It was a day of celebration for the Cowichan Tribes as they marked the completion of a watershed restoration project.
First Nation members, elected officials, and community leaders from around the province watched as Tzinquaw dancers opened the ceremony.
The Indigenous-led restoration project was made possible through $3 million in funding from the Province.
“There was a lot of readiness. There were, like I said, 61 projects quickly identified and then they really rose up and came together. Hired teams, job creation was a really important part of it, particularly for indigenous people, youth, and women,” said Leanne Sexsmith, co-director for Healthy Watershed Initiative.
The watershed is where the Koksilah and Cowichan rivers meet — considered to be the heart of the Nation. It has been a critical spot for years, especially in regards to fish stocks, but the human impact and climate change, including three floods in the past two years.
The project removed more than 4,140 truckloads of gravel, allowing river flow. That work not only helped restore fish habitats but due to the creation of local jobs, 50 per cent of that $3 million in funding went right back into the community, however, a long-term solution is still needed.
“We have to work with the land and restore the capacity of the land to withstand these kinds of events and that really needs to be indigenous-led restoration,” said Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley.
“There’s no sustainable funding from the province or the feds. We need to fight for funding year-to-year. But this isn’t something we can manage on a year-to-year basis, we really need a long-term plan. That needs to be supported by everybody,” said Darryl Tunnicliffe, Project Manager for the Cowichan Tribes.
Despite the challenges, the chief of Cowichan Tribes says this is the type of collaboration that shows how quickly solutions can be made and hopes this project works as a framework for other communities.
“I’ve been in a number of places across Canada now, invited to talk about how we developed a relationship with local government, based on the existing undistinguished rights of Indigenous peoples,” said Chief Lydia Hwitsum, Cowichan Tribes.
Oli Herrera
