By Nathan Jordan

Nazko / Stump Lake

Nazko First Nation Chief worried about loss of bio-diversity in nation’s ancestral fishing grounds

Mar 23, 2023 | 5:04 PM

PRINCE GEORGE- At the very heart of Nazko First Nation, about 100kms west of Quesnel, lie the ancestral fishing grounds of the nation, known to English speakers as Stump Lake. The name is a reference to Nazko Nations’ fish traps, crafted from submerged logs, which were once the primary means used by the nation for sustenance. Now, Chief Leah Stump is sounding the alarm over a major drop in bio-diversity in Stump Lake, and she’s asking for government support in mitigating severe erosion damage to a 3ft culvert she says is the source of the problem.

According to a biologist who studied the area on behalf of the Nation, a combination of extreme water pressure flowing through the culvert, and the erosion of the waterway at the outflow, has created a major barrier to spawning fish trying to access the lake, and as MLA for Cariboo North, Coralee Oakes explains, it’s not the first time major concerns in the region have gone un-heard and residents we’re left to their own devices to find a solution.

The major concern in Nazko is severe erosion near the outflow of a culvet at Michelle Creek, which connects the Nazko River to Stump Lake,. It’s now a barrier that resembles an artificial waterfall, and during spring freshet, water rushes through the tiny culvert as if spewing from a busted fire hydrant. According to Nazko residents, flooding in the area happens like clockwork, local erosion has been getting worse year after year, and the situations impact on fish stocks, has steadily eroded the nation’s ability to preserve and pass on their culture.