The Liard First Nation is putting the mining industry on notice: seek the participation of the first nation or face the consequences.

"Many companies are doing business on our lands, but few are taking the appropriate time to consult with us properly in advance of exploration and development activities," Chief Liard McMillan said in a press release issued Thursday.

"We intend to make them fully aware of our view on this directly, and should changes to these practices not occur quickly, we will take prompt action to be more forceful with our message."

McMillan goes on to say how the traditional territory of the Kaska has not been surrendered by a land claim settlement, and how the citizens of the Liard First Nation retain unsurrendered rights and title to their lands.

In an interview this morning, the chief said he will be taking that message with him to Vancouver next week to deliver it directly to industry representatives attending the annual mining conference.

McMillan said the first nation is represented by a very good law firm with solid-gold experience in aboriginal affairs.

The first nation, he insisted, will use its legal resources to establish its point if need be, or take whatever steps are required to halt companies that do not seek the participation of the first nation.

McMillan said he wants to see direct communication in Watson Lake with companies wanting to advance projects on Liard First Nation territory.

The first nation, he added, not only wants input on proposed projects but wants to have a hand in guiding social and economic impacts.

"The Liard First Nation needs to be a direct player; we need to be further involved," McMillan said. "We are not opposed to development, as long as it is done responsibly."

The voice of the Liard First Nation is not being heard, yet significant projects like the Wolverine mine proposal keep advancing, as does work on closure plans for the abandoned Faro mine, he said. That mammoth mine closed 10 years ago next month.

The chief said these projects have a significant impact on the Kaska territory, and his first nation expects more than a cursory nod as companies move their projects forward.

Representatives of the first nation, for example, made submissions to the Yukon Territory Water Board last year with regard to a water licence for the Wolverine mine, but those submissions were largely ignored, he said.

McMillan said the Kaska have a duty to protect the environment and the wildlife for the future, and they plan to do that.

The Liard and Ross River Kaska first nations rejected a land claim settlement under the Umbrella Final Agreement, the blueprint used to negotiate the 11 final agreements in other parts of the territory.

The chief said the Liard First Nation remains fundamentally opposed to the Umbrella Final Agreement. There is always interest in negotiating an aboriginal treaty, though it will never happen under the Umbrella Final Agreement, he said.

The White River First Nation is the only other of the territory's 14 first nation which does not have a land claims settlement.