SUPPORTING OUR NATION
TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
OUR LAND, OUR FUTURE, YOUR VOICE The Tahltan Stewardship Initiative (TSI) will support our Nation in asserting self-determination and fulfilling our inherent stewardship responsibilities for Tahltan Territory. The TSI will help us to build our capacity, engagement, governance, and stewardship plans.
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TAHLTAN STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE
This vital work is needed to ensure we take care of our territory now and for future generations. TSI will advance our efforts to conserve wildlife, manage economic development, protect our environment, strengthen our relationship with the land (including culturally significant areas), and assert our jurisdiction over Tahltan Territory.The initiative will seek to build and utilize Tahltan knowledge and worldview, local knowledge and science into decision-making processes and provide opportunities for Tahltans to work for the Tahltan Central Government (TCG). Our territory is roughly 11% of British Columbia, larger than the country of Portugal and slightly smaller than South Korea. Tahltans make up over half of the residents in Tahltan Territory. We have lived, fought, and bled, protecting our territory since time immemorial. We have a unique relationship with our land. We are the land. If we take care of our land, it will take care of us. So, we must continue to assert our stewardship and jurisdiction over our territory. TSI will actively seek to bring together Tahltans to strengthen the Tahltan way of life by contributing to this initiative. TSI is a step forward on the journey of self-determination and preservation of Tahltan culture. Building from previous work, our Culture and Heritage, Fisheries, Lands, and Wildlife Departments coordinate efforts under the TSI to further shared interests. Tahltan Land Stewardship Planning (TLSP) is also continuing under the TSI. It will position us well to show the Province of British Columbia how Tahltans care for our land and resources so we can continue activities (whether it be for sustenance, cultural traditions, forestry, mining, or other purposes) sustainably. In parallel, as a part of TSI, we are co-developing the planning methodology for the Tahltan-BC Land Use Plan. We are also working on a lands governance framework and operational policies for water stewardship, lands, and mining. This work will support our land stewardship planning and involvement in major projects and activities in Tahltan Territory.
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TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS N E W C O N S E R VA N C Y C R E AT E D
V I R T U A L C O M M U N I T Y & F A M I LY I N F O R M AT I O N S E S S I O N S
As part of the TSI, a new conservancy has been created to protect the environment and wildlife on Tahltan Territory, an area historically known as the Ice Mountain Lands, adjacent to Mount Edziza Provincial Park. The TCG, the Province, Skeena Resources Limited, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and BC Parks Foundation have worked in partnership to create the conservancy. To better reflect Tahltan heritage, the TCG plans to rename the area within the conservancy at a future date and will be seeking input from members to facilitate this process.
Our team hosted two virtual community information sessions on March 31 and April 10, 2021, open to all members. These sessions were our first virtual opportunity to share information about TSI and answer questions. Virtual engagement sessions will be offered in the months ahead and throughout the initiative. We have also begun hosting TSI update sessions at family meetings. If you are interested in receiving updates during your family meeting, please have your Family Representative contact Nalaine Morin. We have developed a communications and engagement plan to share the work of the TSI and involve members strategically. We look forward to sharing the work of the TSI in the months ahead and connecting with you. COVID-19 has given us many challenges. Sadly, we cannot get together in person, learn together, and provide input on the critical work of our Nation. For now, open houses, feasts, events, and other in-person activities are on hold. As soon as we can safely meet and gather, we will. Through the TSI, we will share information with membership regardless of any restrictions or constraints. We are working to create new avenues to share with you and receive your valued input. The TSI is being developed for the Nation for members to contribute to, shape and evolve. We encourage and ask all Tahltans to participate in this important work.
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TSI RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
THE TSI STEERING COMMITTEE We would like to introduce all Tahltans to our TSI Steering Committee, which reports to the TCG Board of Directors, and is responsible for overseeing the initiative, providing guidance, and ensuring technical and governance work is coordinated and progressing.
Steering Committee members will use their expertise, leadership direction, legal obligations from government-to-government agreements, and community direction to plan and make decisions to guide the TSI to success for the Nation.
Nalaine Morin
Lands Director & TSI Chair My name is Nalaine Morin, and my parents are Janell Creyke and Pierre Morin. I am the Lands Director for the TCG, and this is my second year in this role. I have worked in the Lands Department for several years as the lead project manager for the Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team (THREAT). I have a degree in Metals and Materials Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Design from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). My work with the Nation has led to opportunities to further develop my skills in natural resource management and recognition of my work including the 2021 Skookum Jim Award, 2018 Indigenous Trailblazer Award, and 2018 Aura Award. I believe strongly in our vision to steward Tahltan lands for future generations. In my work as the Lands Director, I have been working with our Lands and TSI teams to build tools that support our goals and help us realize our vision. It is so important for us to work collaboratively within the TCG to ensure that we can manage our lands and resources for future generations. This means making sure that we have strong governance, including policies that build on our 1910 Declaration and other works done by previous leadership to ensure that the tools we use to support decision-making are grounded in Tahltan laws and by Tahltan people. This is an exciting time for Indigenous Nations as we further advance our goals towards reconciliation. Indigenous governments are working towards advancing their decision-making authorities and responsibilities, which for Tahltan is supported by all the activities undertaken through the TSI.
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THE TSI STEERING COMMITTEE
Cheri Frocklage
Fisheries Director
I come from a family that provided me an early appreciation of nature. My grandparents, Bud and Doris Simpson, took their grandkids fishing, moose hunting, berry and mushroom picking. They taught us to be respectful of the environment and the gifts that nature provided us for harvest. From a very early age, I developed a love for the outdoors. I started my role with Fisheries in 1990, employed as one of the two Fisheries Coordinators hired by the Iskut and Tahltan Band Councils, working at the Tahltan Tribal Council (TTC) office located in Dease Lake. I attended various programs and band office management training workshops through the Skeena Native Development Society and received an Introduction to Natural Resource Management Certification from the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. I was mentored by Marilyn Norby and Mary-Ellen Jarvis. The most rewarding and influential portion of my training came from interaction with our community members, particularly our Tahltan Elders. I spent countless hours talking with them and learning as much as I could about the fisheries resources that provided food security to our Nation. Many of these Elders have long since passed. I remain honoured to have had the opportunity to sit in their presence, soaking up their stories and their knowledge. When I applied for this job 31 years ago, it was partly out of a genuine interest in fish and wildlife, and partly out of necessity. I needed a stable job and income to provide for my child. When she was a toddler, we started attending family fish camp at Glenora. Being immersed in my culture, it did not take very long to confirm my dedication to involvement in salmon management. One had only to look around the campfire at the many smiling faces, the many generations represented, and soak in the love and the sharing that took place. The time spent together, harvesting fish from the fishing site that my great grandmother also harvested her fish from. The teachings passed down from my grandparents to my mother and my aunties and uncles was in turn, taught, and passed down to my generation and to the next. The sun on your face, stories shared by my Elders, the sounds of children’s laughter, the whistle of the pressure cookers, the ping of a jar sealing, a quick visit and coffee shared with neighbours all served to nurture my soul. The value of this cultural family activity and the assurance of food security spoke loudly to me. I have remained dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Stikine River salmon stocks not only for my family, but for all Tahltan families, current and future. I knew I had found my calling and I was where I needed to be.
As Tahltans, we have always asserted our rights over our territory even in the absence of agreements and often in the absence of inclusion at the decision-making tables. Our leadership has done extensive work over the past years ensuring that Tahltan interests are addressed despite the absence of binding agreements with government. What a proud day it will be for our Nation when we are recognized by the federal and provincial governments and provided our role in the decision-making process. By participation in, and the development of the TSI, we are getting closer to realizing our vision. In my short time with TCG, I have been amazed at the level of work that is being done. I am so very grateful to be working with my fellow Directors and TSI Team on a common goal and this landmark agreement.
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Lance Nagwan
Wildlife Director
Member of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation from Old Crow, Yukon, I was raised on the land hunting, fishing, and trapping under my grandfather’s tutelage. I was taught to respect the land animals and natural processes that connect them. I attended high school in Whitehorse, Yukon and college in Lethbridge, Alberta for Renewable Resource Management. I started my working career as a Park Patrol Person for Vuntut National Park – Parks Canada for ten seasons and additionally worked for two years as a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Fisheries Technician managing the operation of the Fishing Branch Chum Enumeration Project. It was around then that I began working for my First Nation, the Vuntut Gwitchin Government, in different roles and capacities. I worked as a Game Guardian, Lands Manager, and Natural Resources Director. Each time broadening my understanding of political negotiations and ability to manage resources. Working for my First Nation that relied heavily on subsistence harvesting and cultural dependence of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, under threat of industrial development in the herd’s calving grounds located in Alaska. The threat persists today, while my Gwitchin Nation continues to oppose oil and gas resource development in our sacred place where life begins. The TSI will be the guiding document and mechanism that will empower the Tahltan Nation with the ability to manage the land for future generations. Protecting the inherent values that are important to the Tahltan people while allowing for future land development under a sustainable pace and scale. On a personal level, I feel honoured and privileged to work for the Nation on this important project. I now call this my home and love experiencing what the land has to offer. I teach my Tahltan children the same values and respect for the land and animals that was instilled in me, as I want them to have the chance to enjoy healthy land, water, and animals until they can teach their own children.
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THE TSI STEERING COMMITTEE
Gordon Infanti
Communications & External Relations Director For almost three years, I have been privileged to be the TCG Communications Director and now Communications & External Relations Director. In addition, with over twelve years’ experience working on Residential School issues, setting up a communications department for a Modern Treaty Nation, having lived for over one year in a First Nation community, and having experience providing a full range of communications deliverables at the highest levels of government, I am very enthusiastic about how my experience can serve the Tahltan Stewardship Initiative.
Sandra Marion
Culture & Heritage Director As the Culture & Heritage Director, I believe that the Tahltan Stewardship Initiative is very important to our Nation as it provides an avenue to meaningful and active management of all aspects of our territory and its natural resources. In my view, the province falls short in truly understanding our Northern BC region. With the guided information provided by TSI, we can come together to collaboratively develop robust regulations and to implement preventative measures with on-the-ground management.
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TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
THE TSI PROJECT TEAM The TSI Project Team supports the TSI Steering Committee and delivery of the initiative. The team includes: Kala Hooker, Project Manager, Christine Creyke, Project Coordinator, Garry Merkel, Land Use Planning Lead, Alanna Quock, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas Lead, Norm Maclean, Technical Advisor,
Kala Hooker
Christine Creyke
Project Manager
Project Coordinator
I would have been born in Kitsault, BC, but since there was no hospital, I was born in Prince Rupert instead. I most recently lived in Smithers, for 11 years. Though I miss the North, I now call the Kootenays my home. My husband, Wade Brunham, and I have four children, three of whom are boys. My oldest son, Sages, attended fish camp on the hospitality of Ann Ball and her family a couple of years ago. We hope to have the opportunity to visit again soon. I am a Project Management Professional with a degree in Anthropology. I have more than 10 years’ experience in the natural resource, agriculture, and business sectors. In the past, I have worked with the Tahltan Nation on the Collaborative Stewardship Framework, hunting regulations and land use planning. I am honoured to provide a supporting role for the Tahltan on the TSI. As Project Manager for the TSI, it is important to me to ensure this project is aligned with Tahltan values and knowledge. This work is important as we move forward with communitylevel operationalization and implementation of Tahltan law, national and international commitments like B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Ombrielle Neria, Communications Specialist, and Ryma Aneliunas, GIS Analyst. We are excited to share that Youth Stewardship Officers will be joining our team as part of the Youth Stewardship Program. We look forward to introducing new team members in the months ahead.
In 2006, I graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in geography. After graduation, I gained employment as the Land Stewardship Coordinator for Tahltan Central Council, where I learned about our people, and our role with resource extraction and development. Due to the abundance of exploration and mining companies in Tahltan Territory and the lack of a collective community vision for resource management decision making, I decided to continue my studies at the master’s level in the Natural Resource and Environmental Studies program. My graduate thesis is titled, The Tahltan Nation and our consultation process with the mining industry; How a land use plan might improve the process and policies and was successfully defended in 2011. While attending grad school, I applied to the Jane Glassco Northern Fellowship, a two-year program focused on policy and leadership development. I was chosen as one of twelve Northerners across Canada for the first cohort. My work focused on policy development for oil and gas activities in the Arctic. My hope is that by educating myself, both in traditional and western ways, it will help our people stay strong and rooted in culture, while advancing our modern land and resource management tools. Since 2016, I have worked for the Tahltan Central Government. First as the Lands Director and more recently as the TSI Coordinator. Since having my second child, I have decided to take a step down as a director and focus my energy on the TSI project specifically. I have lived in Dease Lake for most of my life. This is where I choose to raise my family and advance my traditional skills. I enjoy tanning hide, sewing, harvesting medicine, and learning about Tahltan culture. Recently, I have begun working to start a Tahltan dance group with Youth here in Dease Lake.
THE TSI PROJECT TEAM
TSI will bring together knowledge of past, current, and future land uses and stewardship responsibilities. It will build capacity within our government structure to ensure managing our natural and cultural resources will continue in a good way. TSI will be a legacy that will guide consistent decision-making over time and ensure the protection of Tahltan land, culture, and way of life. As a Tahltan member living in territory, I see how important our land is to practicing culture and tradition in daily life which is something I feel is lacking in our Youth. I believe Youth is our biggest resource. I want to assist Youth in inter-generational learning of Tahltan knowledge and integration with TSI activities.
Garry Merkel Land Use Planning Lead I am the grandson of George and Grace Edzerza, a member of the Etzenlee family and the Cheona clan. I am a Registered Professional Forester with more than 45 years of experience in land management, governance development, business development, education, public policy, and other areas. I hold a Forest Technologist Diploma (with distinction), Bachelor of Science in Forest Management (with honors) and various honorary degrees in arts, law, and science. A large part of my work has centered on community land management with an emphasis on the Indigenous community. This work has varied from helping communities develop their internal land management readiness, building collaborative management relationships between community and external governments, developing planning approaches and land management plans based on the community’s world view and many other related activities. I have also worked in many other land related areas including helping to shape provincial and national land management policy and approaches at a senior level. One of my recent notable public policy projects was as one member of a two-person panel to provide recommendations on the future of BC’s old growth forest management. The panel’s final report “A New Future for Old Forests” contained fourteen transformative recommendations which were adopted in their entirety by the BC government. This lifetime of work has helped me prepare for the responsibility of assuming the role as the Land Use Planning Lead. Based on direction from the Tahltan community, and with support from the
TSI team, we will prepare plans that describe how we as Tahltan will direct land use in Tahltan Territory. These plans will become one of the most important tools in supporting future land use decisions in Tahltan Territory and will help ensure that we can continue our close spiritual, sustenance and personal relationship with our lands based on our cultural teachings. The TSI is important to the Tahltan Nation because it will help us fulfill our inherent stewardship responsibility for our lands as assigned to us by Ahdigi Dene Ti’e. As Tahltan, we have been taught from birth that we have a responsibility to care for our lands. The TSI will help us build all the tools we need to do that job at a high professional level in today’s world, while remaining grounded in our cultural teachings about how to live with and take care of our lands. Some of the bigger tools include: creating a system that teaches our community about our lands and plans for the use of our lands based on community direction; developing our internal readiness to be full and competent participants in modern land management; creating relationships with other governments that have Tahltans as equal decision makers for all land use in Tahltan Territory; and, doing on the ground enhancement and research projects to better understand and take care of important resources in our territory.
Alanna Quock Indigenous Protected & Conserved Areas Lead I am a planner, designer, and creative problem solver with a passion for building adaptive capacity. I am of Tāłtān, Taku-River Tlingit and Irish-British ancestry. I grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, in the territory of the Ta’an Kwachan Council and Kwanlin Dun First Nations, and now call the territory of the Shíshalh Nation home (Sunshine Coast, BC). I have a Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Development, with minors in geography & psychology from McGill University and a Master of Architecture from UBC. I have 20 years’ experience working with individuals, communities, and all levels of governments in the Yukon and BC in land planning, community engagement, environmental management, and design. I am most comfortable when navigating a space of ambiguity and complexity. I use design thinking as a practical and creative approach to bring clarity and simplicity to complex situations. My training in architecture supports my ability for cross-scale 54
TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
interdisciplinary thinking that allows me to quickly see patterns and bring together disparate elements into a cohesive whole. My approach to community-based project design and delivery has been recognized as leading the way in global indigenous design practice. The TSI is important to me as it provides an opportunity to work collaboratively and in an inter-disciplinary way. I see the potential to create meaningful, lasting change for the benefit of the Nation and our territory. It is a foundational project that will require a lot of hard work and will challenge us to work together in new ways. I see it as a vehicle for profound healing for our Nation through developing our relationships with one another, with our partners, and with our land. I am excited for this work because I feel that this project is one that brings together all the different aspects of my education and experience and lets me apply and test my learning and strengths in a way that few projects have. I am motivated by the challenge and humbled by the opportunity to work for my Nation.
Norm Maclean Technical Advisor I am a wildlife biologist with over 30 years of professional experience in Alaska, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Yukon territory. I have worked with provincial and territorial environmental agencies in northwestern British Columbia, and in the Northwest Territories. I have had the privilege of working for the Tahltan Nation since 2005 as a technical member of Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team (THREAT) and providing technical support for the TCG Lands and Wildlife Departments. I have expertise on terrestrial ecosystems and wildlife habitats in boreal forests including conducting multi-year studies, and management on woodland caribou, moose, and wolves. I have been involved in multiple major project regulatory reviews, permitting reviews, application reviews, and environmental assessments in Tahltan Nation. I have been a GIS spatial analyst for over 25 years and have been involved in developing large mammal habitat models using indigenous, local, and scientific knowledge sources. Finally, I have experience in land use planning including indigenous led, joint indigenous and provincial-territorial land, forestry, and resource management plans. The TSI is the vehicle to align related Tahltan governance, capacity, reconciliation, cultural, and land management programs which were previously being delivered through multiple avenues by the TCG. By bringing them under one initiative, it allows for greater advancement of Tahltan land and resource jurisdiction, authorities, and stewardship through Tahltan knowledge and by Tahltan in an open transparent approach. 55
Ombrielle Neria Communications Specialist I am from Indigenous and European ancestry. I have spent my life loving, living in, and exploring British Columbia. I spend my days in the natural beauty of Ts’elxwéyeqw (Chilliwack) where I happily reside with my family. I am blessed to be the mother of two amazing young boys whom I love and cherish. I have a strong background in communications, strategic planning, negotiations, and program development with over 15 years of experience. I bring expertise developing and executing complex communications projects and strategies across multiple organizations, levels of government, and stakeholder groups. I joined the TCG after working with the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe, the S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance, and the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre. There, I led communications initiatives and managed various projects including those within the Collaborative Stewardship Forum (CSF), of which Tahltan is a part through the 3 Nations. My work focused on internal governance, government-to-government relations, rights and title issues, cultural heritage and site protections, environmental stewardship, land use planning, economic development, and major projects. This deeply enjoyable and meaningful work strengthened my ability to navigate the complex legal and political landscape facing First Nations in the Province of British Columbia and in Canada. I love crafting powerful narratives, sharing compelling stories to support generational change, and building and evolving mechanisms for collaboration and engagement. I am humbled and grateful for the responsibility to work with the Tahltan Nation. Tahltans are blessed, strong, and determined. I look forward to supporting the Nation and the TSI team to make this transformative work a success for the Tahltan people.
Ryma Aneliunas GIS Analyst
TSI PROJECTS
TSI PROJECTS The TSI will align related Tahltan governance, reconciliation, land management projects and activities from the TCG Communications, Culture and Heritage, Fisheries, Lands, and Wildlife Departments. Below is a list of projects under the TSI: Assessment of Ecosystem Services & Climate Change Resilience
Predator Program
Tahltan Guardian Program
Capacity Development Project
Caribou Stewardship Project
Tahltan Infrastructure Assessment (Energy, Access and Mineral Potential)
Communications and Engagement
Tahltan Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) Project
Cultural Heritage Project
Tahltan Land Stewardship Plan
Ecosystem & Climate Project
TCG Archives Project
Fisheries Stewardship Project
Water Resources Project
GIS Spatial Database Project
Youth Stewardship Program
Land Governance Framework and Operational Policies Project
We look forward to introducing these projects to the Nation in the days and weeks ahead!
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TAHLTAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – S PRING NEW SL ETTER 2021
“The Tahltan Nation will fulfill its inherent stewardship responsibilities for all lands, water, wildlife, fish and natural resources in Tahltan Territory.”
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