Our Water, Our Future

The Healthy Watersheds Initiative is creating jobs and bringing communities together to protect fresh water, restore salmon habitat, and adapt to climate change. 
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Recent Stories

We Are of Water

"We Are of Water", illustrated by Chenoa Gao, provides visuals connected to voices and knowledge shared by Indigenous Elders, youth, and community members through HWI projects on the significance of watersheds and water.
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Unpaving Kus-Kus-Sum: Restoring and Recycling

The Kus-Kus-Sum Unpaving Paradise project is decommissioning and restoring a historic sawmill site along the Courtney River.
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Symposium & Celebration Dinner

On February 23, 2023, project team members, First Nations leaders, provincial and local government representatives, and community members came together to celebrate the outcomes and learnings from the HWI.
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$100 million invested in Watershed Security Fund to be co-developed with First Nations

The BC Government and BC First Nations Water Table has announced an investment of $100 million towards creating a Watershed Security Fund and a commitment to co-developing the Fund with First Nations.
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We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

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60+
projects
700+
jobs
$27M
investment
270+
community partners
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Supported Projects

Project type - Indigenous Partnerships
Yinka Dene Water Law – Implementing Tools for Fish Habitat Recovery
Lead Organization
Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance
Grant Amount
$ 300,000.00
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Project Details
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Project type - Indigenous Partnerships
Description

Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, in partnership with Carrier Sekani First Nations, will apply Yinka Dene Water Law (YDWL) to assess and implement ecosystem restoration and protection projects in the Nechako watershed. YDWL is the policy that governs water use and stewardship obligations in Nadleh Whut’en and Stellat’en territories. This project supports up to 12 jobs.

Sedge transplanting. (Photo: Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust)
Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in Campbell River
Lead Organization
Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust
Grant Amount
$ 378,000.00
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Project Details
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Sedge transplanting. (Photo: Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust)
Description

Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust is collaborating with the Wei Wai Kum Coastal Guardian Watchmen program, 7 Generations Stewards Society, and AIDS Vancouver Island to restore and protect riparian areas around Campbell River that have been impacted by increased human use during the pandemic. This project supports up to 28 jobs.  (Photo: Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust)

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(Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)
Koh-Learning in our Watershed: Transforming Education; Connecting Students to Communities and Waterways
Lead Organization
School District 91 (Nechako Lakes)
Grant Amount
$ 50,000.00
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Project Details
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(Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)
Description

School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes) is expanding its experiential summer conservation employment program between UNBC and Ft. St. James Secondary School to employ and train two students in a range of salmon conservation, restoration, and monitoring initiatives being led by the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society, Mid and Upper-Fraser Salmon Conservation Collaborative, and BC Parks. The students will participate in short-term work at multiple sites in the Nechako Watershed, including Nahounli Creek, and will assist with establishing at least one long-term ecological monitoring project in Mt. Pope Provincial Park. This project supports four jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

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CWCFS Training Youth Group at Clayoquot. (Photo: Lora Tyron)
Clayoquot Sound Watershed Recovery Initiative
Lead Organization
Central Westcoast Forest Society
Grant Amount
$ 1,140,000.00
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Project Details
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CWCFS Training Youth Group at Clayoquot. (Photo: Lora Tyron)
Description

Central Westcoast Forestry Society is supporting Hesquiaht, Ahousaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations’ initiative to restore critical salmon populations in the Clayoquot Sound by reconstructing rearing habitat. The work involves implementing bioengineering approaches (woody debris structures, riparian planting) to stabilize banks, reduce erosion, and create habitats supportive of migrating salmon. This project will support at least 25 jobs and provide technical training and certification to workers. (Photo: Lora Tyron)

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