SkeenaWild Conservation Trust: A bold vision for the future of the Skeena watershed
A diverse group of Northwest BC residents has launched SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, an initiative aimed at making the Skeena River Watershed a global model of sustainability. SkeenaWild plans to reach this goal by facilitating community-based salmon management and enhancing economic benefits to the people of the region.
“The Skeena is the last major watershed in British Columbia in which good will and hard work could ensure human communities and wild salmon co-exist into the future,” said Dr. Ray Chipeniuk, SkeenaWild’s Senior Research and Planning Advisor “If we sustain salmon, we sustain our cultures.”
SkeenaWild is governed by a group of trustees drawn from a wide range of backgrounds including First Nations, natural resource law, ecology, and tourism.
“Accelerating global climate change is already presenting unprecedented challenges for salmon management,” said Dr. Jim Pojar, one of SkeenaWild’s trustees. “We must develop management systems precautionary enough to account for future climate impacts on salmon.”
The threat climate change poses to salmon was highlighted in a recent report from the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, which demonstrated the need for immediate protective action before stocks collapse. SkeenaWild plans to address the climate threat by working to ensure the federal Pacific Wild Salmon Policy is fully implemented as soon as possible.
SkeenaWild’s initial projects include:
Map-based inventory of the cultural and ecological assets of the Skeena wild salmon ecosystem.
Collection of baseline wild salmon habitat data in the Skeena headwaters area.
At 51,200 square kilometers, the Skeena watershed is home to all five species of wild salmon, as well as steelhead. Together, they support a vibrant First Nations culture, British Columbia’s second-largest commercial salmon fishery and a world-renowned commercial angling sector. An IBM Business Consulting study estimated Skeena wild salmon contribute $110 million per year to the economy.
Contact:
Ray Chipeniuk: (250) 847-5758
Jim Pojar: (250) 847-9429
Backgrounder attached. Digital photos available by request: (250) 847-9293