Green Dreams: Sustutdene Eco Resort

As a high school student, Niky Tevely was inspired by the eco-tourism courses she studied in high school when she moved to Prince George, Lheidli T’enneh Keyoh. At the age of 16, she was convinced that sustainable tourism was her career destination, and she dreamed about having horses on a property to use for therapeutic reasons.

Fast forward a few decades later and Niky and her partner Eric have made this vision come to life. They have developed an Indigenous-led tourism business called the Sustutdene Eco Resort. The name honours the people in Takla who were originally called Sustutdene. Due to colonial government policies, Niky’s ancestors were moved and relocated from the Sustut River area to the current reserve, located along Takla Lake.

Niky is a member of the Takla Nation. Her mother is a Hereditary Chief, and she sits with Jill Tse Yu, the Frog Clan. Niky has been in training to receive her mother’s hereditary name and has been active in the potlatch system in her home community for the past four years. Her dad, who grew up in Fort St. James, is from the Tl’azt’en Nation. Many of Niky’s family are residential school survivors. She is determined to break cycles of trauma that were forced on her family due to colonization and systemic racism.

“As a kid from the rez, it’s hard to think that your dreams are attainable.”

Because of her family’s intergenerational experiences, she is passionate about creating safe spaces for youth through land-based healing and discovering the traditions and the language of her ancestors. Niky has six children and a grandson on the way. When she talks about the resort, she says, “It’s so much more than a tourism destination for us.”

Dream team

Niky had dreams of starting her own tourism business, having horses and equine therapy, and creating a lifestyle that could be a place of land-based healing for Indigenous youth. Her husband Eric had a chance encounter with a childhood friend at the fishing derby in Takla Landing, an experience which was the catalyst that ignited the couple’s dreams into reality. Niky and Eric with contributions from their long-term friend and business partner Gino Menzio, together the trio has shaped Sustutdene Eco Resort into a unique regenerative cultural learning destination.

The Sustutdene Eco Resort is located where the former Takla Rainbow Lodge used to stand. The new resort features both vintage and new A-frame cabins, a lodge with a large space and kitchen to host events, a chalet that sleeps ten, and lots of windows to enjoy the spectacular views of Takla Lake, five tent sites, and 11 RV campsites. The resort has propane amenities and solar electricity. The resort has made a commitment to a small environmental footprint and is flexible with allowing people to bring their own generators if they choose.

Sustutdene Eco Resort has taken the GreenStep Sustainable Tourism 2030 pledge to improve the sustainability of their tourism business between now and 2030. The resort is also a member of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business and Indigenous Tourism BC.

Open in the summer and winter, visitors can choose from heli-skiing adventures and thrilling snowmobile adventures through stunning winter landscapes surrounding Takla Lake to horseback riding and boat tours within a rich learning environment where traditional Indigenous ways of knowing and being are celebrated.

How to get to Sustutdene Eco Resort

Niky recommends contacting her first before arrival. There are two ways to arrive at the Sustutdene Eco Resort.

By air: Fly into Smithers. Book a flight via Alpine Lakes Air out in Telkwa. The flight from Tyhee Lake to Takla Lake is about half an hour.
See https://sustutdenecooresort.ca/fly-in-shuttle/ for more details.

By road: Drive to Fort St. James and take an active logging road to access the resort; ensure you have a radio and an emergency kit and be mindful of the wildlife you are sure to encounter along the way. It’s about 2.5 hours from Fort St. James.
See https://sustutdenecooresort.ca/how-to-get-here/ for more details.

You can learn more about the Sustutdene Eco Resort on Facebook, Instagram, and on their website: https://sustutdenecooresort.ca

“We want to welcome Indigenous and non-Indigenous people here and create a healing space for all people.”