The Fight for Fish Lake (Teztan Biny)

January 20, 2012 from Earth Focus

This Earth Focus report sheds light on the struggle of the Tsilhqot'in and Xeni Gwet'in people of British Columbia, Canada to stop the construction of Prosperity Mine, a gold and copper mine proposed by Taseko Mines Ltd. The mine would destroy Fish Lake (Teztan Biny), a body of water held held sacred by the Tsilhqot'in and Xeni Gwet'in people. The Lake is part of a pristine watershed that runs to the Fraser River. Featuring the film Blue Gold made by Canadian filmmaker Susan Smitten and her team to document the impact of the proposed mine on the environment and the cultural heritage of British Columbia's native people. An Earth Focus original report in collaboration with R.A.V.E.N (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs), a Canadian charitable organization.

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Chilcotin people

The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada. They are the most southern of the Athabaskan-speaking aboriginal peoples in British Columbia. Explore this topic

Taseko Mines

Taseko Mines Limited is a mid-tier copper producer located in British Columbia, Canada. It operates Gibraltar Mine, the second largest open-pit mine in Canada, and is in the planning stages for several other mines. These include the Prosperity Mine, Harmony, and Aley. All prod... Explore this topic

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 kilometres, into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada. The river's ann... Explore this topic

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada. British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific Northwest, along with the U.S states of Oregon and Washington. The province's name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858,... Explore this topic

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and... Explore this topic

Xeni Gwet'in

The Xeni Gwet'in, also known as the Stone Chilcotin, are a First Nations people whose traditional territory is located in the southern Chilcotin District of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the inland flank of the Coast Mountains west of the Fraser River. They are... Explore this topic

Gold mining

Gold mining is the process of mining of gold or gold ores from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth. Explore this topic

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from an orebody, lode, vein, seam, or reef, which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to the miner. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal and oil shale, gemstones,... Explore this topic

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO, is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland wat... Explore this topic

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic minorities who have been marginalized as their historical territories became part of a state. In international or national legislation they are generally defined as having a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular ter... Explore this topic

Also See

Chilcotin people

Taseko Mines

Fraser River

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