{"id":17878,"date":"2017-11-16T18:09:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T18:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?page_id=17878"},"modified":"2023-01-14T11:24:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T16:24:11","slug":"grantfraserbasincouncilsociety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/grantfraserbasincouncilsociety\/","title":{"rendered":"Grant – Fraser Basin Council Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

FRASER BASIN COUNCIL SOCIETY<\/h3>\n

SFI Is Bringing Indigenous Peoples, Sport Fishing Enthusiasts and Forest Managers Together to Help Thompson Steelhead<\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The Thompson Steelhead Community Collaboration Initiative<\/p>\n

Why this project matters<\/p>\n

Steelhead are an iconic symbol of the Thompson River and region in British Columbia. Having long sustained Indigenous people, steelhead are also central to the region\u2019s world-class recreational fishery. Unfortunately, this salmonid species is in decline, and today Thompson Steelhead are classed as a species of\u00a0extreme conservation concern by the provincial government.<\/p>\n

A new initiative is underway for a recovery and management plan that will bring together multiple partners from across a diverse group of communities. This project, led by the Fraser Basin Council, will engage SFI Program Participants about how Indigenous peoples value steelhead, identify modified forest management practices and seek future opportunities to collaborate.<\/p>\n

Why is SFI involved?<\/p>\n

This initiative is designed to raise awareness and foster collaboration between Indigenous peoples, the commercial sport fishery and forest managers in the Thompson River watershed. Indigenous peoples have long relied on forests for cultural, spiritual and material needs.<\/p>\n

SFI builds partnerships with Indigenous communities and the SFI 2015-2021 Forest Management Standard requires certificate holders to recognize and respect Indigenous peoples\u2019 rights. This steelhead initiative supports this requirement. The initiative also supports SFI\u2019s focus on supporting sustainable rural communities. The steelhead commercial fishery is an important source of income for communities in the Thompson River watershed.<\/p>\n

How the project builds SFI community engagement<\/p>\n

This grant supports SFI\u2019s community engagement efforts in three primary ways. Training and educating current and future professionals, notably resource managers, is a key SFI community focus. This initiative directly engages forest management planners in addressing values that support steelhead habitat. SFI Program Participants BC Timber Sales, Stuwix Resources and West Fraser Mills are supporting these engagement efforts.<\/p>\n

SFI\u2019s commitment to support and promote Indigenous heritage values is directly addressed by the initiative\u2019s plans to convey the importance of steelhead to the cultural and dietary requirements of the Nlaka\u2019pamux and Secwepemc peoples.<\/p>\n

A third SFI community value \u2013 supporting underserved communities through forestry \u2013 is addressed by helping recover steelhead populations, which will ultimately result in a return of a sport fishery for B.C. communities such as Spence\u2019s Bridge. It is estimated that up to two-thirds of the economic value of the sport fishery in small communities such as Spence\u2019s Bridge has been lost with the decline of steelhead over the last few decades.<\/p>\n

Partners<\/p>\n

This partnership includes Indigenous peoples, provincial government departments, conservationists and SFI Program Participants.<\/p>\n