Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

Gwaii Haanas Archipelago Management Board Welcomes New Members

The Gwaii Haanas Archipelago Management Board (AMB) is pleased to welcome two new members. Mel Kotyk, who is the Area Director, North Coast for Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Trevor Russ who is a member of the executive of the Council of the Haida Nation.

The AMB was first formed in 1993 when the Government of Canada (then represented by Parks Canada) and the Haida Nation signed the Gwaii Haanas Agreement and commited to working cooperatively to govern the planning, operations and management of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.

In 2010 the Gwaii Haanas Marine Agreement was signed and once again, the Government of Canada (now represented by Parks Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and the Haida Nation commited to work cooperatively. This time it is to govern the planning, operations and management of the newly established Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.

From the depths of the ocean to the tops of the mountains, Gwaii Haanas is like no other place in Canada—or the world. This is a place where the land, sea, and people have always been inseparable. It is a place of astounding beauty and cultural and ecological bounty where people have been an intrinsic part of the ecosystem for over 12,000 years. The protection of nearly five thousand square kilometres of land and sea ensures that this legacy continues.

Managing this special place of natural and cultural treasures and interconnections between the land, sea and people is the challenge the members of the AMB have in front of them – and they are ready for it. “It’s about being part of the solution” says Mel Kotyk of DFO and fellow AMB member Cindy Boyko reflects, “my involvement isn’t about politics or a job to do, it’s about connecting to the place and the people and making a difference – it’s who I am”.

The Archipelago Management Board meets regularly in Skidegate, BC.