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With the discontinuation of Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMPs) initiated by government in the mid ‘90s, wildlife practitioners are looking for a new solution to the growing problem of improper and uncoordinated land and resource use. Mike Morris, MLA of Prince George-MacKenzie and parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations reported that wildlife practitioners such as guide outfitters, tenure holders and First Nations should build their own versions of the past government LRMPs; these people have the most intimate knowledge of the land and are therefore the most qualified to define necessary management practices.

Guide outfitters live the nomadic hunter-gatherer life style, carrying on the same traditions since the beginning of man. Guide outfitters in British Columbia guided the first international tourists around 1850 before Canada was a country. The Tourism industry has grown since then to encompass many different activities, and still guide outfitting is at the core, providing the most intimate connection with wilderness and nature. Many guide outfitters have acted on the advice of Mike Morris, and have already initiated stewardship planning. GOABC has published a series known as the Wildlife Stewardship Series that uses workshops with a variety of wildlife practitioners to address wildlife management. They currently have a publication each for Stone Sheep, Moose, Woodland Caribou, and Mountain Goat.

Guide outfitters are committed to taking some of the load off government staff by taking responsibility for the stewardship balance in their areas. The Stewardship Foundation is collaborating with GOABC, guide outfitters, and other wildlife practitioners to produce effective and coordinated high-level management plans. These plans, the Evergreen Stewardship Plans, balance social, ecological, and economic values for sustainable and successful land and resource use.

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