2025 Winter Edition
December 2025
Volume 12 of SWCC’s newsletter is here! At a glance: SWCC Rafting - Fall Program Update, PRGT Updates, Bioremediation: Community Learning and Coldfire, 2026 Empowered Energy Solutions Forum and Upper Skeena Energy Champion Mentee, Updates from The Lax’yip Firekeepers.
SWCC RAFTING 🛶
Rafting Program & Community Workshops – Fall Program Update
As we wrap up a busy and rewarding season, we are excited to share the highlights from our rafting program and our fall community workshops. We’ve had a memorable few months filled with outdoor learning, team building, cultural connection, and community nourishment.
Rafting Season Wrap Up
September 5 marked the beginning of our end of season wrap up, following an active summer on the water.
Throughout early September, we enjoyed several outings with iCount School. Together, we built confidence and river skills amongst students.
On September 10, our team traveled to the Headwaters at Morice Lake (Widzin Bin) for an unforgettable overnight trip with two different groups. Participants explored the local village site, picked the last huckleberries of the season, and enjoyed a peaceful nature walk. It was a meaningful experience that helped everyone connect with the land and with one another.
On September 23, we had a SWCC Staff Day, giving our wonderful team a well deserved opportunity to enjoy time on the river together.
On September 24, we hosted our final river day of the season with the University College Education Program and Discovery Program in Witset.
By September 25, we officially closed our rafting season, deflating and packing the rafts and preparing all equipment for winter storage.
Training and Certification
On Sept 4 and Oct 2, our Junior Guide and our intern reached an important milestone by completing both Fire Suppression training and Wilderness First Aid. Their dedication strengthens the safety and leadership capacity of our team for future seasons.
Fall Food Preservation Workshops
We began our fall workshop series on October 10 with a community focused cranberry sauce workshop, just in time for Thanksgiving. A generous turkey donation from Al Bush inspired our October 24 Community Kitchen, which brought in 27 participants. Everyone left well fed and happy.
On November 6, we held a pickled onions workshop. For many participants, it was their first time making pickled onions. The session was full of happy tears and everyone left feeling proud and accomplished.
On November 20, we hosted a salsa canning workshop. For most participants, it was their first time canning salsa and the jars turned out beautifully. We finished the day by making nachos for lunch and had an excellent turnout.
On December 4, we gathered to make cedar wreaths, bake holiday cookies, and drink hot cocoa.
We can’t wait for more workshops in the New Year. Stay tuned on our socials to find out themes and gathering times. Workshops are open to everyone and free to attend.
PRGT Updates
Ecojustice lawyers filed an application for judicial review on behalf of Kispiox Valley Community Centre Association, Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, and local resident Kathy Larson. Their application asks the court to find that the head of the Environmental Assessment Office was unreasonable in determining that construction on the PRGT project was substantially started before the November 25, 2024 deadline when its environmental assessment certificate would have expired. Read more about the case here.
A Response to Fast Tracking:
Mark Carney visited Terrace, BC to announce Ksi Lisims as a fast tracked, nation building project. Check out this video from the Lax’yip Firekeepers to hear more about what Gitanyow Hereditary Chief Watahayetsxw, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks, and Firekeepers representative Drew Harris have to say about the recent announcements.
BIOREMEDIATION 🍄🟫
Community Learning: Post Fire Soil Recovery
On October 5, our team had a call with Maya Elson and Leila Darwish on Post Fire Soil Regeneration. We learned about key support methods such as:
Rebuild cover (chipped wood to protect soil),
Restore biology (biocomplete compost using nearby healthy soil & non-chlorinated water),
Protect health by using personal protective equipment when working in structure-burn areas where there could be possible toxins, and
Biome logs which are used to stabilize slopes/reduce erosion and rebuild soil.
Highlights of the call included learning about ways to support natural fungal succession, protect waterways, and rebuild soil biology.
Working with fungi accelerates safe, resilient post fire regeneration. High intensity fires disrupt soil structure, increase erosion risk, and may release contaminants. Most post fire soils regenerate on their own, but support is needed after extremely hot burns, slow recovery, large exposed soils, or when contaminants or waterways are at risk.
Community Action: Coldfire-Fungi and Fire Resilience
In September we finished our field testing process for the Fire Grand Challenge. After months of sorting and chipping waste wood into piles, Jeff Ravage came to help us in Sik-E-Dakh. We inoculated the wood piles with 80 spawn bags made for us by Smithereens Mushroom. We learned how to monitor and collect data from each pile to check for moisture content, volume change, temperature, and carbon ratio.
On November 4, we completed our final monitoring session for the coldfire project–marking the end of a successful year! This last session confirmed stable performance and consistent results. One of the most rewarding outcomes of the project was the growth of oyster mushrooms. They thrived under the unique conditions created during testing. As part of the wrap up, the team was able to harvest and taste the mushrooms noting their fresh flavor and excellent texture. These were promising indicators of how the project’s controlled environment may support sustainable growth application in the future.
When the first snow fell, our team put up signs to provide community members in Sik-E-Dakh with information about the project. We thought we would see snow covered piles when we went out, but we observed exposed woodchips on the tops of the piles as they were generating so much heat!
Coldfire presentation at the UNBC Wildfire Conference in October
On October 23, 2025, Anissa Watson and Allie Golt attended the UNBC Wildfire Conference. Anissa gave a presentation titled “Coldfire: Fungi as allies in wildfire prevention and community resilience”, bringing a welcomed new perspective on wildfire management with a focus on community-led ecological restoration and fungal mitigation of wastewood.
SKEENA ENERGY SOLUTIONS 💡
Fall 2025 has been a milestone season for Skeena Energy Solutions. Our department has doubled our capacity through two major developments:
1. A new research/project collaboration with University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and University of Victoria (UVic), and
2. Hiring Ari Orrentia as the first mentee in our Upper Skeena Energy Champion Program.
Skeena Energy Solutions – Power for People Collaboration
This partnership is between Skeena Energy Solutions (SES) and the Power for People (PfP) initiative: a five-year Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) project led by principal researchers at UNBC and UVic, with support from the Community Energy Association and the Northern British Columbia Climate Action Network (NorthCAN)
The goal of this partnership is simple and powerful: to strengthen SES’s long-term capacity and help amplify community-driven energy solutions across the Upper Skeena.
Together, we are working to build a strong regional narrative, one that highlights local agency, local leadership, and local solutions to self-defined energy needs.
We are currently collaborating on two major initiatives:
1. Upper Skeena Energy Champion Mentorship Program
SES has envisioned an Energy Champion mentorship model since 2023, when we first proposed the idea in our Natural Resources Canada funding application. Over the past six months, we have designed a framework and curriculum rooted in the energy security needs of the Upper Skeena.
On November 17, we officially launched the Community Energy Mentorship Program, welcoming our first mentee and setting the stage for cultivating future energy leaders in the region. Through our collaboration with UNBC and UVic, we aim to evolve this program into a scalable model that other communities can adopt.
2. The 2nd Empowered Energy Solutions Forum (April 9–11, 2026)
In April 2024, SES/SWCC and Sik-E-Dakh co-hosted the first Upper Skeena Empowered Energy Solutions Forum–an event highlighting renewable energy opportunities, deep home energy retrofits, and trades training across the region. It also featured a highly successful Climate Adaptation speaker panel.
Building on that momentum, we are excited to host the second Empowered Energy Solutions Forum exactly two years later. Power for People (ACET) has joined us in the planning of the Forum.
This upcoming forum will feature:
Speaker Series (4 panels):
Powering Our Future in Northern BC
Regional Resilience from the Ground Up
Adapting Rural Homes in Northern BC
Stories of the Land: Climate Change through Community Eyes
Additional Forum Highlights:
Two community round-table sessions
Industry vendors (including heating specialists, renewable energy professionals, and trades school representatives)
Shared learnings from SES projects, Sik-E-Dakh community projects, and community-led innovations in energy and food security
This is a gathering rooted in local experience, community connection, and practical solutions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Hagwilget Village Council Emergency Power Project
SES continues to support regional energy security through hands-on project development. This spring, SES and Hagwilget Village Council secured funding through the New Relationship Trust’s Clean Energy Initiative for a major solar and battery storage project.
This system will:
Provide reliable, cost-saving, grid-tied energy,
Offer emergency backup capability, and
Serve as a community muster point.
The goal was to have the system operating before winter and we almost made it! The project is now in its final stages. In just a few weeks, the solar array will be fully energized and storing power for the community.
Check out our ongoing projects and initiatives at: upperskeenaenergysolutions.ca
THE LAX’YIP FIREKEEPERS 🔥
Check out this video showcasing highlights from the plant survey we did this July (2025) in collaboration with Gitksan Watershed Authority, the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Darlene Vegh from Gitanyow, Dr. Chelsey Armstrong, and other local community members from the SWCC Field school, and Lax’yip Firekeepers.
Thank you to Bear Claw Lodge for making access easy for our surveys throughout the summer.
We see the love and intention put into the Lax’yip; the Gitxsan territories are almost all in a natural forested state, with the exception of the Gitxsan’s stewardship of the land. The Lax’yip is still taking care of us today through the labour and effort our ancestors put in for us. We see it through the nutrient-rich soil, and plants strategically planted for us to harvest and how they nurture us. Now, it is our collective responsibility to ensure the Lax’yip is protected and strong, sustainable stewardship is implemented for our descendants.
This summer’s field work was funded by the Watershed Security Fund. A collaborative project proposal between GWA, SWCC, and Firekeepers. Through this funding, many of the involved organizations are building resiliency into collaborative watershed governance, monitoring, and restoration work.
Halloween isn’t the only spooky and scary thing happening around here 👻
Raven is a trickster, and they play tricks or games to teach a lesson through storytelling. In this case, Raven can see and feel the harm the flare is causing to the land, animals, and people, so they take the flare away to remind the humans what fresh air feels like and how good it feels for the lungs to breathe in. Only after the smog and bright light are gone, the creatures think clearly again and can tell what time of day it is. They realize what they need to do to keep their home safe again.
These pictures are inspired by the flare in Kitimat, BC. Some of the health impacts related to LNG that occur at every step of the process, including fracking, production, exportation, and burning, are scary and can often be deadly for humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Get reliable information about the health impacts of LNG at cape.ca from trusted physicians who work on the frontlines and witness these illnesses firsthand, and advocate for safer regulations and an environment for all.
🐾 Wilp Aasosxw: Dog Sanctuary
Wilp Aasosxw is in need of some supplies! If you’re looking to support Teresa Brown and the puppies at the dog sanctuary, you can donate (wilpaasosxw@gmail.com), sign up as a volunteer (message Teresa on the Wilp Aasosxw Facebook page and list what skills you can contribute or if you’re interested in being a driver), or provide supplies (eg. wood shavings for the pups, firewood, groceries, dog food, etc.) Wilp Aasosxw is a busy place and always looking for more help! 🐾
