We Are The River
Kick-ass conservation
For a Wild Skeena
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Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition (SWCC)
Our mission statement: “To cultivate a sustainable future from a sustainable environment rooted in our culture and a thriving wild salmon ecosystem in the Skeena watershed.”
Our Ancestors are the land. We are our ancestors. What we do to the land we do to ourselves. Let us love and protect.
We invest in our communities, our people, our watershed, and our future
salmon, forests & rivers
As one of Canada’s largest wilderness areas, the upper Skeena contains spawning and rearing habitats and water quality that helps drive the entire ecosystem from the Skeena estuary to the headwaters. We continue to focus on being on the land with projects that support the long-term conservation of natural ecosystems.
peace & unity
The fight to ensure our actions reduce rather than fuel the climate crisis; the fight to end police brutality; the fight to underscore Indigenous sovereignty—these fights belong to all of us. And, amidst this time of great upheaval, there is hope.
youth on water
At the heart of the SWCC Youth on Water (YOW) program is our recognition of the immense value of the Skeena watershed and the Sacred Headwaters. The YOW program will provide an opportunity for local youth to experience the grandeur of the Skeena River and the Sacred Headwaters through direct, water level engagement.
bioremediation
In a time where the impacts of climate change are seen all around us, there is hope and a sustainable solution to deal with environmental issues.
Get connected with Youth On Water
Gwalx Yee’insxw
“We have received a full basket, and it is our responsibility to pass a full basket on…”
The teachings we have received from Hereditary Chiefs centered around the Gitxsan underlying philosophy of Gwalx Yee’insxw. We understand this as a deep and broad philosophy encompassing the traditional inheritance actively handed down from generation to generation through an active relationship between Gitxsan kinship and their lands and resources. Gwalx Yee’insxw has been described to us as the actions which respect future generations’ right to all that we have inherited – the water, mountains, all the life on the land, in the air, our history, our culture, our skills and knowledge to live in this place, our spirituality, the tangible and the intangible passing from one generation to the next, never extinguishing or diminishing in value.
Hot off the press…
Repost – Protein for the People: Regenerative Poultry Project Grows Food Sovereignty
Our story on YoungAgrarians.org
The Power of Feeding Ourselves
Concerns over food security in the Gitxsan Nation started well before the pandemic. During the Festival of What Works (full video below), Shannon McPhail of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition shared concerns she heard from the Gitwangak hereditary chiefs of dwindling salmon runs and declining moose populations: “We need another option, whether it’s to give these stocks a break, or whether it’s a dark future where we can’t rely on them anymore.”
Finding an alternative protein source for the region took shape in the form of a regenerative poultry project, as a way to strengthen the local food system in a way that wasn’t colonial, wasn’t extractive and could deliver dependable, affordable and really healthy food for the people. “We need to put the power of feeding ourselves in our own hands, we need the wisdom that has been here for thousands of years to inform that,” shares Kesia Nagata of Skeena Energy Solutions.
Amidst a global pandemic and dealing with 180% the average precipitation for the year, the 2020 poultry pilot persevered. The home of the poultry project is on Skeena Valley Farm where the upcoming 2021 flock of chirpy neighbours will grow alongside Gitxsan grown hemp. Kesia, the lead mover and shaker of the project, reflects on the journey:
Click here to read the rest of the article on the Young Agrarians Blog…
Cultivating a sustainable future from a sustainable environment rooted in our culture and thriving wild salmon ecosystem.
Our Top Priorities
Supporting a variety of initiatives and projects aimed at cultivating a sustainable future:
Land Management Planning, Forest Stewardship, Restoration Economy, Climate Mitigation, and Local Food Security.
SWCC Media Corner
We have a new web page full of photos, videos, graphic recordings, and more!
Click Here to View
Some of our partners, sponsors, teachers and inspirations
