Visitors to a popular British Columbia park have been asked to watch their step to avoid trespassing on Aboriginal title lands after a portion of the area was ceded to the Nuchatlaht First Nation.The decision to hand over part of Nuchatlitz Protected Area, which sits on the northwestern coast of Vancouver Island, was made following a precedent-setting ruling handed down by the BC Supreme Court.The 2024 ruling recognized aboriginal title to 1,140 hectares of land on Nootka Island — over a quarter of which is old-growth forest that used to be part of the park — and determined that aboriginal title can overrule protections granted by park status on Crown land..While the case was making its way through the court, Councillor Archie Little said one of the motivations for seeking title rights was to mitigate environmental degradation brought on by logging."We had a rich way of living, and it's just been getting smaller and smaller," he lamented in 2022. "The only way that we can have a foot in the door is if we own and manage it. Then people will listen."The nation is currently appealing the decision in an attempt to secure even more of the land that their people have occupied for hundreds of years.During the proceedings, lawyers for the province argued that the Nuchatlaht had "abandoned" their territory. The Nation's attorney, Jack Woodward, pushed back, claimed the "land was stolen.".BC Parks has informed those hoping to visit the park of the changes, asking them to take note."As result of the July 2024 British Columbia Supreme Court decision and Title Declaration parts of the Nuchatlitz Protected Area are now Aboriginal title lands held by the Nuchatlaht and the Park Act no longer applies to these areas," the agency wrote in a statement on the park website. "Visitors to the area are encouraged to ensure they are not trespassing on the title lands and to contact the Nuchatlaht Nation for more information about permissible uses on the declared title area."This is just one example of indigenous peoples gaining control over what once were public spaces in the province.Park.Popular BC park to ban non-indigenous visitors twice more in 2025.Joffre Lakes Park near Whistler has repeatedly closed its gates to non-indigenous visitors to give First Nations time to "connect with the land."This year alone, "Reconnection Periods" were scheduled for April 25 to May 16, June 13 to 27, and August 22 to October 23.
