Protecting the Paths of Return – Salmon Habitat Resilience Plan (Salmon Habitat Resiliency Project)
WHO THEY ARE?
Skwlāx te Secwepemcúlecw is a Secwépemc community whose territory spans the confluence of the Adams River, Shuswap Lake and Little Shuswap Lake waters central to one of North America’s largest sockeye returns. Here, salmon shape governance, culture and food security; caring for creeks and shorelines is an intergenerational duty. Stewardship is cultural and practical: safeguard spawning and rearing places, keep waters cool and clean, and maintain salmon pathways.
This ethos guides Skwlāx’s work with neighbours, agencies and knowledge holders to care for local rivers and creeks, while building the capacity to act consistently over time so the runs endure, and the community’s way of life remains strong. Their focus is local and concrete Eagle and Perry Rivers and priority creeks across the Shuswap where attentive care of riparian habitat and fish passage translates into healthier waters and fewer migration barriers. For Skwlāx, safeguarding salmon is inseparable from community wellbeing and regional stability.
WHAT THEY NEEDED
Skwlāx needed to replace scattered, short-term responses with a program to limit habitat decline and keep salmon moving. Pressures were cumulative land use, water withdrawals, infrastructure barriers, climate stresses without shared baselines or monitoring to steer choices. Decisions had to be evidence-based, with clear starting points for water, habitat and shoreline risks identification so priorities could be set creek by creek and tracked over the years. On the ground, the need was practical and local: remove passage constraints in waterways, strengthen river and creek banks and provide shade, and clean spawning and rearing waters while building durable community capacity to hold the gains.
In essence, Skwlāx required a disciplined, culturally grounded, evidence-led plan that converted stewardship intent into healthier habitat and dependable returns. They also needed the human system to move in step: credible alliances with regulators, universities, NGOs and neighbouring governments to unlock data, authorisations plus deliberate outreach so forestry, agriculture, ranching, shoreline residents and the wider public understood the stakes and acted accordingly.
WHAT WE DID
Led a Project Management Planning Essentials workshop to develop a Phase I planning framework for Skwlāx’s Salmon Habitat Resilience Program.
Mapped stakeholders for action, including:
- Chief & Council, regulators, utilities, post-secondary partners, NGOs, and neighbouring governments.
- Clarified engagement paths and permissions so data, authorisations, and people power could be mobilized during implementation.
Captured scope and sequencing end-to-end through Deliverables Breakdown Structures (summary and detailed), unifying:
- Feasibility
- Partnerships
- Outreach and training
- Funding
- Project governance into one coherent workplan.
Structured capacity building as a core planning stream, including:
- Training outlines for project management, habitat protection/restoration, and water safety.
- Stewardship/watchmen functions.
- Communication assets (signage, education, and best-practice materials)
Built the evidence base to steer decisions by establishing:
- Starting points for shoreline risk and cultural impact assessments.
- Water quantity and temperature baselines.
- Environmental review and regulatory/licensing criteria.
- Clear sequencing for what should move first and why.
Embedded governance and discipline into the plan with:
- Defined roles and decision rights.
- Phase gates for accountability.
- A risk lens and steady communication rhythm linking planning to delivery.
RESULTS WE GOT
Skwlāx gained a decision-ready Phase I planning framework providing:
- Clear direction and boundaries.
- A shared method to prioritize and measure progress season by season.
Prioritization became a roadmap, an ordered approach to prepare future work across the Shuswap Region:
- Starting with high-leverage reaches such as Eagle and Perry Rivers.
- Sequenced to shared baselines, decision gates, and practical constraints.
- Shifted the dialogue from “What should we do?” to “What moves first, why, and how will we know it’s working?”
Governance advanced from intention to structure:
- Council and administration gained a common playbook with explicit roles, decision rights, and communication rhythms.
- Replaced ad-hoc coordination with structured oversight, protecting scope, schedule, and quality for future phases.
The enabling system was fully documented, including:
- Partnership and authorisation pathways.
- Funding avenues and training streams.
- Community engagement mechanisms.
- Ensured that permits, data, people power, and outreach could align in step when implementation began.
Overall, Skwlāx achieved decision-readiness: a credible, culturally grounded plan to protect and restore salmon habitat on Skwlāx terms.
IN NUMBERS
1 Salmon Habitat Resilience Planning Framework Established
Skwlāx-led governance document sequenced from Shuswap baselines to Council decision gates; roles, decision rights and reporting timelines set.
6 Decision Baselines Established
Starting points for habitat, water and shoreline risk that turn prioritisation into evidence
8 Priority Waterbodies Identified for Initial Phasing
A Mapped footprint (two anchor rivers and six creeks) that sequenced where future works start and why.
