The Initiative
Bringing the Salmon Home: The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative brings together five governments – the Syilx Okanagan Nation, Ktunaxa Nation, Secwépemc Nation, Canada and British Columbia – who’ve made a visionary agreement to explore salmon reintroduction into the upper Columbia River region. The Letter of Agreement was signed at an official ceremony on July 29, 2019 in Castlegar, BC., confirming the commitment by the five governments to work together to look at the feasibility and options for reintroducing salmon into the Canadian side of the Columbia River.
The initial three-year agreement was then renewed through an Extension Addendum for the period July 29, 2022-March 31, 2025. The five governments are working now on next steps to ensure the initiative is sustained for decades to come. The long-term vision is to return fish stocks for Indigenous food, social and ceremonial needs, and to benefit the region’s residents and ecosystems as a whole.
Indigenous-led Governance
The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative is Indigenous-led and supported by collaborative, consensus-based governance processes. Guiding this work are the Indigenous Nation-chaired Executive Working Group, Implementation Team, Technical Working Group, Indigenous Knowledge Guidance Committee, and a Communications Advisory Group. An Indigenous Nation hosts the Secretariat.
Strategic Priorities
The Strategic Direction Framework outlines how this Initiative is focusing our efforts in three priority areas – The Fish, The People, and The Funding. Please see more details in our Annual Reports.
Funding
The initial three-year agreement was renewed through an Extension Addendum for the period July 29, 2022-March 31, 2025. Sustaining funding is the goal. The work is funded by the generous contributions of the governments of Canada and British Columbia, and the Columbia Basin Trust. Each is providing one-third of the annual budget. A major aim of the Initiative is to support Indigenous Nation capacity building in delivering this work.
Executive Working Group, Implementation Team and Management Team members, The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative, January 2020. Photo: Pauline Terbasket
Executive Working Group (EWG)
Mark Thomas, EWG Chair, Secwépemc Nation
Chief Barb Cote, Secwépemc Nation
Chief Keith Crow, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Chief Byron Louis, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Jason Andrew, Ktunaxa Nation
Avery Gravelle, Ktunaxa Nation
Sarah Murdoch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
TBA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
David Travia, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Mike Turner, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Indigenous Knowledge Counsel (IKC)
Chad Eneas, IKC Chair, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Dixon Terbasket, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Fred Fortier, Secwépemc Nation
Wenecwtsin, Secwépemc Nation
Marty Williams, Ktunaxa Nation
Vickie Thomas, Ktunaxa Nation
Implementation Team (IT)
Rosalie Yazzie, IT Chair, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Jay Johnson, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Murray Ross, Secwépemc Nation
Adam Neil, Secwépemc Nation
Vickie Thomas, Ktunaxa Nation
Robin Louie, Ktunaxa Nation
Eddy Kennedy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dean Allan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Heather Dempsey, AAROM Support, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Eva Schindler, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Technical Working Group (TWG)
Misun Kang, TWG Co-Chair, Ktunaxa Nation
Ben Meunier, Ktunaxa Nation
Ryan Benson, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Michael Zimmer, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Adam Neil, Secwépemc Nation
Braydi Rice, Secwépemc Nation
Will Warnock, TWG Co-Chair, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Tyler Weir, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Howard Stiff, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dean Watts, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Communications Advisory Group (CAG)
Tara Montgomery, Syilx Okanagan Nation
Valerie Michel, Secwépemc Nation
Alexandra Coutts, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Kavitha Palanisamy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Eva Schindler, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, BC
Secretariat *Hosted by Okanagan Nation Alliance
Pauline Terbasket, Host Administrator
David Marshall, Co-Facilitator
Marc Nelitz, Co-Facilitator
Teresa Marshall, Communications Advisor
Carla Hunt, Administrative Coordinator
Outreach & Engagement Organizers
Valerie Michel, Secwépemc Nation
Clifford Dorion, Ktunaxa Nation
Billie Jean Gabriel, Syilx Okanagan Nation
