About Us
The Skeena
A globally significant watershed.
The Skeena may be our best chance to figure out how people and salmon can co-exist.
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PARTNERSHIPS
We are thankful for the support provided currently and in the past.
Responsible Development Initiative
Our Story
We believe a global model to sustain salmon can help sustain all species.
The Skeena is one of North America’s last remaining intact watersheds, where $100 billion in industrial projects are proposed.
Sustainability and resilience requires imagination, compassion and long-term balance. Salmon are the backbone of the diverse cultures, economies and ecosystems in the Skeena region. Protecting salmon is fundamental to maintaining and building a healthy watershed and local communities.
To avoid the fate of other systems which have been dammed, polluted, overfished and paved over, we need comprehensive strategies to assess cumulative effects and encourage regional planning which protects our wild salmon ecosystems and the communities who depend on them.
Formed in 2007, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust is dedicated to making the Skeena River and nearby coastal communities a global model of sustainability where large human and salmon populations coexist. We are working with governments, Indigenous Nations, communities and individuals to sustain the long-term health and resilience of the wild salmon ecosystems and local communities.
Our Approach,
Our Philosophy
Sustainability and resilience requires imagination, compassion and long-term balance. Salmon are the backbone of the diverse cultures, economies and ecosystems in the Skeena region. Protecting salmon is fundamental to maintaining and building a healthy watershed and local communities.
We are focused on the effective use of science, laws and convening to empower communities to protect and strengthen salmon populations, improve management decisions and deepen people’s connection with wild salmon.
Our approach is based on human and ecological sustainability, research and community input. It’s simple – we support responsible development, whether it be mining, forestry, fisheries, or energy, that does not put salmon and communities at risk. This is done by using good science to assess impacts and provide solutions.
The Skeena
A globally significant watershed
The ecologist Aldo Leopold once wrote that, “the first rule of intelligent tinkering is to keep all the pieces.” When it comes to North America’s wild salmon systems, so many pieces have been lost. We’ve dammed and polluted rivers, overfished and paved prime habitat. In the Skeena one finds a different story. While warming oceans and rivers have Skeena salmon and steelhead in the crosshairs, here in the Northwest corner of British Columbia, habitat is fairing better than many places and wild salmon continue to be an integral part of the system – not only for wildlife, but also human communities – some of which have existed in place for thousands of years. There are challenges to be sure. But the Skeena may be our best chance to figure out how people and salmon can co-exist.
Because after all,
we are Salmon People.
Wild salmon are pure magic
They’re in our dreams, our stories and our freezers. In a diverse region marked by competing agendas, wild salmon are a thread of shared experience that runs through all of our communities. They are also a major economic driver for the region, supporting hundreds of healthy well- paying jobs, generating more than $100 million annually to local economies for more than 60,000 people. Humans lucky enough to call this place home are uniquely connected to salmon, with over 80 per cent of Skeena residents reporting that they interact with wild salmon in any given year. We have much work to do, applying science to monitor impacts, designing new governance systems, and protecting critical habitat, but we think it’s worth it. If we get it right for salmon, we get it right for ourselves, our kids and our grandkids.
Where hope resides
People from around the world flock to the banks of the Skeena River every season just for a glimpse of these elite athletes of natural engineering, travelling thousands of kilometres throughout the Pacific Ocean, only to swim back to whence they came, spawn and die. The Skeena is one of the last remaining wild salmon strongholds. That’s why at SkeenaWild we have hope: because we’ve already seen great things emerge when salmon are put at the centre. SkeenaWild is working everyday with scientists, First Nations, businesses, government agencies, communities and individuals to ensure the survival of our most precious natural resources. “We’re all here to stay.” Those were the words of Supreme Court Justice Antonio Lamer in the landmark Delgamuukw court case. We think that if we’re indeed all here for the long haul, we need to work together with a view to the future. People living in place, making wise, long-term decisions. We think it’s possible. Become part of the solution by engaging with our work, educating those around you, and pitching in when you can. Only together will we preserve our wild landscapes and our wild salmon.
Partnerships
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Responsible Development Initiative
Innovative, adaptive and, diverse opportunities for responsible economic growth
Investing in our future
SkeenaWild is actively engaging with groups in our communities to inspire, educate, and connect on opportunities for responsible development. Through these efforts, we aim to better understand and support the multitude of exciting and innovative community initiatives and projects that are already underway. By fostering these connections and collaborations, we can work together towards a sustainable future for the Skeena Watershed and its communities.
We’ve completed a regional economic analysis and several other research components which focus on mining, forestry, energy, tourism and value added / secondary manufacturing sectors. This research describes how these industries can take place using practices that protect functioning salmon ecosystems, provide examples of good practices / projects, and opportunities to expand responsible development in the region.
We’ve reviewed existing findings on public views (Skeena 2050) by the numbers and in words, mining focus groups and polling) regarding development. This information provides insights and information on what people care about and how development should be done in the region. Overwhelmingly, residents of the Skeena want development, but want it done in a manner that protects our values – healthy communities, healthy salmon, clean water, clean air and a fair share of the benefits.
Renweable Energy Report 2021
Overview of the Renewable Energy Sector in Northwest British Columbia
Read the report
Responsible Mining Report
Guidelines Towards Best Practices
Read the report
Tourism in Northwest BC
Operation, Initiatives & Opportunities
Read the report
Opportunities for Sustainable Forestry in Northwest BC
Read the report