Funded Projects

Gitxaała Territorial Management Agency will be leading this project to enhance fundamental knowledge of the Pitt Island Mink Trap Watershed, contributing to a base understanding of this important system that sustains the biodiversity and health of Gitxaała Laxyuubm and people.
Mink Trap Bay and the associated Pitt Island watershed is an area of significant cultural and ecological importance, and the Gitxaała Nation continue to rely on this watershed for freshwater and terrestrial based harvesting. This system has never been fully mapped and assessed by the Province or by the Nation with contemporary tools. It is essential to understand the health of this watershed to keep this system flourishing as it has for thousands of years, and maintain biodiversity and abundance, and food security for the Nation in the face of climate change and industrial pressures.

From the results of this work, the Nation will be set up for adaptive management, with a full picture of the watershed’s health and potential threats, and be prepared to respond to project proponents, government agencies and others looking to work in Laxyuubm Gitxaała, in an equitable and informed way, with conservation of water as a key priority.

“Standing together on Gitxaała territory, the team reflected on how much progress has been made toward building in-house expertise and leading our own environmental assessments. The trip to Ksgyigyaani captured what this project is all about – working together on the land and water, combining knowledge systems, and taking meaningful steps toward long-term stewardship and self-determination.”— Project team