The British Columbia government and the Taku River Tlingit First Nation have signed a land use agreement covering a vast area of the province's northwest that will protect some parts and open up others for resource development. Premier Christy Clark said the deal follows years of litigation over a mine in the area, which the province ended up winning in the Supreme Court of Canada. Band spokesman John Ward said the agreement will protect the land and provide the means for band members to prosper in their own traditional territory.