Northern Headwaters · A guided tour
The Meziadin
Three per cent of the Nass watershed. About three quarters of its sockeye. One decision on the table this summer. Scroll — we'll show you around.
1 · Where you are
Start with the whole map
This is the country around Meziadin Lake, in Gitanyow territory at the headwaters of the Nass — about 220 km north of Terrace, where Highway 37A splits off toward Stewart. The small map in the corner shows where you are in BC.
The orange dashed line is the proposal on the table right now. Keep scrolling and we'll take it a piece at a time.
2 · The lake
Deep, cold, and full of fish
Meziadin Lake is one of the most productive sockeye nurseries in the province. Cold, clear creeks come off the glaciers and empty into it, and the sockeye that hatch here feed communities and businesses all the way down the Nass.
If you've driven Highway 37 to Stewart, you've passed right through this map.
3 · Already protected
The green part has a head start
The Hanna–Tintina Conservancy — the green area — has protected Hanna and Tintina creeks since 2013. BC and the Gitanyow set it up because those two creeks held the biggest sockeye spawning beds in the watershed.
It was the right line for where the fish were spawning in 2013. The fish, it turns out, had other plans.
4 · The gap
The fish are moving west
As Bear Glacier pulls back, Strohn Creek is running clearer and slightly warmer — and the sockeye have noticed. A radio-tagging study found 41% of returning Nass sockeye heading for Strohn Creek, a creek with no protection of any kind.
The orange area is the fix: a 47,000-hectare westward expansion taking in Strohn Creek, Surprise Creek, and the other cold tributaries the run is shifting toward.
5 · Watch the glacier
The line is drawn for where the fish are going
This corner of the map explains the whole proposal. Bear Glacier sits just off Highway 37A; its meltwater built Strohn Creek. The 2013 boundary was drawn for where the fish were. This one is drawn for where they're going.
That's the part worth remembering when someone asks why the existing conservancy isn't enough.
6 · The whole picture
One boundary around the nursery
Put together, the existing conservancy and the expansion make one continuous protected area wrapped around the lake and every major creek that feeds it.
Proposed jointly by the BC government, Gitanyow First Nation, and Nisga'a Nation.
[Protecting the Meziadin] will feed fisheries and people. It will enable local economic benefits of salmon tourism, salmon fishing, outdoor recreation, and wildlife.Dr. Jonathan W. MooreProfessor, Simon Fraser University · Signed interest statement, Meziadin land use planning, March 2026
What "protected" actually means here
This isn't a park with a gate. It's a line on the map that decides what kind of work happens inside it — and the uses that define this country stay in.
A protected area under BC's Park Act, set up jointly with First Nations. It protects habitat and cultural use while keeping room for recreation and low-impact business. It is the same designation Hanna–Tintina has had since 2013 — this proposal extends it.
No operating mine or mill is displaced — there are none in the plan area. Existing mineral tenures would be retired, and 89% of the surrounding Nass South planning area stays open to mineral exploration.
You've seen the map — now it's your turn
Make your voice heard
The boundary is now in front of decision-makers.
Send a message to decision-makersThe form takes about 5 minutes. Your message goes straight to the decision-makers.
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