Stepping
Lightly on the Land... The Koeye River Lodge is operated and managed by the QQS Projects
Society, a registered charitable society made up of Heiltsuk people.
The Society was established to support Heiltsuk Youth, Culture
and Environment. QQS is actively supported by our hereditary leadership,
our Hemas, whose very existence is tied to the sustainable use
of land and resources.
QQS'
goal is to help create a generation of Heiltsuk leaders who are
committed to the sustainable management and use of our lands and
resources. QQS believes the best way to achieve this goal is to
reconnect Heiltsuk youth with their natural environment.
Each summer the QQS Projects Society organises a series of science
and culture camps that take place in the Koeye Estuary. The camps
bring together Heiltsuk youth and western and traditional scientists
to study and learn together in a rich cultural context.
As future stewards of Heiltsuk territory, it is important that
Heiltsuk youth have the traditional knowledge that has sustained
their people and the area's rich biodiversity for centuries, in
addition to gaining an understanding of the principles of conservation
biology, which will provide a framework for modern land use planning
and protection of their territory.
Over the past four years, the Koeye River Science and Culture
camps have served to strengthen the commitment of the Heiltsuk
to this important area and to ensure the conservation and cultural
values of the Koeye valley are protected.
"By encouraging our youth to re-embrace their culture
and their traditional lands, we hope to open their eyes and
hearts to their responsibility to care for it and preserve it
for generations to come. We are dedicated to helping our youth
see themselves and their environment in a new way".
Elroy White, Camp Director (2001)
