Background

The Through the Eyes of Sk’lep – A Vision of Ecosystem Stewardship in the Deadman Watershed is being led by the Skeetchestn Indian Band. Located in the heart of the arid Thompson Plateau, the People of Skeetchestn (the meeting place - in Secwepemc) continue to depend upon the rich Deadman River Valley for food, social, cultural and economic resources. They now share these resources with the non-aboriginal community, living both inside and outside the valley, and therefore share with these people a responsibility for sustainable development and resource stewardship. The goal of this project is to develop a community-based plan for advancing such work in the Watershed.

This broad community’s dependence on the region’s flora and fauna, waters and minerals presents a valuable point of interface between the environment, the local and indigenous communities relevant for sustainable use of these resources – both living and non-living. As such, this project is being presented as a case study of the role of local and indigenous communities in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. It presents an analysis, framework and joint action plan for the implementation of this community’s vision of environmental stewardship.

Project Description

The once abundant and diverse fish, wildlife and flora of the Deadman River valley have been put at risk by forest, mining, tourism, urban and agricultural development practices. This project will characterize the scope of stewardship planning in the valley, define the role of the Skeetchestn Band and the extended non-aboriginal community in ecosystem-level restoration planning, and provide a framework to guide specific resource management prescriptions (ie. management plans for range, fish, forest, mining tourism and urban development). Recommendations are provided for implementation of this vision including a process and business plan.