Salmon Starve In Low, Warm Waters

Words and photos by Tricia Thomas

The worst fears are coming true for Halalt First Nation. Unusually low water levels are threatening salmon-bearing streams on the reserve.

Halalt has been fighting to protect the Chemainus River since 2003 when North … Read More

Boot Camp is ‘Cool-ture’

By Tricia Thomas

Youth from Homalco and Tla’amin nations are reclaiming their culture and getting summer jobs guiding visitors to the traditional territory at the mouth of Bute Inlet thanks to a project called ‘cultural boot camp’.

Shawn O’Connor, manager … Read More

Cleaner Energy Alternatives

Energy Planning for our Nations

Ever wonder why there aren’t wind turbines or solar panels in all communities around the Salish Sea or why we pay so much for heating and powering our homes?

Halalt, Homalco, Tsawwassen and Stz’uminus First … Read More

Cleaner Energy Alternatives

The Option for our Nations

Many of our nations are walking the walk when it comes to long-term sustainability by making use of the sun, wind and water to produce energy.

Projects of all sizes—from tens of thousands of dollars … Read More

Oil on Troubled Waters

‘What If’ became ‘What Now’ 

Just two weeks before oil spilled into the waters of the Salish Sea around Vancouver’s harbour, First Nations people gathered at T’Sou-ke to learn and talk about what would happen if…

No one at the Marine … Read More

TFN farm school sowing seeds

by Tricia Thomas

It was a groundbreaking venture in April when the greenhouse went up and seeds were planted for the unique Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School.

The collaboration between the nation and the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at … Read More

Our Great Mother Earth

As the oil cleanup continues in the waters of the Salish Sea around Vancouver’s harbour, we think back just two weeks ago when First Nations people gathered at T’Sou-ke to learn and talk about what would happen if…

The Marine … Read More

Oyster harvest returns to T’Sou-ke

by Tricia Thomas

Oysters will soon be harvested again from Sooke Basin, the waters off the main T’Sou-ke First Nation reserve.

T’Sou-ke recently entered into a joint project agreement with the Chinese Canadian Aboriginal Development Enterprise. Instead of seeding oysters … Read More

Tsum’ush means ‘delicious’

by Tricia Thomas

For the Coast Salish people, the traditional season of the herring roe harvest begins late February and early March. The Hul’qumi’num word for the herring eggs is tsum’ush.

In specific areas around the Salish Sea, cedar or … Read More

In praise of the blue camas

The blue camas lily – camassia – grows from a bulb that flowers from late April to mid-May. This native plant often escapes notice because its main habitat around the Salish Sea is the Garry oak ecosystem, an environment that … Read More