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Location: Fraser Valley, Lower Lillooet River Project Summary
SUMMARY This multi-disciplinary project will improve the stewardship of Salmon in our home watershed, and empower our communities as we undertake cultural activities related to Salmon and community tradition. There will be cultural, habitat, committee, and policy and capacity development at all levels. Education and Elder to Youth communication plays a strong role in the success of future Salmon and Watershed Stewardship, and Pacific Streamkeeper Federation methods will be implemented to help achieve our stewardship and education goals. OVERVIEW Salmon are a foundation of our culture and wellbeing. Water, streams, watersheds, and fish: these are vital component s of the In-SHUCK-ch strategy for stewardship of resources, economic development as a basis for sustainable communities, and cultural rebirth. In-SHUCK-ch people are empowering ourselves to take leadership of the stewardship of all of our resources. Recently, and importantly it was identified by Judicial Inquiry that the West Coast is seeing, and is subject to a fisheries collapse. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says 80 per cent of commercial fisheries are already overexploited, depleted or fully exploited, and the situation is steadily deteriorating in BC. This is an opportunity to advance our stewardship of BC’s resource upstream here in the Lillooet Valley, and teach a new generation of stewards, our Nation’s youth, to manage and understand our cultural resource - and one that affects the entire province. The goals of the project are to: engage and educate our people; address restoration opportunities; and support Nation and capacity building in both policy development and resource stewardship, specifically fisheries management. The project will engage in all four FSWP program areas through the following project components: 1) Community engagement and education through an In-SHUCK-ch Nation Streamkeepers program, combined with the revitalization of community wide cultural connection to salmon; 2) Identification and documentation of local habitat restoration needs and opportunities 3) Development of local fish resource policy and referrals administration; and 4) Capacity building to increase In-SHUCK-ch involvement in fisheries stewardship and management activities. This Capacity building includes the opportunity to create a Fish Technical Working group, a measure that has been identified, and required within In-SHUCK-ch Treaty with the province. We are currently in the final stages of Treaty talks, and are very close to implementing and signing the Treaty as it relates to our traditional territory and resources. We thank you for what is the first opportunity for In-SHUCK-ch to meaningfully reestablish our ancient role as stewards of the fish. We are proposing a modest and practical start which will build capacity for future implementation.
Objective #1 Revive cultural connection to fish, and build education and awareness of youth and broader community in fish habitat and resources though stewardship and cultural activities like a Fish Camp, and a First Fish Ceremony.
In meeting the described objectives, the project methodology will consist of the following core strategic components: 1. An In-SHUCK-ch Streamkeepers program for youth will be implemented through local school in the territory (Head of Lake School at Skatin). Utilizing Fisheries and Oceans Community Advisors and Pacific Streamkeepers Federation (PSKF) procedures and guidelines, a program will be developed in partnership with the local school system, and the community centers in each of the three participating communities. Meetings will be held with school teachers to develop a curriculum implementation plan, integrating the curriculum in to the school system. This will be based on the modular training program provided by PSKF. There will be trainer certification for streamkeepers within each community. PSKF will provide “train the trainers” sessions for those that will be participating in instructing youth in Streamkeepers. At the Skatin school, and in each community the program will start with a focus on grades 7 through 9, followed by expansion into elementary grades 4 through 6. This second phase will include a youth mentorship component wherein the older grades (7-9) will work directly with the younger grades (4-6). This will be not only beneficial for the new younger students but will also foster relations between the students and will add value to the learning for the older students through teaching what they have learned to others. Because there is only one school for the three communities involved, the program will also utilize community centers as a base for local Streamkeeper activities, engaging community members, and for storing streamkeepers kits. Additional element of the program will include: 2. Habitat restoration priorities will be identified through interviews with elders in each community, consultation with DFO community advisors and other local expertise, and site visits. The interviews will be designed to gather the historical knowledge the elders hold on the condition and value various habitats held for the community, and the process will meet recognized TEK collection standards. The interview design will include contributions from willing local In-SHUCK-ch members, and those who have experience in TEK collection. Streamkeepers youth will also be involved in developing and performing interviews with elders to train them in a new skill area that will encourage legacy building for the Nation as well as develop a platform for intergenerational knowledge exchange. 3. To establish an ongoing process for updating the broader community on local stewardship initiatives and objectives as well as to increase the community stewardship awareness and activity, the project will include the following: monthly community updates on local stewardship initiatives and progress in the _cwalmicw newsletter; the design and building of 2-3 strategically placed information kiosks (rural and urban centered), a local In-SHUCK-ch streamkeepers website, and local signage such as storm drain markers, habitat I.D., and general points of interest on local fish resources and ecology. The signage will also incorporate local art/artists, specifically, the stream to sea fish art program. 4. To help revive community interest and connection to salmon and the watershed, the First Fish ceremony will be revitalized including bringing new life to the salmon camp during the first salmon runs of the year which has been a longstanding part of In-SHUCK culture. This will allow for all community members to actively contribute to and participate in traditional food gathering and celebration of the return of the salmon to their territory and their dinner tables. 5. A fish technical committee, a new Treaty-related measure, will be put in place to lead in the completion of an In-SHUCK-ch Nation Vision and plan for In-SHUCK-ch management and stewardship of local fisheries resources and habitat. This will include the identification of guiding principles, goals and objectives that will guide strategic planning and management activities going forward for the Nation. This will build a platform for current and future processes related to In-SHUCK-ch leadership in resource management in their territory. The technical committee will also lead a Visioning and policy development exercise with the broader community (a congress), to gather input to the development of a fisheries management program and its policies and objectives. The technical committee and project consultants and proponents will work together to produce a new In-SHUCK-ch Community Salmon Declaration, a document that will encompass the vision and plan being produced by this project. BENEFITS Through our education elements and deliverables we are creating a new generation of watershed and lands stewards. Our fish, and other resources within our territory are culturally important, and continual stewardship 7 Generations forward is a goal of In-SHUCK-ch Nation.( Plan link: http://bit.ly/8NLjUl). The community and stewardship we are implementing within the territory is important for the Fraser area as we are essentially upstream, and our territory is strongly tied to many BC salmonid habitats and life-cycles. As a community in BC, and as a Nation, we have a strong interest in the health of the Fraser Basin watershed.
Through 4 stages of action (see activities on p.7) we are engaging several groups through this project. Streamkeepers are involved and will be trained in Nation engagement. Three communities in our territory (implemented through the local community centers), and members from the Fraser Valley will all be invited and encouraged to partake. Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans) This project can help, and support data for the current inquiry into the collapse of BC Salmon populations. Value-added aspects Increasing inter-generation communication. Increasing community activity, and supporting those interested to become mentors through the Streamkeeper school and community center program. Elders and Youth will be encouraged to seek, and act as mentors throughout their communities. Finally, we are empowering the Nation members and In-SHUCK-ch Staff through the opportunity to teach, learn, and develop policy and capacity for future generations.
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