Kwikwetlam first nations
Land & Resource Department
Can you tell us about your role or work within Kwikwetlem First Nation?
The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation Lands & Resources Department has 4 primary branches. This response was prepared jointly by the Stewardship and Referrals teams (the L&R Team). Stewardship focuses on leading environmental projects on behalf of the Nation. This includes conducting wildlife and vegetation studies, as well as partnering with external organizations on projects mutual interest. While Stewardship works on specific projects of interest, Referrals deals with projects, not lead by the Nation, taking place on the territory at large. Governments, organizations, and companies will send their projects to the Nation for review, at which point Referrals reviews the projects and coordinates a response that supports kʷikʷəƛ̓əm rights, values, and goals for the territory.
How does Kwikwetlem First Nation support environmental stewardship in the Tri-Cities area?
kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation supports environmental stewardship in the Tri-Cities through direct work in environmental oversight, monitoring through kʷikʷəƛ̓əm’s Guardian program, review and consultation on development and infrastructure projects through the Referrals department, and hands-on restoration, among other initiatives. This includes review and consultation on development and infrastructure projects through the Referrals department, and long-term oversight on those projects through the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Guardian Program. This process helps ensure that development decisions consider cumulative environmental effects, habitat integrity, and the protection of culturally important landscapes.
Another way the Nation supports environmental stewardship is through partnership. An example of this is kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation’s ongoing salmon restoration work. The Nation has spent more than two decades working with partners to restore sockeye salmon to the Coquitlam River system after they were cut off from their spawning grounds by the Coquitlam Dam. Another way kʷikʷəƛ̓əm leverages partnerships for environmental stewardship is through relationships with local streamskeeper organizations. kʷikʷəƛ̓əm territory is vast and the Nation cannot be everywhere at once, and these groups provide critical support through long-term monitoring and early detection of emerging issues
How do traditional knowledge and contemporary practices come together in your work today?
In the L&R Team, traditional knowledge and contemporary environmental practice are not separate approaches but instead inform one another. Traditional knowledge reflects generations of close relationship with this territory and carries a depth of understanding about seasonal change, species behaviour, habitat use, and the responsibilities that come with living alongside these systems. This is guided through the Comprehensive Community Plan and consultation directly with kʷikʷəƛ̓əm community. In turn, that knowledge provides the foundation for how many stewardship priorities are understood and approached within the Nation. Contemporary tools such as environmental monitoring, mapping, technical assessments, and restoration planning help support that work in practical ways. Together, they allow the L&R Team to respond to present-day environmental pressures throughout kʷikʷəƛ̓əm territory.
Why is it important for communities to stay connected to the land, especially in urban areas like the Tri-Cities?
Even in highly urbanized places, connection to the land remains essential, now more than ever. The landscape may look different than it once did, but the rivers, forests, wetlands, and shorelines that sustain life are still here, and so are the responsibilities that come with them. It can be easy to forget that the land beneath roads, buildings, and infrastructure still holds memory, history, and ecological function. Staying connected to the land helps individuals better understand where they live, what supports them, and what is at stake when those systems are neglected. That connection creates stronger communities, not only environmentally, but socially and culturally as well. The more connected individuals feel to the land, the greater the drive to protect it.
What are some ways people can respectfully engage with and care for the land where they live?
Respectful engagement begins with understanding that the land is not simply a place to use. It is something living, with its own history, relationships, and significance. Learn about your local First Nations. Respect begins with listening, and with recognizing that Indigenous communities have long-standing relationships with these places that continue today.
Care and engagement with the land can take many forms: staying mindful in sensitive areas, leaving places as they are found, supporting habitat restoration, planting native species, reducing pollution, ensuring you do not contribute to the spread of invasives by keeping your gear clean, reducing your consumption, managing your waste, recycling, taking public transportation, saving water, advocating for water metering, and being conscious of how everyday actions affect the natural systems. If you’re looking to volunteer look towards local streamkeeper or naturalist groups.
Are there any programs, initiatives, or projects your Nation would like to highlight?
The L&R Team is involved with several significant projects for kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation:
1. Guardian Program
The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Guardian Program provides consistent boots-on-the-ground stewardship presence throughout the territory. Guardians support field monitoring, environmental observation, site presence, and ongoing stewardship oversight, helping ensure that ecological and culturally important areas remain actively cared for and that changes on the landscape are observed in real time.
2. Coquitlam Sockeye Restoration Program
The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm t̓ák̓ʷ Hatchery, meaning “Red fish up the river return home,” is a Nation-operated conservation hatchery dedicated to supporting the recovery of the endemic Kwikwetlem sockeye population. The hatchery aims to raise approximately 15,000 juvenile sockeye annually to help rebuild a run that was driven close to extirpation following the construction and operation of the dam on Coquitlam Lake.
3. Reeve Slough Off-Channel Habitat Restoration
The Reeve Slough Habitat Restoration Project aims to restore a large area of disconnected aquatic habitat to the Coquitlam River. The project will reestablish important off channel rearing habitat for Coho, Chinook, and other native fish species while also enhancing habitat values for local wildlife and supporting overall ecosystem health.
4. Oregon Forestsnail Study
Oregon Forestsnail Mark-Recapture project is a Nation-led research project aimed at understanding the abundance, distribution, and movement of the endangered Oregon Forestsnail at ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park. This research will help to inform park management decisions within the park.
5. Replanting in ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park
kʷikʷəƛ̓əm is working with MetroVancouver Region District to identify and replant strategic areas throughout ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park in an effort to increase shade for fish habitat and manage invasive species.
What does “growing” mean to you—personally, culturally, or environmentally?
For the L&R Team, growing can mean a couple things. On one hand growing means maturing and learning new perspectives. Taking the time to really see the environment in its current state, and from a historical perspective. In doing that we can work together to protect it. On the other hand, the L&R Team and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation are always looking to grow capacity. With increased capacity the L&R Team is better able to support stewardship in the territory and uphold kʷikʷəƛ̓əm cultural practices and values.
Is there anything else you would like to share with visitors to this exhibition?
The L&R Team would like to take this chance to encourage the reader to take the time to learn about kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation and other Nations with territory in Port Moody in their spare time. It’important to take steps to keep yourself educated as we work together moving forward. kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation one of the original stewards of these lands, but it is everyone who lives here today’s responsibility to take care of it.
Learn more about kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation https://www.kwikwetlem.com
