Indigenous Heritage and Ecological Conservation in the Salish Sea Webinar
In the Salish Sea, a range of development pressures threaten the deep connections to place and the ecosystems that sustain them.
On February 16th, 2023, the XLAP team hosted five panelists to guide discussions about the potential for on-the-ground actions and higher level policy initiatives that lead to the protection of valued ecosystems and at the same time honour Indigenous connections to the land. The webinar is posted below.
Adam Huggins is the Restoration Coordinator for the Galiano Conservancy, as well as a Sessional Instructor for Ecological Restoration in Continuing Studies at the University of Victoria. He produces and cohosts the Future Ecologies podcast, and is also an avid backpacker, musician, and naturalist.
Gordon Scott has worked for 40 years to address environmental challenges around the Salish Sea. He has been a forestry worker, environmental planner, and conservation director for a US land trust. Gordon moved to Lasqueti in 2009, and joined the LINC Board in 2011. He has been Chair since 2014. Gordon believes Lasqueti’s unique landscapes, cultures, and ecologies make it one of the most exciting places to live in the Gulf Islands, and he is grateful to be here.
Kate Emmings has worked for the Islands Trust Conservancy for 15 years and is currently the Islands Trust Conservancy Manager. Her background is in environmental science and conservation planning, and she has worked with land trusts for nearly 25 years. A first generation Canadian of English and Scottish ancestry, Kate has lived in the southern islands of the Salish Sea for more than 30 years and throughout her career has had the opportunity to learn from First Nations communities about the Salish Sea and the role of humans in it.
Eli Enns is the great grandson of Na’waas’um (historian, public speaker for Wickanninish) from Tla-oqui-aht on his father’s side, and the grandson of Peter Enns (Dutch Mennonite) from the Netherlands on his mother’s side. Eli is an internationally recognized expert in biocultural heritage conservation and Indigenous economic development. He is a nation builder and Canadian political scientist. Eli was the Co-Founder of the Ha’uukmin Tribal Park, and Co-Chair for The Indigenous Circle of Experts for the Pathway to Canada Target 1 (Aichi Target 11). He is currently CEO and President of the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, and recently joined the Board of Directors for the Canadian Committee for the IUCN.
