Saulteau Natives Reoccupy Land and Prevent Oil Drilling
March 25, 2004
Saulteau Territory, Moberly Lake, BC, Canada
The indigenous Saulteau peoples of Moberly Lake successfully prevented the Vintage Petroleum company from drilling in the Rene and Boucher Lakes area by reoccupying their territory, setting up camps and check points around the lakes. In August of 2003, the Saulteau Band Council launched a court case against the company, but in January of 2004 the BC courts sided with Vintage.
The people decided to take matters into their own hands when Vintage began to build a road and well site. The company promised they would create jobs for the Saulteau, but the people knew that the Rene and Boucher Lakes are one of the last good trapping and hunting grounds in the area and preffered to defend their traditional way of life. As one Saulteau put it: "let them keep their oil money and jobs, we would rather have moose." After several days of the land occupation, Vintage decided to back off.