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.
A 3D guide of the entire Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which includes a museum, art gallery and gift shop, and café. Many museum displays are clearly depicted with legible informational plaques. The cultural center was created in partnership between the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations.
The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, created in partnership between the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, aims to preserve and share cultural knowledge. This page on the Squamish Nation’s website contains a link to the cultural center’s website.
The Blackcomb Helicopters company explains the federal permission they have been granted to operate throughout the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. This Land Act tenure grants the company access to the land for commercial recreational purposes. Indigenous communities and impact on the environment were considered before tenure was granted.
A slide show used to teach a class in the Introduction to the Salish Sea course at Western Washington University. Discusses orcas and pollution, and includes embedded videos, small group activities, and a variety of maps. Also contains an overview of a 3-week module about climate change, justice, and the future of the Salish Sea.
A slide show used to teach a class in the Introduction to the Salish Sea course at Western Washington University. Contains teaching materials about residential schools, Robert Banks Terminal 2, and consent of Indigenous peoples. Also contains an overview of a 3-week module about climate change, justice, and the future of the Salish Sea.
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s action plan for improving the health of the Burrard Inlet ecosystem by 2025 is summarized on this webpage. The plan involves monitoring and supporting water quality and marine wildlife with measurable goals.
An archaeological dissertation about stone tools and other lithic materials found in the Squamish Nation territory, and how they are connected to culture, place names, and oral histories, particularly the oral history themes of Transformation and Mythical Beings.
A newspaper article documenting the signing of the Burrard Inlet stewardship agreement by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Canada in 2021. The agreement includes a $20 million investment to support environmental restoration, and allows the Tsleil-Waututh community to strengthen and maintain their connection to the water.
A documentary about the removal of two dams from the Elwha River. Follows the history of the river and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe; the building of the dams, their impact on the environment and local communities, and their removal; and the positive cultural and ecological impacts of returning salmon.
Article advocating for the return of national parks land to federally-recognized Tribes. It cites examples of violence and forced removal, and discusses the myth of “American wilderness” on land tended by Indigenous people. Author David Treuer (Ojibwe) explains how people and the environment would benefit.
A podcast episode about the removal of two dams from the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula. Through research and interviews, the hosts explain what it took to overcome the hurdles to this restoration project, the importance of its success for the ecosystem, and what lessons can be applied to other ecosystem renewal projects.
A video of a conversation with Debra Lekanoff, a Washington State Representative and member of the Tlingit Tribe, at Western Washington University. She discusses challenges, progress, and goals for the environmental health and climate of the Salish Sea and Washington State.
The Nisqually Indian Tribe’s official plan for managing the Nisqually watershed. It was published in 2003, following the Watershed Management Act of 1998, which sought to allow citizens, governments, and tribes to develop solutions to water issues. It aims to balance demands for water with environmental conservation.
A video about the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s connection to the Elwha River, and the recolonization of salmon in the river following the removal of two dams.
This article explains how the removal of two dams from the Elwha River is an example of a successful restoration project. The dams devastated salmon populations and local communities, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and conservation groups advocated for their removal. Since their removal in 2011 and 2014, the keystone species has been returning, and research shows improved biodiversity and environmental health.
Eight Tribes and Olympic National Park signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2008 to improve open dialogue and collaboration on the Washington State peninsula, as documented in this article. The tribal governments and National Park Service had collaborated on projects before, but this agreement hopes to formalize and strengthen shared stewardship of the land and its resources.
In the mid-to-late-1800s, integrated schools on Salt Spring Island, B.C. held student bodies of Indigenous, Black, and White children. This article tells how John Craven Jones founded and taught at these schools, with no funding for the first ten years.
A video about the history, significance, and process of harvesting camas (c’abid in Lushootseed), explained and demonstrated by Angie Totus of the Puyallup Tribe.
An atlas about the Gulf Islands in B.C. containing maps, charts, and information about their physical environment, ecosystems, and cultural issues, published by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. It seeks to promote the ecological health of the four national parks on the Gulf Islands by serving as a resource for local policy development and land use.
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.
Article about the significance of the last coal mine on Vancouver Island closing in 2016. The coal industry built Vancouver Island’s economy, but low commodity prices and larger shifts toward more eco-friendly energy sources have impacted the industry.
Vancouver coal miners went on strike in the 1910s for safety issues and union recognition. This encyclopedia article discusses how companies retaliated by hiring strikebreakers and sending in militiamen. Efforts were unsuccessful and union recognition did not come until 1938.
Website of the Wilderness Committee, a Canadian conservation organization focused on research, community mobilization, and grassroots public education. Their work includes Land Back campaigning, protecting freshwater fisheries, and protecting the Skagit headwaters from mining and drilling.
Conservation group Sierra Club of BC has campaigns pressuring policy makers to protect old-growth forests from logging, prioritize biodiversity, combat climate change, and protect farmland.
Training for Change handout that identifies effective and ineffective actions associated with four change-making roles: “helper,” “advocate,” “rebel,” and “organizer.”
Video from King 5 News about the 2021 heat wave. High temperatures and low tides damaged shellfish populations and impacted Washington State’s shellfish industry.
Video about the 2021 heat wave’s effect on intertidal creatures through the Strait of Georgia and the Salish Sea. Researcher from University of British Columbia’s Harley Lab collects data on living and dead mussels in Davis Bay.
News video about the 2021 heat wave’s effect on British Columbia’s ecosystem. Up to one billion shellfish died, an example of climate change’s effects on agriculture and farming families.