area is a very special case, observer's point out. It is near a major population center, and it has been a hotbed of anti-hunting contention for some time.

Importantly, Raincoast Society conservation director Ian McAllister says his organization intends to use the Bella Coola area for eco-tourism. Indeed, because of the area's proximity to a major population center, such use of the area may be viable. Ellis himself, the outfitter who held the outfitting rights to the area since 1981, was quoted by the Vancouver Sun saying that he may make a stab at outfitting for eco-tourists, even though his preliminary cost/benefit calculations were not promising. "Eco-tourists are not the kind of folks who pay $25,000 for a grizzly hunt," he was quoted as saying in the Globe and Mail.

The best overall assessment we have read of the environmental buy-out was provided us by a well-known and respected BC outfitter who asked that his name not be used. He called the Bella Coola buy-out an investment in anti-hunting public relations. "Look how much press they've generated with this," he said. "That's what this is all about. It is not a sensible financial move on the part of Raincoast. And it is not the beginning of a trend of such activities."

For certain, the hunting community needs to watch this development closely.

This article comes to us courtesy of The Hunting Report, a monthly newsletter serving the hunter who travels. Subscribe to The Hunting Report by clicking here (www.huntingreport.com)