“Be it known that we, the undersigned community of the Kispiox Valley, British Columbia, believe that the well-being of ourselves and our neighbours, our livelihoods and economy, and our lands and waters are paramount. 

We highly value intact ecosystems that sustain and support a vibrant and diverse watershed.  This includes thriving populations of wild Pacific salmon and steelhead; healthy forests with abundant wildlife, and clean air. 

These lands and waters are woven into the fabric of our lives, and are deemed as vital and necessary elements that support our economy, our community, and our way of life. 

We recognize and honour the Gitxsan, and hold in high regard their culture and traditional methods of responsible stewardship.

Our rural community is a proven model of economic and social resiliency, comprised of diversely skilled professionals, trades people, farmers, forest and resource workers, guides/outfitters, and creative and versatile entrepreneurs. 

We support common sense practices of conservative renewable resource management, responsible energy production and usage, agriculture as the basis of a strong local food system, and the traditional wild salmon economy of our region. 

The waters of the Skeena, as one of the last great salmon rivers of the world, connects our livelihood to our communities, and our communities to each other. 

What occurs upstream or downstream affects us all.  In recognition of this, we accept a shared regional and global responsibility to protect our water and air. 

Therefore, we cannot stand by and allow any industrial presence that would threaten or harm our values and responsibilities as outlined in this declaration.”

The Kispiox Valley Declaration was pledged in 2014, in response to a spate of oil & gas pipeline schemes imposed on our watershed that would bisect our community.

Over 80% of Kispiox Valley residents signed the Declaration.

The community reading and video of the Declaration was compiled a decade later in 2024, to reiterate our steadfast commitment to these values and our continued resolve in the face of a resurrected gas pipeline proposal from 10 years earlier.