There is a new board of the Lakes District newest community forest, Chinook Community Forest.
Ken Nielsen is the president with Miles Fuller as vice president, Albert Gerow, secretary; Adele Gooding, treasurer; and directors - Louise Fisher, Doris Munger, Dolores Funk, James Rakochy and Julian Wake.
Chinook Community Forest has eight shareholders which consist of the six local First Nations bands - Nee Tahi Buh Indian Band, Wet'sewet'en First Nation, Burns Lake Band, Lake Babine Nation, Skin Tyee Nation and Cheslatta Carrier Nation.
The remaining shareholders are the Village of Burns Lake and Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.
Each shareholder appoints one director to the board, with the exception of the regional district, which appoints two - one from the Electoral Area B and another from Electoral Area E.
"This is a new and exciting chapter for our community," said Ken Nielsen, president of the Chinook Community Forest. "The board has met several times now and are working very well as a team completing governance and communication policies; Chinook will be an open and transparent community forest."
"A website will be available soon and this will be one option the community can use to find out who we really are, what we are currently doing and in what direction we are going," he continued. "We encourage community members to contact any director or direct their queries to chinookcomfor@gmail.com"
At the end of May, four of Chinook Community Forest's board members attended the B.C. Community Forest Association (BCCFA) annual general meeting in Cowichan. Albert Gerow was successful in becoming a director of the BCCFA board.
"We are very pleased to have a First Nations presence on the BCCFA board, one who is also a director of Chinook and a member of our community.," said Nielsen. "We are confident Albert will represent our community well."
"The board of Chinook Community Forest will be working very hard to serve the residents of the Lakes District, our shareholders," added Nielsen.