Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services

Kakisa (Nov 12/01) - Kakisa has approached Eugene Patterson to see if the village's residents can help his closed sawmill run this winter.

Patterson says he'll soon submit a proposal that will create harvesting jobs in the forest around Kakisa, and get his family sawmill going.

A proposal will again raise the matter of who controls the land. It's the same issue that has kept Patterson shut out of other areas ripe for tree harvesting.

Patterson says he'll be reluctant to cut without a federal permit, because the forest around Kakisa is on crown land.

But Kakisa Chief Lloyd Chicot says a permit won't be needed.

"We've always said that's our traditional land. Generations have been using it."

"We've taken it upon ourselves to do this, instead of waiting for the government to say you can or can't do it."

Patterson said if he goes into Kakisa, he's expected to turn over royalties to the band instead of the federal government.

The federal amount comes to about $80,000 for every 263 truckloads of logs.

There is a gap between Patterson and Chicot over the number of trees to cut in the beginning.

"His intentions are much bigger than ours," Chicot says. The chief has been thinking along lines of thinning out trees for fire protection, and chopping older dying ones. Earlier this year strong winds knocked one down in the village, causing extensive damage to the roof of a store.

Patterson says he needs to cut about 60 hectares to get his mill going, and that land around Kakisa contains a vast virgin forest.