There is a promising long-term solution to the British Columbia bear hunting conflict that I reported on last month. A new association of BC outfitters, called the Coastal British Columbia Guide Outfitters Association (CBCGOA), has been actively working with other stakeholders in this conflict for the last several years. Most importantly, they are achieving common ground with the First Nations and wildlife officials while preserving hunting opportunity, not eliminating it! Equally important, their strategy may provide a model for dealing with these types of hunting challenges, which are likely to happen ever more often in the future. In this instance, several First Nations bands were protesting bear hunting, threatening to shut down bear hunting entirely. The crux is that some bands believe hunting is endangering what they call the "Spirit Bear," white- and blue-phased black bears; however, their concerns are not just limited to black bears, but also include grizzly bears. Furthermore, they maintain that hunting adversely affects their eco-tourism enterprises, specifically bear watching. Certainly, it is not pleasant (or positive for our hunting image) when tourists watching wildlife see a bloated, skinned bear carcass on the beach. These issues have escalated to the point that natives claim that if hunting is not stopped, they will stop it, and have threatened confrontations. However, there are legal issues with that, because hunting regulations and guide area management are the responsibility of the BC wildlife officials. I also reported that the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC) took the position that one solution is for the First Nations or other eco-organizations to simply buy out the outfitters. I explained that this position seems to have serious long-term implications, not the least of which is the elimination of hunting opportunity, especially for nonresidents, since these are the people most likely to hire an outfitter. The CBCGOA was established when the vast majority of outfitters located along the coastal mainland of BC, as well as the various islands there, decided to adopt a much different strategy finding common ground with the natives, and working together to solve issues. It seems to be working, since their........(
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