Happy Spring Equinox🌱☀️
March 2025
Volume 9 of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition’s newsletter is here!
At a glance:
SWCC Rafting: Our Mission Is Evolving
The Lax’yip Firekeepers (formerly Youth of the Gitxsan Lax’yip) - upcoming community event
Peace and Unity Summit - Save the date!
Bioremediation: Fire Grand Challenge, and fungi fashion
Wilp Aasosxw: Land Defence and Dog Sanctuary
Community Events: The Firekeepers Community Meeting, SWCC Annual General Meeting, Documentation Workshop
Join Our Team!
Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition is looking for an Office and Systems Manager.
The Office and Systems Manager will be responsible for ensuring day-to-day integrity of SWCC’s overall office functionality and administration. The ideal candidate will have 2-3+ years of administration, preferably as a receptionist, executive assistant or similar office management type capacity, as well as a desire to learn and help others in the team wherever necessary.
Skeena Energy Solutions (SES) is seeking a Community Energy Champion Mentee to join our mentorship program, which focuses on supporting the Upper Skeena Region in its transition to renewable energy and a low-carbon future. This is a unique opportunity for a passionate and motivated individual to gain hands-on experience in community-led energy initiatives while working alongside industry professionals and community leaders.
SWCC RAFTING
After many years of offering our traditional rafting programs, we are excited to announce that we’re making some exciting changes!
While our programs have given youth and women the chance to experience the beauty of the river, we are now focusing on making the experience even more impactful. This year, we’re enhancing our rafting trips to foster deeper environmental stewardship and a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of life.
Our goal is to connect people to the river in a more meaningful way, emphasizing conservation and the importance of our environment.
Additionally, we are committed to building local capacity and skill sets, ensuring that participants are equipped to safely experience the rivers in our watershed.
Stay tuned for more details on our upcoming programs and registration in May 2025. Something exciting is on the way!
THE LAX’YIP FIREKEEPERS
🔥The planet may be heating up... but so are the Youth of the Gitxsan Laxyip! 🫡
Join us for a community meeting on Friday, April 4th, at the Gitanmaax Hall from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
This gathering is all about building connections, sharing updates, and announcing our new name! We are now Lax’yip Firekeepers—the ones who keep the fire going.
This event is open to everyone, no admission.
Follow the Youth of the Gitxsan Laxyip on Facebook and Instagram for new details and any potential changes to this event.
➤ICYMI:
Kolin Sutherland-Wilson and Drew Harris were speakers at the Resisting PRGT Pipeline Teach-In hosted by Change Course, Youth Gitxsan of the Laxyip, and Climate Justice UBC. Check out the livestream on Instagram:
PEACE AND UNITY SUMMIT 2025
The 2025 dates have been set for the 5th annual Peace and Unity Summit! Set aside August 6th to 9th in your calendars, and get ready for the gathering to come home. The Summit will occur at the Kispiox Valley Community Grounds for 2 days of land-based activities and 2 days of panel discussions. 🌿
Stay tuned for details to come! In the meantime, follow the Peace and Unity Summit on Facebook, Instagram, or on their website.
BIOREMEDIATION
The Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition is a semi-finalist Partner Community for the Fire Grand Challenge. We will be working with our Technical Partners at Coalitions and Collaboratives to test out Coldfire as a method of breaking down waste wood and fire killed forest utilizing locally trained fungi.
Coldfire: involves the use of fungi to break down waste wood as an alternative to burning slash piles, storing carbon in the soil while producing organic matter from the waste wood as it breaks down.
Final decisions will be made in late March. Stay tuned!
➤We also have some new bioremediation swag coming soon! Shawntei Michell, Jennifer Bulleid, and Drew Harris have designed some epic mushroom prints that will be on t-shirts and sweaters. Stay tuned for more details on how to get yourself one through our Facebook and Instagram.
In the meantime, check out this sweet picture of one of the sketches:
SKEENA ENERGY SOLUTIONS
We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Empowered Energy Solutions Website as part of Phase 2 of the NRCan CERRC grant. This platform will provide Upper Skeena residents and local governments with tools and insights to strengthen regional energy security. The website is set for a soft launch in mid-March and will be fully online by mid-April.
Featuring 13 chapters, it covers topics such as regional energy challenges, energy conservation, renewable alternatives, funding opportunities, and retrofitting guidance. The site will remain a living resource, continuously updated with new information.
Follow us on social media or stay tuned for our next newsletter to get the website link!
➤Upper Skeena Energy Decision Making Matrix
To further support informed energy choices, we have developed the Upper Skeena Energy Decision Making Matrix. This tool helps residents assess home heating and renewable energy options, with Chapter 13: Roadmap to Retrofits guiding homeowners toward greater energy efficiency. Future updates will include insights on sustainable building materials. The Matrix will be accessed on the Empowered Energy Solutions website.
➤Skeena Energy Solutions Mentorship Program
We are launching a Community Energy Mentorship Program to cultivate future energy leaders in Upper Skeena. The program offers one full-time and one seasonal position, with applications open until April 15th, 2025, and a start date of May 1st. We are collaborating with UNBC and UVic to enhance the program’s impact, with the goal of expanding this model to other communities.
To apply, please submit references, resume, and a brief cover letter outlining your interest in the position and how you can contribute to the mentorship program to: derek@skeenawatershed.com
Join us in shaping a sustainable and energy-resilient future for the Upper Skeena Region that our local culture and salmon can thrive with!
➤Hagwilget First Nation Emergency Power Project
Building on our energy initiatives, we are currently working with Hagwilget First Nation on a 78-kW solar and battery storage project at The Gathering Place. This grid-tied system will enhance energy security, reduce costs, and serve as an emergency muster point. We are currently applying for funding through the New Relationship Trust Indigenous Clean Energy Grant.
WILP AASOSXW
You may have heard of Teresa’s Dog Sanctuary, located on the PRGT throughline. Well, the sanctuary now has the name of Wilp Aasosxw (“Dogs of the Village”).
There are loads of ways to help the puppies and Teresa out at this time:
Foster or adopt a pup
Volunteer your time at camp
Offer financial support (e-transfer to landbackcc@gmail.com)
Donate physical items such as: dog food, treats, toys, blankets, straw bales, dog crates, firewood, and/or cabin building supplies
Shout out to everyone involved in volunteering! The community building and peoples’ ongoing support of Teresa is beautiful to witness and incredibly heartwarming. 🏡🐕💕
COMMUNITY EVENTS
➤We are hosting our Annual General Meeting at the Learning Shop in Hazelton on March 21st at 5:00 PM. We’d love to see you there while we go over our Annual Report for 2024. This is a great opportunity for folks to hear about what we’ve been up to over the past year!
➤Documentation Workshop:
Come learn how to document frontline actions in remote areas through video or photography on either March 16th or 22nd at the Kispiox Valley Community Hall, with Molly Henderson, Stephanie O'Neill, and Kai Nagata. Folks will be meeting at 11:00 AM and wrapping up at 3:00 PM.
This workshop will illustrate how to: effectively document industry conflict and confrontation in remote areas, work as a team, build relationships amongst each other, and how to develop comprehensive storytelling skills.
Register by clicking here! If you have any questions, please email stephanie@skeenawatershed.com
🌸🌼🌸