Skeetchestn Indian Band territorial patrol members working with BC Wildfire Service to respond to the 2021 Sparks Lake wildfire in their territory.
Photo credit: Sam Draney, Skeetchestn Natural Resources.
Following recent record-breaking wildfire seasons that have ravaged BC and disproportionately affected Indigenous communities, a partnership between UBC and the Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society aims to overcome barriers and bolster Indigenous leadership in wildfire management and resilience.
The record-breaking 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023 wildfire seasons that burned 6.2 million hectares throughout BC have disproportionately impacted Indigenous communities and territories through large-scale evacuations, impacts to fish and wildlife habitats, and subsequent flooding. Despite these impacts, Indigenous communities continue to face significant challenges to engaging in wildfire management as well as having their expertise and rights upheld.
In response, the project, “Indigenous leadership in wildfire management: Implementing lessons learned from Secwepemcúl’ecw” builds on an existing partnership with Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS) and UBC and draws upon a major report that documents Secwépemc and provincial agency experiences of the 2017 wildfires to support greater Indigenous engagement and leadership in wildfire management.
“Throughout this project, I was privileged to continue learning from Secwépemc communities, in particular hearing their ongoing concerns and priorities for wildfire management in their territories.”
– Sarah Dickson-Hoyle, PhD Candidate, Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry
Through facilitating planning sessions, government-to-government workshops, and report dissemination to support Indigenous leadership in wildfire management and wildfire resilience across BC, the project has implemented key recommendations to enhance Indigenous leadership and resilience in wildfire management across the province.
See below for project details and a Q&A with project co-leads Sarah Dickson-Hoyle and Char John.
Project Details
Project Title: Indigenous leadership in wildfire management: Implementing lessons learned from Secwepemcúl’ecw
Project co-leads:
- Angela Kane, CEO, Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS)
- Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator, Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS)
- Sarah Dickson-Hoyle, PhD Candidate, Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry
Project duration: March 15, 2022 to February 2, 2024
Learn more:
- Learn more about Secwépemc leadership and lessons learned
- Read the report: “Elephant Hill: Secwépemc leadership and lessons learned from the collective story of wildfire recovery”
This project was supported by the Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund.
Q&A with Sarah Dickson-Hoyle and Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator
Why is this project important and how is it supporting Secwépemc’s goals?
SRSS (Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator): This project was important because it allowed us to continue having collaborative conversations around the recommendation of the Secwépemc Lessons Learned. It was important to bring community perspectives forward to resolve issues.
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle: This project supported continued outreach and community engagement around the ‘Elephant Hill: Secwépemc leadership and lessons learned from the collective story of wildfire recovery” report, including widespread dissemination of the hard copy report to Secwépemc communities, other Indigenous Nations and organizations, and government agencies. Funding from CUES directly supported multiple workshops between Secwépemc representatives and the BC Wildfire Service to discuss implementation of the calls to action in the report, and covered staff time from the SRSS to have direct input into the development of new First Nations liaisons contracts and position descriptions within BC Wildfire. Finally, this project supported capacity building within the SRSS to enable them to play a growing leadership and advisory role related to Indigenous wildfire management in BC.
What strengths did each party bring to the project?
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle: Partners from the SRSS brought a network of strong partnerships with both their member Secwépemc communities and with the BC provincial government.
SRSS (Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator): From UBC, Sarah brought additional capacity to help organize and facilitate government-to-government workshops and document workshop outcomes and provided opportunities and training for SRSS staff to present the report and its calls to action in numerous government and public forums.
During the project, what opportunities did participants have to teach, learn, or do research?
SRSS (Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator): One of my favourite outcomes was being able to help facilitate and assist community engagement and collaboration with external entities.
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle: Throughout this project, I was privileged to continue learning from Secwépemc communities, in particular hearing their ongoing concerns and priorities for wildfire management in their territories. Through multiple meetings and workshops with both senior management and local representatives from BC Wildfire Service, we were also able to learn how they have responded to the lessons identified in our report, and from the 2017 wildfire season more broadly, and hear progress on implementing the calls to action
What was your favourite outcome or experience from the project?
SRSS (Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator): One of my favourite outcomes was being able to help facilitate and assist community engagement and collaboration with external entities.
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle: Funding from CUES enabled us to print 380 bound copies of the Elephant Hill report, as well as prints of the cover artwork by Secwépemc artist Tania Willard. One of my favourite experiences was being able to hand out copies of this report to Secwépemc collaborators and community members, as a record of their story and experiences and of the work of their Nation to assert their rights and responsibilities as yecwmín̓ men (stewards of the land). It was also a wonderful experience to be able to share copies of this report with other Nations and Indigenous organizations who were looking learn from the joint leadership approach to wildfire recovery led by Secwépemc communities on Elephant Hill, and to see the model of collaborative recovery being taken up throughout the province.
Can you share a few lessons you learned during your project?
SRSS (Char John, Natural Resource Community Coordinator): 1) After recommendations or reports are made from communities, it is essential to have funding to continue to support them to the next level. 2) Following recommendations, it’s essential to have a strategic plan and dedicated working group to support initiatives.
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle: A key challenge for implementing recommendations is a lack of resources or longer-term funding to support high level (e.g., leadership) and long-term active involvement from communities. These projects require dedicated positions in communities/community organizations to ensure sustained advocacy and community engagement.