Year In Review 2024: Volume 8
December 2024
Volume 8 of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition’s newsletter is here just in time for some winter reading. At a glance:
SWCC New Staff Introductions
Youth On Water & Women On Water: Junior Guide interview
Peace and Unity: What’s happened recently
Skeena Energy Solutions: Updates
Calls To Action
Let’s welcome our new SWCC staff!
The following is a sneak peak at bio’s from our website. You can read everyone’s full bio’s on the SWCC webpage: About Us.
Drew Harris
Drew was born and raised in the Hazeltons, and is a proud Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en member, belonging to the Laksilyu Cineghlhayihk (Small Frog Clan, House of many eyes). After earning her Bachelor of Arts from UBC Okanagan, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Indigenous Studies, she joined SWCC as an intern and now serves as the Lead Support and Development Organizer.
Shawntei Michell
Shawntei is a proud member of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, from the Tsayu clan, and a mother of two with a deep connection to her community and the land. She is passionate about food harvesting, spending her time dipnetting, hunting, and exploring the outdoors—whether rafting, skiing, hiking, or chasing waterfalls.
Allie Golt
Allie, better known as “Plant Daddy”, is from the territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and currently lives in the territory of Lheidii T’enneh. Allie is a botanist who received a MSc in Biology from the University of Northern BC. For her undergrad and graduate theses, she studied the impacts of glyphosate-based herbicides on forest understory plant reproduction and how that impacts bumble bees.
Tracey Maynard
Tracey spent most of her life on the shores of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. She moved to the Gitxsan Lax’yip in 2024. Tracey has trained and mentored hundreds of faith, labour, environmental, and community leaders in the art and practices of relational community organizing.
Leila Darwish
Leila is a bioremediation specialist, community organizer, writer, and educator with a deep commitment to providing accessible and regenerative tools for communities dealing with the toxic contamination of their lands and waters. She also works in the field of emergency management and disaster recovery, supporting communities on the frontlines of climate change.
SWCC Rafting
Big thank you to all of our community supporters: Sik-E-Dakh for hosting our guide team this year, Dr. Chelsey Geralda Armstrong for helping with our field schools and sharing her passion and knowledge, and Rosa Daniels from Gitwangak for making that program more and more successful each year!
SWCC Rafting got over 500 people out on the river this past summer thanks to the support of our community partners and participants. We can’t thank you all enough for the ongoing support and amazing engagement with our rivers and team. The watershed needs people like you to stand up for it and maintain it’s health and integrity. We are grateful to have you in our boats.
Junior Guide Interview:
As the season wraps up, we’re reflecting on an incredible first year for Shauna Prevost, 19, as one of our Jr. Guides. What began as an intimidating challenge quickly turned into a season of growth, as Shauna developed new skills and found her rhythm on the river.
For Shauna, the biggest highlight wasn’t just the rafting itself, but the people. Whether it was bonding with fellow guides, making new friends, or meeting guests, she loved the social aspect of being out on the water. Exploring new rivers and discovering fresh landscapes deepened her appreciation for the land she calls home.
This season was filled with laughs, moments of courage (like sharing a traditional song close to her heart), and plenty of personal growth. We’re excited for what the future holds for Shauna and can’t wait to see her continue to thrive on the river with all the new skills and experiences she’s gained. Here’s to more adventures ahead!
Peace and Unity
This November West Coast Environmental Law hosted their 50th anniversary celebration at the Bill Reid Gallery where Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na'Moks was presented a lifetime achievement award!
We also saw Chief Na’Moks and Gwii Lok'im Gibuu (Jesse Stoeppler, Co-Executive Director at SWCC) head to Berlin for the Counter-Gas Summit to the World LNG Summit.
Once arriving in Berlin, they met with the Embassy of Canada, members of the German Parliament, journalists, and organizations from around the world
These conversations are helping to grow the international support for Indigenous Rights and Titles across Turtle Island.
Check out a few of the pictures from the trip and a video put together by Greenpeace!
Photo Credit: Razom We Stand
Youth of the Gitxsan Lax’Yip
This group started as a way to uplift the voices of our future leaders. Dedicated to protecting land, culture, and future, and discussing important issues such as climate change and harmful industry. The Youth of the Gitxsan Lax’Yip ask you to stand united for the health of our community and ourselves.
Please take a few minutes to read the Solidarity Statement and, if you feel called to do so, sign the petition to stand with The Youth of the Gitxsan Lax’Yip against the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline.
Stay in the loop on social media:
The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Pipeline Updates
The last few months have been busy. The Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) for the PRGT pipeline expired on November 25, 2024, Teresa Brown’s dog sanctuary is being winterized, and an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area is being developed for the Cranberry and Kiteen watersheds along the pipeline route.
SWCC has been busy too. With the EAC expiring, we have been making efforts to reach the new Environment Minister, Tamara Davidson.
Why? Why reach her when the certificate is expired? Good question.
Now, the Minister is grappling with the decision to extend the certificate. This is a pivotal moment for folks to share their concerns with the Minister to ensure this project doesn’t get a go ahead in the New Year.
So, two things we’ve done:
1- Sent an open letter to Tamara Davidson from Gitxsan Huwilp members, First Nation hereditary and elected governments, non-profit organizations, ranchers, homeowners, businesses, university professors and doctors calling for greater transparency and public participation surrounding the upcoming substantial start determination for the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline.
Click here to read the media coverage from this action.
2- We sent a letter, alongside the Wilderness Committee and the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research, to the Environmental Assessment office, directed at ensuring a robust assessment takes place and sufficient facts are before Indigenous, provincial, and federal governments in making a determination on the environmental, social, and economic effects of the Ksi Lisims LNG project.
You can have your say about these projects too! Click this link to get involved.
Bioremediation
Our Director of Program Execution was on The Current! Anissa Watson chatted about the use of mushrooms to combat toxic chemicals coming from railway ties and leaching into soil, water, and eventually, animals, in the Skeena Region. AKA using mushrooms as mycoremediation!
Tune in at the timestamp, 16:50, to hear about this project. (Click Here).
Skeena Mushroom Cultivation and Knowledge Exchange
In September 2024, SWCC and Sik-E-Dakh Farm school teamed up with mycologist Willoughby Arevalo, and local youth myco-knowledge expert, Owen Stoeppler, to host a 2-day mushroom cultivation workshop in Sik-E-Dakh.
Participants learned all about what fungi needs to grow, cultivation methods and technique practice, myco-remediation, species identification and use, and how to set up a myco-lab. We are excited for all the learning and ongoing work that will be happening as a result of increased knowledge, skills, and capacity within the Skeena watershed!
Here’s a couple video updates of the Cold-fire community project:
Skeena Energy Solutions
In October of 2021, we started a deep dive to understand where the Upper Skeena was in the energy security and sovereignty conversation. The Upper Skeena Regional Energy Plan came from this work. This plan gives us a thorough baseline of the energy issues the region was faced with and the start of solutions to address them.
Since then, we held the Empowered Energy Forum and started working hard on a Decision Making Matrix for the Upper Skeena region. Our goal with the Matrix is to concentrate and distill up-to-date, energy-related information to residents, businesses, and local governments in the region to help with informed decision making.
Stay tuned for more Matrix updates in the new year!
We hope this email finds you warm and cozy, surrounded by loved ones.
-SWCC