Lands & Resources

By Ben Meunier, Fisheries Biologist

Kokanee are an iconic fish species in Kootenay Lake.

Historically very abundant, this population of land-locked salmon collapsed in 2013 as a result of human impacts to the lake’s ecosystem combined with natural causes.

While numbers of spawning Kokanee observed in streams at the North end of the lake regularly exceeded 1 million fish prior to the collapse, numbers have remained below 100,000 for the past 7 years.

The Ktunaxa Nation Council is currently leading Kokanee recovery efforts as part of the Kootenay Lake Action Plan, in collaboration with the Province of BC.

In April and May 2022, a KNC fisheries team spent 6 weeks capturing Gerrard Rainbow Trout at the mouth of the Duncan River in an effort to reduce predator pressure on juvenile Kokanee and promote population recovery.

The team was composed of fishing experts from the Flatbow Culture Preservation Group led by Robin Louie from Yaqan Nuʔkiy with the help of KNC’s ʔa·nusti technicians Lance Thomas and Jaydon Francis and Nupqu fisheries technician Dominique Nicholas.

The goal of the field program was to capture 100 to 150 Rainbow Trout and 50 to 100 Bull Trout to help restore the predator-prey balance in the lake.

Despite working at night in challenging conditions, the crew was quickly able to understand the patterns of fish movement at the mouth of the river and started catching fish consistently night after night.

After measuring and weighing captured fish for scientific purposes, the crew would often continue to work late into the night to clean, fillet, and freeze fish for distribution to Ktunaxa communities.

After 45 days of hard work, a total 149 Rainbow Trout and 62 Bull Trout were captured, successfully meeting the targets set by the scientific advisory team.

By leading this important project, the KNC was able to ensure that the work was conducted in an ethical manner following the Ktunaxa ʔa·kxamis q̓api qapsin principle.

Only the targeted fish were harvested and mitigation measures were successfully employed to minimize by-catch of non-targeted species.

This project also enabled community members to spend time and reconnect with a culturally significant part of ʔamaʔkis Ktunaxa.

Amongst all the memories and stories shared during the course of this project, the crew members will certainly remember their encounter in the middle of the night with a 6-foot long sturgeon that accidentally swam into their net and stared at them for a few moments before swimming away, unperturbed.

Lands and Resources Sector Council 2021

Avery Gravelle, Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it

Jason Andrew, ʔaq̓am

Lillian Rose, ʔakisq̓nuk

Sandra Luke, Chair, Yaqan Nuʔkiy

Team members

Senior Managers

Guardian: Lands

Guardian: Mining Oversight

Guardian: Water

Operations Excellence: Administration

Operations Excellence: Finance

Strategic Initiatives

Strategic Initiatives: Policy and Planning

Covid-19 continues to reduce in-person meetings and travel.

We adjusted our approach with hybrid in-person and on-line meetings to accommodate everyone’s preference and needs.

These of course have its benefits but not without limitations.

This past year on-line meeting platforms increased Ktunaxa citizen participation from all over ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa and the world; however, it also is often hard to participate in the hybrid approach without adequate microphone use.

Although most of the staff have had their double vaccine, staff continue to work from home and therefore email is the best way to contact staff. The field staff were able to return to somewhat of a normal schedule, with regular sanitization of company trucks.

Our office cubicles will be changed to accommodate the physical distancing requirements when we are able to return to the office.

Looking Forward into 2021-2022

By Vickie Thomas

Senior Manager

The Ktunaxa Lands and Resource Sector’s work is primarily outward looking, meaning we have many industries, non-government organizations and governments wanting to do business on ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, each request requires some level of engagement. A majority of staff time is spent creating space for leaders to have conversations at a strategic level with these organizations – supporting informed, confident decision-making.

In the Spring, the Lands and Resources Sector Council spent some time strategizing the path forward for the sector, which includes:

• Enhance Jurisdictional Clarity - Lands Sector exercising appropriate decision-making authority
• Transform Land Sector connection to Communities
• Properly Resourcing Land Sector Council Activities
• Improve Lands Sector Council working with staff

For me, form follows function and therefore will take some time to assess the functions that Lands are responsible for, alongside Leadership’s vision for the new/revised mandate of the sector. Looking forward we will continue to evolve to organize ourselves around our primary functions, heeding the advice of Leadership to keep an eye to all of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa (70,000 square kilometers). Protecting Ktunaxa interests on ʔamakʔis ȼ wuʔu is a massive endeavor that can only be accomplished by working together at all levels of the collective governance structure, citizens and staff. With that being said, one of our function areas to be developed is how we create space to improve how we look inward: within our staff team, within our communities, our leadership and our citizens.

We take very seriously the message we received from the Lands and Resources Council, the collective Ktunaxa leadership and citizens: Ktunaxa speak for Ktunaxa. Therefore, we will continue to support communities through resourcing to have their voices at the “table”, not only through financial resources but also by having staff support directly in community. We are also committed to capacity development for our citizens: creating space for citizens to join the team and supporting where citizens see themselves excelling within the sector.

In closing, I would like to thank the Lands and Resource Sector staff for sticking with us; there is some uncertainty when there is change in the Sr Staff person of the Sector and I am very proud of how you have been agile enough to change alongside of us. To our citizens and partners, there is much work to do and I appreciate patience while we take the time to develop how we work together to effectively steward ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has the Lands Sector listened to the input from your Council, Communities and Citizens?

The Lands and Resources Sector Council held its annual strategic planning sessions in December 2020 and January 2021. We also scheduled a 3 Year Plan session for July 2021 to refine, update and incorporate the changes from the annual strategic planning sessions.

In December 2020, we attended ʔakisq̓nuk Chief and Council meeting and Team Leads have continued to attend Ktunaxa Chief and Council meetings for feedback and direction on specific priority items to the communities.

Throughout the year, we engaged with Ktunaxa citizens both online and in-person through Retreats, Calls to Gather, and Focus Groups. These engagement events were for Columbia River Treaty, Qat’muk/Indigenous Protected and Conservation Areas (IPCA), Huckleberry and Elk Stewardship, and Predator Control sessions.

How does the Lands and Resources Sector Plan complements and integrates the work done by Communities?

The sector plan’s focus on improved communication, relationship building, and improved sector capacity development all shifted the approach of the Lands Sector to collaborate with communities. This shift created space to clearly hear the direction from the Lands Council and expand our focus beyond Qukin ʔamakʔis and mining to the development and stewardship to all ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.

How the Lands Sector Plan and its outcomes/results benefit Citizens?

By increasing and improving sector capacity, Ktunaxa citizens benefit from Ktunaxa speaking for Ktunaxa with more citizens voices at the table through ʔa·knusti, working groups, engagement, and Ktunaxa Lands staff. Ktunaxa citizens are positioned with and within the Lands sector to speak on the outcomes that align with their stewardship and values.

Milestones from the past year

The Lands Sector 2020-2021 year was a busy one with an exceptional amount of change and development rooted in the direction given from the Lands and Resources Sector Council and Ktunaxa citizens. The milestone from the past year are the direct outcomes from the collaboratively developed Sector Plan with the Lands Council and staff.

Lands and Resources Council Sector Plan

In Winter 2020, the Lands and Resources Sector Council created an Interim Sector Plan with major areas for change to guide the work being done. To show what the Interim Sector Plan looks like in action, the Lands Sector Milestones from the past year are provided below as concrete examples of how the plan is working.

The major areas for change are:

1. Improve Sector Capacity Development,
2. Improve community engagement with a focus on improved communication between KNC and band governments,
3. Enhance jurisdictional clarity on how communities work with the Lands sector,
4. Plan for organizational governance improvements with a focus on examining the sector charter.

Improve Sector Capacity Development

The reassignment itself stands as the beginning of capacity building within the Ktunaxa Nation Council: each Senior Manager (Director) learned knowledge from other Sectors and could pass this onto their families and citizens. Capacity building occurred predominantly with Ktunaxa sector staff, creation of working groups and committees, and the development of the ʔa·knusti program.

Increase Ktunaxa Sector Staff/Mentorship

The Lands sector increased Ktunaxa staff with an additional 11 citizens joining the 11 Ktunaxa already working in Lands. Each Ktunaxa is a citizen who all come with their own expertise and it is a matter of mentoring them into areas that they are interested in and that they believe they will be good at. This is vital for the Lands sector because each Ktunaxa has their own skill-set and are knowledge holders who help inform and guide the work done in Lands.

ʔa·knusti

In early fall 2020, the Education and Employment Sector collaborated with Lands for recruitment, onboarding and training coordination of the ʔa·knusti program. Originally, only 2 ʔa·knusti positions were planned for but with the incredible interest, the ʔa·knusti program on-boarded 7 Ktunaxa citizens in spring 2021. All the ʔa·knusti completed a 6-week training program designed to provide insight into;

• various components of the Lands sector,
• overview of contract based Land sector work and engagement agreements
• seeing the ways Lands work can be transformed into a holistic ʔa·knusti strategy
• traditional knowledge foundations
• determining where their knowledge would best fit in the Lands sector

The ʔa·knusti program and strategy has links to numerous projects and every Sector in KNC. However, it is fundamentally rooted in Ktunaxa citizens being Ktunaxa on the land and doing work that is important to them and their communities. The Lands Council emphasized capacity development and implementation for the ʔa·knusti program with a long-term vision for 4-5 ʔa·knusti from each community to be mentored and trained to meet the needs of their communities.

Ktunaxa Working Groups/Committees

The creation of the Lands Advisory Committee, Elk Stewardship, and Huckleberry Stewardship Working Groups all with Ktunaxa members appointed by Chief and Councils exemplified Sector capacity building by having more Ktunaxa citizens with expert knowledge coming together to guide the work in Lands.

With the implementation of the newly developed ʔa·knusti program, all this capacity building aligns with the message that we heard and take very seriously from the Lands and Resources Council, the collective Ktunaxa leadership and citizens: Ktunaxa speak for Ktunaxa.

Improved Community Engagement and Enhanced Jurisdictional Clarity

These two areas are inseparable from each other and fundamentally asks ‘how do we all work together?’ and ‘what does a shared meaning of success look like?’ The Lands and Resources Council raised these questions and made strong recommendations to build relationships and improve communication between the Lands Sector and Ktunaxa communities and collective governance. This guided the operational changes we made in Lands.

Centralized Administration

The operations administration team was increased in size, reorganized, and became the central hub for all communications to Ktunaxa leaders and the Lands Sector Council. This team became the main point of contact, both internally and externally, to ensure consistent information and timely responses occur.

Point of Contact

Clear point of contacts in each of the Ktunaxa communities were provided to the Lands Sector Team Leads and they began to create and strength relationships. Specifically, we increased collaboration between the Lands Sector and the Ktunaxa Band Lands departments to make improvements to the Referral Process. Direct referrals from the Communities to the Lands Sector requesting assistance with comments and recommendations for local land matters is also occurring.

Sector Council Meetings

Due to Covid, the Lands and Resources Sector Council meetings occur online, were opened up, and encouraged citizens and leaders to attend.

The ways relationship building and improved communication happens is continually growing and changing as we work out the kinks and adapt to the expressed needs from Ktunaxa leaders and citizens.

Plan Organizational Governance Improvements

With the fast-paced growth of the Lands Sector, a plan for Organizational Governance Improvements was signaled as fundamental. The Lands Council emphasized the need for a holistic approach to Ktunaxa ʔamakʔis and to listen and take to heart the citizen and bands values, voices and concerns. A clear starting point was to have each community examine the Lands and Resources Sector Charter for alignment with their values and it is now sitting with them for review.

To accomplish the approach, work and goals laid out by the Lands and Resources Council, Ktunaxa leaders, governments and citizens, a bold amount of operational changes were made in the Lands Sector. From organization and team restructuring to the centralization of our Lands finance and administrative teams and operations, we created succinct internal systems to keep what does work, see what does not, and then create solutions for these malfunctioning areas. It remains an ongoing process that we are committed to improving.

Sector Chair’s Message

By Sandra Luke
Yaqan Nukʔiy Councillor
Lands and Resources Sector Council, Chair

Kiʔsuʔk Kyukyit,

There have been many changes within the organization.

First order of business, I would like to welcome Lillian Rose to the table, our new representative for ʔakisq̓nuk.

Since Covid hit it has put a toll on the daily business where the staff had to adjust to working from home to millions of Zoom meetings. I must give credit to the staff for all their hard work, especially with the unexpected changes in the organization.

September 2020 of last year, there was a big changeover in directors at KNC.

Ray Warden, the Director of the Lands and Resources Sector went to the Education and Employment Sector.

Drum roll please!

I want to welcome Debbie Whitehead as our Interim Director.

This was only supposed to be for a few months, but turned out to be a year. On behalf of the Lands Sector Council, a huge thanks to Debbie Whitehead for all of your hard work getting the Lands Department into shape, as well as the Lands Sector Council.

Debbie Whitehead will be returning to the Social Sector in September 2021 and on behalf of the Lands Sector Council, I would like to welcome Vickie Thomas as the new Director of the Lands and Resources Sector.

On behalf of the Lands Sector Council, I wish Ray Warden all the best in your future endures and thank you for all your dedication to the Lands and Resources for a number of years.

Finally, a huge, huge thank you to Crystal Philips for all your hard work as the Administration Assistant for Lands and Resources Sector. Saying that, on behalf of the Lands Sector Council we wish you luck in your new role as the Quality Assurance Administrator in the Lands Department.

For the past year the Lands and Resource Sector has been working hard with staff to work together plus collectively as an organization. Thanks to Stan Chung for getting us together to strategizing and working to have a common goal.

Organizational Chart in place, Land Advisory Committee (LAC) in place, Lands and Resources Charters and working on the Lands and Resources 3 year work plan.

In closing, I would like to thank the Staff, the Director and my Colleagues of the Lands and Resources for their hard work through this pandemic. I hope you all have a good summer, stay safe, stay healthy and stay cool as temperature may rise!

Taxa,

Sandra Luke

Yaqan Nukʔiy Councillor

Lands and Resources Sector Council, Chair

Senior Manager’s (Director) Message

By Debbie Whitehead,
Interim Sector Director (Senior Manager)

Kisuk kyukyit qapi niskit,

My time during my reassignment to the Director for the Lands and Resources Sector was at first intimidating because I did not think I knew anything about the Lands Sector. I quickly realized that I knew more than I thought and kept my focus on the Ktunaxa Nation Vision and community values to stay on track and succeed.

The Ktunaxa Nation Vision has always stood in the back of my mind and bringing this to the forefront, it made decisions and reorganization for the sector much easier when guided by this.

As Directors at the Ktunaxa Nation Council, we all work under the same vision and increasing capacity to ensure Ktunaxa governments are involved in collaboration and decision-making within the Lands and Resources Sector aligned with the Ktunaxa Nation Vision.

This made both my experience in the sector and the reassignment a success.

Initially, my approach to gain an understanding of the sector’s mandate, mission and work-to-date highlighted some key gaps operationally, particularly with collaboration between sectors, between Lands and the Ktunaxa communities and with band governments. It was clear that protecting Ktunaxa interests on the land and in the waters is a massive endeavour with many moving pieces that can only be accomplished by working together at all levels of the collective governance structure, citizens and staff.

In partnership with the Lands and Resources Sector Council, we were able to develop and reinforce pathways to create new ways of doing things by making bold changes to meet the current needs and, more importantly, implement the vision of our leadership.

Based on what we heard from the Lands and Resources Council, Ktunaxa leaders and citizens, and what I saw in the Lands Sector, it was clear that collaboration, sharing of information and building relationships are critical to our success in protecting Ktunaxa interests. We can no longer work in silos but must work together and I believe we are on that path. There is still a lot of work to be done and kinks will arise but we have started a process through cross-sectoral initiatives and projects to expand the involvement and collaboration within KNC and with Ktunaxa Nation communities.

When collaborating with government bodies and industry proponents, it is critical that the priority and focus are on strong, clear, Ktunaxa voices driving the process. We must ensure that the lands sector is doing the work that Ktunaxa want done and in the way Ktunaxa want it done. To achieve this we know that we must build trust through dialogue, have follow up with communities, and improve our relationship as a collective.

Taxa,

Debbie Whitehead

Senior Manager (Interim Director)
Lands and Resources Sector