Skagit Donut Hole

The Skagit (pronounced ska-dj-ut) donut hole is a 5,800 hectare “hole” in provincial park protection between Manning Park and Skagit Valley Provincial Park. Skagit River’s sparkling headwaters and lush forests are home to hundreds of animals, including 200 bird species, chinook salmon (an orca food staple), and already struggling Grizzly bears. People on both sides of the Canada/US border love this area, too—it’s important to the Upper Skagit, Stó:lō, Syilx and Nlaka’pamux Peoples, and beloved by one million outdoor enthusiasts who hike, fish, ski, snowshoe, paddle, and horseback ride here every year. 

For years, the Skagit donut hole has been under attack from logging and mining companies who want to develop and destroy it. Already, logging has carved holes into the landscapes that will take decades to re-green.

We need to protect this special place before it’s too late.

GOOD NEWS

Thanks to the hard work of several groups including CPAWS-BC, the BC Minister of Forests and Minister of Environment announced that logging would be banned in Silverdaisy and 26 Mile valleys in December 2019.

In January 2022, CPAWS-BC celebrated a huge win when the BC government announced that Imperial Metals—the company that has held mining tenures in the donut hole—had surrendered their rights to the area. 

This announcement comes off the heels of relentless efforts by an international coalition made up of nearly 300 conservation and recreation organizations, Tribes and First Nations, elected officials and local businesses, as well as over 6,000 individuals, who have opposed Imperial Metals’ application to mine in the Skagit for years. 

TIMELINE

• 1995: Donut hole formed by creation of Skagit Valley Provincial Park and adjustments to the boundaries of Manning Provincial Park
• 2018: Clearcut logging begins in donut hole
• 2019: Imperial Metals’ files gold mining application for Skagit headwaters (in donut hole)
• 2019: Woohoo! BC bans logging in donut hole
• 2022: Woohoo! Imperial Metals surrenders mining rights in donut hole

RIGHT NOW

With a dam, mining, and logging out of the Skagit donut hole, it’s time for the BC government to work closely with local First Nations to fully protect it. 

Together, we can encourage them to do just that. Join us in sending the BC government a note of thanks!