Funded Projects
Wuikinuxv Nation Stewardship Department (WSD)
Wuikinuxv Lake Watershed Security Project
Grant Amount: $398,000
Intake Year: 2025
Region: North & Central Coast
Project Theme: Watershed Collaboration Planning & Governance and Watershed & Ecosystems Restoration
The Wuikinuxv Nation Stewardship Department of the Wuikinuxv Nation is leading this project to expand on the scientific and TEK-based watershed knowledge for Wuikinuxv Restoration Staff, continue training restoration technicians, acquire infrastructure to facilitate restoration activities, and continue hosting culture camps to connect community with watersheds along with the Nation’s Health and Education Departments.
Activities include performing regular habitat and fish count surveys of priority salmon spawning tributaries of the Wuikinuxv/Owikeno Lake in all seasons; training staff on chainsaw use, wilderness first aid, rigging and in-stream restoration; finishing building a landing craft to move restoration equipment and install mooring buoys; facilitating the eventual building of accommodation at priority streams; and organize community, youth, medicine-making, mental health and healing, cedar bark harvesting, and language culture camps.
“The Wuikinuxv Stewardship Department is tasked with putting into action the community desire to revitalize traditional rights and responsibilities based on stewardship methods that were perfected over thousands of years, to rebuild the health of our resources that have been deeply negatively impacted by social, ecological and economical changes. We will combine TEK and modern science to restore the respectful and reciprocal relationships we have with our lands, waters and the beings we share our traditional territory with.” —Raven Walkus, Salmon Restoration Coordinator