Reimagining the history of Bellingham Bay and North Puget Sound and how it is taught, presented by Anna Booker, WCC history instructor, and the "Bellingham Working Waterfront Project" and David Jepsen, co-author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History.
Like other coastal zones around the world, the inland sea ecosystem of Washington (USA) and British Columbia (Canada), an area known as the Salish Sea, is changing under pressure from a growing human population, conversion of native forest and shoreline habitat to urban development, toxic contamination of sediments and species, and overharvest of resources. While billions of dollars have been spent trying to restore other coastal ecosystems around the world, there still is no successful model for restoring estuarine or marine ecosystems like the Salish Sea. Despite the lack of a guiding model, major ecological principles do exist that should be applied as people work to design the Salish Sea and other large marine ecosystems for the future. We suggest that the following 10 ecological principles serve as a foundation for educating the public and for designing a healthy Salish Sea and other coastal ecosystems for future generations.
National Public Radio presents a podcast episode about Indigenous youth activists at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Indigenous activists from around the world talk about the impacts of colonialism on the lack of access to the conference.
This paper introduces official responsibility for the protection and management of the Salish Sea marine environment. Focusing on governments and their legally constituted bodies, the complex management structures on the American and Canadian sides of the Salish Sea are identified. Both countries operate in cooperative federalist systems, but there exist differences in management structures arising notably from constitutional differences, Tribal and First Nation relations, and jurisdictional authority. Both state and provincial governments have the authority to create and enforce environmental regulations but are constrained by federal legislation. Collaborative and stakeholder-engaged environmental planning and stewardship have been recognized on both sides of the border. Past and present efforts support bottom-up organizational structures that give community members and scientists a greater voice in decision-making, in partnership with government. More evidence exists of community- and state-level autonomy in Washington compared to British Columbia. Political and administrative boundaries have been recognized by some as counter to needs of environmental management, with an alternative and preferred approach being the use of ecological planning units such as watersheds or estuaries. The international boundary dividing the Salish Sea remains an administrative and organizational impediment despite evidence of trans-boundary collaborative efforts.
Ocean research from the 1970s to present is featured on the website for Ocean Wise, a global conservation organization that creates community action to protect and restore the ocean.
Hakai magazine presents an article on how radiocarbon dating research on Quadra Island has revealed that the Coast Salish clam garden technology is at least 3,500 years old. This discovery pushed back the known history of these structures by about 2,000 years.
Video featuring Marco Hatch, lead of the Coastal Communities and Ecology Lab at Western Washington University, discussing sea gardens on Quadra Island. The lab collaborates with Coast Salish tribes to research the mechanics of clam gardens and how to use sea garden technology to measure changing sea levels.
Website sharing Squamish Nation’s vision on growing their local economy by focusing on three sectors: green economy, outdoor recreation, and sustainable tourism. The Squamish Economic Development team, composed of community members and Squamish Nation, encourages people to reach out about starting, growing, or investing in Squamish.
Letter from the Kwakiutl First Nation Band Council to the Canadian Forest Minister, detailing the infringement of their 1851 Douglas Treaty and Aboriginal rights. It explains how the B.C. Government approved Western Forest Product’s application to remove the traditional territory without speaking to the Kwakitul, and how they intend to take action.
Blackcomb Helicopters' video documenting their sustainable carbon offsetting business model on Quadra Island. Their mission is to neutralize the emissions from their helicopters by permanently preserving the existing forests, encouraging other high-emission businesses to follow suit.
Article shares a series of photographs and stories from the Kwakiut protests that occurred after a breach of the 1851 Douglas Treaty was made when the B.C. government and Western Forest Product made an illegal land deal. The article discusses the rich history of the Kwakiutl and their demands going forward.
Sustainability report from Western Forest Products. It compiles information on company values, workforce demographics, sustainability models in response to climate change, and their efforts to create collaborative Indigenous relationships in Vancouver and the B.C. Coast.
Webpage for Western Forest Products, a forest products manufacturing company based in Vancouver that is committed to producing sustainable building products.
Webpage detailing the 2030 Olympic Bid made by four nations: Lil̓wat7úl (Lil’wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh). This would be the first Indigenous-led bid in history, aiming for reconciliation through sport. The webpage has since been updated, stating that the B.C. Government is not in support of this bid.
Part one of the “On Fire: Camas, Cores, and Spores” series on the podcast Future Ecologies. The episode discusses the history and evolution of fire, and the evolution of plants, animals, and human technologies concerning fire.
Increasingly, ethnoecologists, anthropologists, and conservation biologists are recognizing that Indigenous People of the Northwest Coast and neighboring regions have been astute stewards and managers—not just harvesters and consumers—of the resources and ecosystems on which they have relied. Over thousands of years, these people have developed diverse practices and protocols that have not only sustained, but enhanced the resource species both in quantity and in quality. These practices are based on long-term observation and experience, and are embedded in belief systems, ceremonies, dances, art, and narratives. Here we provide an overview of marine and coastal resource management systems that have been documented to date, and then cite three examples in more detail: clam gardens, salmon production, and estuarine root gardens. These different production systems do not function alone but are components of an entire complex of land and resource management extending across the marine and terrestrial landscapes, “from ocean bottom to mountaintop.” These traditional management systems have been seriously disrupted since the arrival of European newcomers and the resulting impacts on key habitats from colonial settlement, land encroachment, changes in land tenure, land-use conversion, and industrial scale exploitation. Today, collaborative efforts between Indigenous communities, ethnoecologists, and others are underway to recognize and restore some of these critically important Indigenous production systems and associated practices as a means of ethnoecological restoration, habitat enhancement, and food system revitalization.
Map that places the Coast Salish at the forefront, prioritizing their relationship and history with their territories. Language and culture are at one with the landscape.
Book composed of over 20 hours of oral history by Dave Elliot, PENÁĆ, a Saanich elder, who shared knowledge about the Saanich people, territory, place names, seasonal cycle, European contact, the Douglas Treaties, and reef-net fishing.
Indigenous knowledge holders, scholars, and artists created an interactive, global map of the sea gardens across the Pacific. The map describes ancestral innovation and connections, geographic and temporal extents, biophysical manipulations, target species, ceremonial and stewardship practices, and the current status of sea gardens; information to which many different universities, organizations, and agencies contributed.
Article celebrating the recognition of the Howe Sound area as Canada’s 19th biosphere by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, an effort that was five years in the making.
Website about the Marine Stewardship Initiative that strives to protect the diverse economic, ecological, cultural, and social values associated with the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/Howe Sound’s ocean and freshwater.
Book mapping the most beloved places in the Salish Sea, created by a diverse group of collaborators across the Salish Sea. Maps range from fishing spots and ancient First Nations sites to bird migration and heritage orchids.
Chapter of British Columbia in a Global Context, discussing the history of commercial logging in B.C. The chapter talks about how logging contributed to the building of roads, railroads, and other infrastructure and how that shaped B.C's physical and economic landscape.
Map depicting the volcanic hazards at Mt. Rainier. Scientists believe the next eruption could produce volcanic ash, lava flows, and avalanches, making this the most threatening mountain in the Cascades.
Article featuring Carolyn Driedger, geologist at Cascades Volcano Observatory. Driedger discusses the hazards of Mt. Rainier, the safety measures the city of Orting has put into place, and the importance of pre-planning for the possibility of an eruption.
Webpage from the Seattle Office of Emergency Management featuring Washington’s five active volcanoes in the Cascade Range: Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt. Rainer, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. The webpage goes over the many hazards caused by eruptions such as lahars, and what they may mean for the people of Seattle.
New York Times article exploring the heat wave in Lytton, British Columbia, 2021. Record-breaking temperatures of 121 degrees ignited a fire that destroyed 90 percent of the town.
Video by Geology Hub talks about Mt. Rainer, an active volcano that would cause major destruction if it were to erupt. Video features the geological history of the volcano and lahar hazard mapping.
Seattle Office of Emergency Management webpage discussing fire emergency management. The page goes over the dangers of fires, safety systems, and how climate change has put wildfires on Seattle’s list of concerns.
Seattle Office of Emergency Management webpage discussing landslide emergency management. The page goes over the dangers of landslides to the city and what measures the city has taken to mitigate vulnerability to landslides.
This program is built on the definition of health, including environmental health, as founded on the cooperative relationships between humans, non-humans, and their environment.