Watershed Futures Initiative Events
The Watershed Futures Initiative will deliver webinars and workshops for the community of scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers working on cumulative effects in salmon-bearing watersheds of British Columbia.
You will find recordings and supplementary materials from these events below. If your work fits with the Watershed Futures Initiative's goals, contact us to inquire about future events.
Indigenous Stewardship of Salmon Watersheds
Taking care of knowledge, taking care of salmon: Indigenous data sovereignty
June 2, 2022
The Indigenous Stewardship of Salmon Watersheds webinar series seeks to provide a platform for sharing experiences and charting a course forward for salmon watersheds.
As a Tier 1 event, this second event in the WFI Indigenous Webinar Series explored the intersection of data, cumulative effects, and Indigenous stewardship of salmon watersheds. We discussed what ‘data’ is, how it is used (and sometimes misused), and explored a positive vision for Indigenous data sovereignty. Speakers shared examples of successful arrangements and tools. Attendees had opportunities for ‘virtual visiting’ in smaller groups and shared challenges and opportunities. Together, we worked to identify actionable solutions for Indigenous communities on how to advance and protect their knowledge and data, and generate recommendations for external researchers and policymakers.
ANDREA REID
Assistant Professor & PI for the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries—University of British Columbia
SEAN YOUNG
Manager/Curator of Collections and lab of Archaeology—Saahlinda Naay "Saving Things House" (Haida Gwaii Museum)
JENNIFER WALKUS and MEGAN ADAMS
Elected Councilor—Wuikinuxv Nation and Postdoctoral Fellow, Conservation Decisions Lab—UBC
TARA MARSDEN
Wilp Sustainability Director—Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs
KELLY SPECK
Elected Councilor—'Namgis Nation
ANDREA REID
Assistant Professor & PI for the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries—University of British Columbia
Dr. Andrea Reid is a citizen of the Nisga’a Nation and an Assistant Professor with the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. She is helping to launch and lead the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, working to build a national and international hub for the study and protection of culturally significant fish and fisheries. Her research program adopts highly interdisciplinary and applied approaches to improving our understanding of the complex interrelationships between fish, people and place. Reid’s PhD in Biology (Governor General’s Gold Medal; Carleton University ’20) centered on multiple stressor effects on Pacific salmon, using tools and insights from Western and Indigenous sciences in tandem. Reid is a cofounder of Riparia, a Canadian charity that connects diverse young women with science on the water to grow the next generation of water protectors. She is also a National Geographic Explorer and a Fellow of The Explorers Club.
SEAN YOUNG
Manager/Curator of Collections and lab of Archaeology—Saahlinda Naay "Saving Things House" (Haida Gwaii Museum)
My name is Gid yahk’ii (Sean Young) I am a proud member of the Haida Nation. I’m part of the G̱akyaals ḴiiG̱waay Raven Clan of Ḵ’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans). I am currently the Manager/Curator of Collections and Lab of Archaeology at Saahlinda Naay “Saving Things House” (Haida Gwaii Museum) at Ḵay Llnagaay. I’m also an educated and trained field Archaeologist and have worked in this field since the summer of 1995. I am an instructor and guest lecturer for the Haida Gwaii Institutes Natural Resource Studies and Marine Conservation semester for the past four years. I’ve also worked for the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program since 2004 as a cultural ambassador and caretaker living in ancient Haida villages and cultural sites every summer which are located within Gwaii Haanas Haida Heritage Site National Park Reserve.
JENNIFER WALKUS and MEGAN ADAMS
Elected Councilor—Wuikinuxv Nation
and
Postdoctoral Fellow, Conservation Decisions Lab—University of British Columbia
Jennifer is a knowledge keeper and Council Member with the Wuikinuxv Nation. She is also the Former Stewardship & Fisheries Director - and much more. Jennifer has been involved with work from crabs, to bears, to salmon, related to how Wuikinuxv data is used to create scientific questions and inquiries that allow her Nation to impact and shape government policy.
A settler with roots from the British Isles, Megan grew up in Treaty 7 territory in Alberta and is passionate about salmon and the ecosystems and communities they support. For over a decade, she has worked in close collaboration with First Nations on research projects aimed at upholding Indigenous sovereignty while also fulfilling stewardship objectives. Currently, Megan supports Central Coast Nations in various salmon programs as a coordinator with the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia. Prior to these projects, Megan collaborated with the Wuikinuxv Nation on a grizzly and black bear monitoring program.
TARA MARSDEN
Wilp Sustainability Director—Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs
Tara Marsden is a member of Gitanyow First Nation, and holds the traditional name Naxginkw. Tara has a Masters Degree in Political Science from the University of Northern BC. Over her 20-year career, she has worked for a number of First Nations, ENGOs, philanthropic organizations, post-secondary institutions, the provincial government, and the BC Forest Practices Board. Most recently, Tara spent 9 years as the Wilp Sustainability Director for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs implementing the Gitanyow Lax’yip Land Use Plan and other sustainable development policies. While still playing a lead role with Gitanyow, Tara also works on contract with Healthy Watersheds Initiative as the Senior Indigenous Advisor, and runs her own consulting business Hlimoo Sustainable Solutions out of her home in Hazelton, BC.
KELLY SPECK
Elected Councilor—'Namgis Nation
Kelly-Ann Speck has been involved in resource management work around British Columbia for over 30 years. Kelly has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Queens University, and has held many positions, from Assistant Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Skills & Training to the Regional Vice-Chair and Member of the Parole Board of Canada. She has been awarded the Lt Governor's Silver Medal for Excellence in Public Service and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work. Kelly has also served as Board Director for both the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the U'mista Museum & Cultural Center. Currently, she is an Elected Councilor of the 'Namgis First Nation, leading portfolios on health, forests, and land resources, and is the Chair fo the 'Namgis Health Board. Kelly is also a key voice in the 'Namgis' negotiations with BC, Canada, and industry.
Indigenous Stewardship of Salmon Watersheds:
Sharing Stories on Climate Change and Cumulative Effects
June 30, 2021
The Indigenous Stewardship of Salmon Watersheds webinar series seeks to provide a platform for sharing experiences and charting a course forward for salmon watersheds.
As a Tier 1 event, the first webinar in the series: Sharing Stories on Climate Change and Cumulative Effects, is intended as an opportunity for the sharing of information among Indigenous technical staff from nations across BC, who have first-hand experience of the changes linked to climate change and cumulative effects in their own watersheds and whose perspective is informed by those who have lived in place for countless generations.
DÚQVA̓ÍSḶA WILLIAM HOUSTY
Board of Directors (Chair)—Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (HIRMD)
NICOLE (COLE) MORVEN
Harvest Monitoring Coordinator—Nisga’a Fisheries & Wildlife Department
MICHELLE WALSH
Tribal Fisheries Biologist — Secwepemc Fisheries Commission
Climate Change and Cumulative Effects in Heiltsuk Territory
DÚQVA̓ÍSḶA WILLIAM HOUSTY
Board of Directors (Chair)—Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (HIRMD)
William comes from the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) First Nation and was born and raised in Bella Bella, where he now lives with his wife and 4 children. Following the completion of his Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management in 2007, William returned home and has been working for the HIRMD since. William also works closely with the Heiltsuk
Hereditary Chiefs table and serves as a liaison between them and the elected tribal council. William is a strong advocate for Heiltsuk culture and values and has dedicated his life to working with Heiltsuk families in the areas of Potlatches, language and culture.
Nisga'a Fishers—Eyes and Ears of the Nass River—Witnesses to Change
COLE MORVEN
Harvest Monitoring Coordinator—Nisga’a Fisheries & Wildlife Department
Nicole (Cole) comes from the Nisga’a First Nation and grew up in Gitwinksihlkw in the Nass River valley where she lives with her husband and daughter. She has been a Monitoring Coordinator on Nisga’a land and water for the past 13 years. On the water, Nicole she coordinates harvest monitoring along the Nass River, interviewing fishers across four communities about their catches, which often include Chinook and sockeye salmon and oolichan. Nicole is a strong believer in the importance of using traditional knowledge and first-hand experiences of change to inform sustainable management of natural resources. She has been troubled by the recent changes she’s witness on the water; with warming temperatures indicating a sign of things to come and a call to action for the Nisga’a and other Nations. Cole has a YouTube channel where she shares videos of her work.
Tipping Point in the ‘Heart of the Fraser’?
MICHELLE WALSH
Tribal Fisheries Biologist—Secwepemc Fisheries Commission
Michelle comes from the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, Lhtseh yoo (Frog) Clan, of the Dakelh Nation. Michelle is passionate about working with First Nations towards achieving self governance of their natural resources, which the culture is so intimately tied to. She has worked as a Fisheries Biologist for the Secwepemc Fisheries Commission, a department of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, in Kamloops for the past 15 years, supporting the Secwepemc communities in their fisheries endeavors such as: conducting salmon stock assessments and habitat use studies, habitat restoration and mapping, and developing fisheries management plans in collaboration with communities. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Environmental Science at Thompson Rivers University. In her thesis, Michelle is investigating how stream-type Chinook salmon of conservation concern in the Thompson River watershed use groundwater upwellings, potential thermal refuges amid warming stream temperatures.
Emerging Cumulative Effects Assessment Approaches for Salmon Watersheds Webinar
November 18, 2020
What tools are available to assess cumulative effects, particularly in relation to salmon-bearing watersheds in British Columbia? In November 2020, five experts gave us a sampler of assessment tools to help propel Watershed Futures Initiative discussions.
This webinar was the first major event for the Watershed Futures Initiative and marked its official launch. This webinar included an introduction to the Watershed Futures Initiative, and a series of short presentations offering an overview of assessment frameworks and management strategies from BC and beyond.
FELICE GRIFFITHS
CHESEA ENSLOW
Watershed Assessment and the BC Cumulative Effects Framework
TARA MARTIN
Prioritizing Threat Management Action for Salmon Recovery
SPENCER TAFT
Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Cumulative Effects Management Initiative in Burrard Inlet
MICHAEL SULLIVAN
What is Killing Our Fish? Cumulative Effects Modelling to Help Alberta’s Fishes
ISOBEL PEARSALL
Introduction to the Risk Assessment Method for Salmon
1. Watershed Assessment and the BC Cumulative Effects Framework
FELICE GRIFFITHS & CHELSEA ENSLOW
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD)
Felice is the Team Lead for Policy and Guidance with the Cumulative Effects and Integrated Monitoring Section of FLNRORD. She holds a Master's in Resource and Environmental Management from SFU and a BSc. in Biology from UVic. She has worked for the provincial government for 15 years—in wildlife management, environmental assessment, and since 2016 on development and implementation of BC's Cumulative Effects Framework.
Chelsea is a Land and Resource Coordinator with the Thompson-Okanagan Region, FLNRORD. Her background is diverse, including ornithological and parasitological research, inter-government collaboration, and project management, while her current role is focused on planning and cumulative effects. She holds a BSc in Environmental Science from UBC, and a Masters of Natural Resource Management from the University of Manitoba.
2. Prioritizing Threat Management Action for Salmon Recovery
TARA MARTIN
Professor, Conservation Decisions Lab, University of British Columbia
Tara is a professor at the University of British Columbia and leads the Conservation Decisions Lab. Her team is pioneering the field of conservation decision science—combining ecological predictions with decision science to bridge the gap between research and on-ground conservation action and policy. They are currently working to understand cumulative impacts and shifting baselines with respect to salmon on the BC Central Coast and Fraser River and to prioritize their threat management for recovery. Tara is most at home in the Salish Sea exploring nature with her children.
3. Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Cumulative Effects Management Initiative in Burrard Inlet
SPENCER TAFT
Cumulative Effects Project Manager, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Spencer is from Edmonton, Alberta, and has a BSc in Ecology, and an MSc in Forest Biology. He started working at Tsleil-Waututh Nation in 2015 for the Nation’s sustainable resource management company, Inlailawatash. Currently, he manages TWN’s cumulative effects program, which is looking at numerous lines of evidence to understand historic impacts and ecosystem changes in Burrard Inlet since European contact, forecast future changes from ongoing development, and support TWN decision-making and management. To do this, the program is reconstructing a pre-contact ecosystem baseline, collecting data on key stressors and drivers of change, and developing an ecosystem model of current conditions to forecast future changes and impacts.
4. What is Killing Our Fish? Cumulative Effects Modelling to Help Alberta’s Fishes
MICHAEL SULLIVAN
Fisheries Scientist, Alberta Environment and Parks and Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta
Michael is Alberta-born, raised, educated (all 3 degrees) and has worked as a fisheries biologist in western Canada for nearly five decades. Unlike many scientists, and similar to mountain caribou, his dispersion coefficient is relatively low. This familiarity with the western mountain and boreal landscapes has led to a profound appreciation for the peoples, the deep history, and the intricate connections between rivers, forests, fishes, and peoples. His career has been one of learning and teaching of difficult trade-offs between what we want today, what Nature can accommodate, and what can be gained or lost by failing to act. The integrated, holistic understanding of Nature as understood by western Canada’s indigenous peoples guides Michael’s efforts to integrate facets of western science (especially cumulative effects simulation modelling) into the larger sphere of Traditional Knowledge.
Although his habitat preferences are high, lonely, and snowy places, his typical location is near the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, where he works as Alberta’s provincial fisheries scientist and adjunct professor.
5. Risk Assessment Methodology for Salmon (RAMS)
ISOBEL PEARSALL
Director, Marine Science Programs, Pacific Salmon Foundation
Isobel has a First Class degree in Pure and Applied Biology from Oxford University, a M.Sc. in Ecology from Dalhousie University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from UBC. After her Ph.D. studies, she was a post-doctoral fellow in Ecosystem Management at the Pacific Biological Station, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Nanaimo.
Isobel was the Project Coordinator (Canada) for the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Salish Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP), a transboundary $20M program set to address declines in Chinook, Coho and Steelhead in the Salish Sea between 2014-2019. She is currently the Director of Marine Science Programs at PSF and lead for the Strait of Georgia Data Centre, an online hub established in collaboration with the Institute of the Ocean and Fisheries, UBC. The Strait of Georgia Data Centre holds data for ecological, environmental and human use data for the Strait of Georgia.
In 2010, working with Wilf Luedke DFO and Dr. Kim Hyatt DFO, Isobel developed a Risk Assessment Methodology for Salmon (RAMS), which has been applied by regional salmon experts at population, CU, watershed and MU levels to assess the biological risks posed by identified stressors/ limiting factors for both data rich and data deficient CUs in Canada’s Pacific region and may be used to prioritize research, assessment and fisheries management responses to sustain or restore wild salmon throughout the region.