Athlii Gwaii the line at Lyell

Summary: In the fall of 1985, a small troupe of Haida elders journeyed by helicopter to Athlii Gwaii (Lyell Island) to join their young counterparts in a stand against clear-cutting. Industrial invasion in the remote archipelago had gone too far. Ancient cedar giants and rare spruce trees--lifeblood of Haida art and culture--had been levelled indiscriminately for too long. Buoyed by their Haida elders, protesters united in peaceful resistance. A total of 72 people were arrested, but their tactics garnered global attention and won change: in 1987, the government established the Gwaii Haanas Park Reserve/Haida Heritage Site. Archival footage features interviews with elders Ada Yovanovich and Adolphus "Fussy" Marks. Surviving elders Ethel Jones and Watson Pryce share their recollections. Miles Richardson, head of the BC Treaty Commission, Guujaaw, Council of the Haida Nation president, and Allan Wilson, a Haida RCMP officer at the scene, provide further insight into these pivotal events.