Prince George Citizen September 6, 2018 by Prince George Citizen

Thursday, September 6, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Back to class Simon Fraser Avenue in College Heights was busy with traffic and school children on Wednesday morning as the new school year officially got underway.

First Nations groups initiate moose hunting ban Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca Ten Aboriginal communities of the area are asking hunters to refrain from setting their sights on moose south of Prince George this fall. A consortium of First Nations is urging hunters to use their conservation brains not their trigger fingers on a temporary basis until population numbers recover. The Tsilhqot’in Nation and Southern Dãkelh Nation Alliance (SDNA) announced on Wednesday that they were blocking all limited-entry hunts from a plot of land extending along a northern apex touching from Prince George to Vanderhoof, a western wing extending almost to Bella Coola, an eastern wing extending to McBride and Valemount, and a southern extension almost to Clinton. “This collaboration comes in response to the dire state of declining moose populations in our territories and the lack of effective action by the province of B.C.,” said a joint statement issued by the alliance. “The situation is so dire that many Tsilhqot’in and Dãkelh citizens are deciding not to exercise their Aboriginal rights to hunt moose and going without this main source of food for the winter.” The T ilhqot’in communities in this alliance also added that they were banning the hunting of cow moose on their parts of that

The situation is so dire that many Tsilhqot’in and Dãkelh citizens are deciding not to exercise their Aboriginal rights to hunt moose and going without this main source of food for the winter. — SDNA statement

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This map, provided by the Tsilhqot’in Nation and Southern Dãkelh Nation Alliance, shows the area in which a moose hunting ban has been put in place. overall landscape, a decree that applied to Aboriginal and nonAboriginal alike. “Conditions are worsening each year,” said chief Stuart Alec of the SDNA. “We have the responsibility to do whatever we can to reverse

this trend and put moose recovery strategies into place. At this crucial time, we cannot afford to have the pressure on our moose populations increase. We look to the Province and hunters to respect this closure and to aid in

our recovery efforts.” Chief Betty Cahoose of the SDNA added that “We have been left with no alternative.... When our moose suffer, our people suffer. We are pleased to work with our neighbours on this vital issue.

This isn’t about boundaries. This is about preserving and revitalizing a species that is crucial to all of our communities.” Tsilhqot’in chiefs Joe Alphonse and Russell Myers Ross confirmed their support for these measures. “Doing nothing is not an option. In the wake of the most devastating wildfires in our history, we must take a precautionary approach to wildlife management,” said Alphonse, representing a moose-centred traditional diet that now has to rely on storebought meat and other game food. “It’s not right that our members have to make this sacrifice with the province continuing with business as usual.” — see ‘WE NEED, page 3

Free program offers help for overweight kids Ted CLARKE Citizen staff School is back in session and for kids it’s all about getting back into routines. Getting plenty of sleep, eating well, and making time for exercise are keys to success in the classroom and living a long life. It’s never too late to adopt positive lifestyle habits but the earlier those healthy practices become ingrained, the less likely kids will have to live as adults with the problems associated with obesity.

Today’s Weather Hi +18° Low +10° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

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“What we know about kids in general is roughly one in three are on an unhealthy weight trajectory,” said Dr. Tom Warshawski, a Kelowna pediatrician who chairs the Childhood Obesity Foundation. “For kids, one of the major side effects is they get teased. Maybe more importantly, kids tend not to outgrow their healthy weight and in fact it gets worse. “When it gets into adulthood we know an overweight adult dies on average three years before a normal-weight adult would, and if you’re obese, you die around seven years earlier because of chronic diseases associated with it.” The province is trying to make healthy weights in

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children and youth a priority and is targeting school-aged kids aged eight to 12 with weight management issues as candidates for the foundation’s new Healthy Family Living Program. Working in partnership with Prince George’s YMCA of Northern B.C., the 10-week community-based program will provide health and nutrition counseling in weekly group sessions. It will engage participants in healthy activities that mesh with their own personal interests that they can do on their own time. — see HEALTHY EATING, page 3

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