table of contents xast sputa? - syilx · mcintyre dam (oliver) has been an upstream fish migration...

December 2011 ONA E-News 1

Table of Contents

Individual Achievement Award

2

Fisheries Update

3-4

Wellness, Youth and Family & Health Update

5-8

R’Native Voice 9

Snya?tan Grand Opening

9

UBCIC

9

Salish Book

10

Photo gallery 11

Community Events

11

Toll Free

1-866-662-9609

S Y I L X O K A N A G A N N A T I O N E - N E W S

December 2011

The Okanagan Nation Chiefs Executive Council

and ONA Staff would like to wish you and your

family a Merry Christmas and

prosperous New Year

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Chief Clarence Louie Receives

2011 Individual Achievement Award

CHIEF CLARENCE LOUIE RECEIVES 2011 INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Vancouver – Keith Mitchell, chair of the BC Achievement Foundation is pleased to announce that Chief Clarence Louie is the recipient of the 2011 BC Aboriginal Business Award for Individual Achievement. Chief Louie will be honoured on December 1, 2011 together with the juried competition award recipients at the 2011 BC Aboriginal Business Awards. The Gala Presentation Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver will showcase the achievements of the Aboriginal business community in the province. “Chief Clarence Louie is a leader with a vision”, said Mitchell. “He has dedicated his life to building economic self-sufficiency for the Osoyoos Indian Band by creating employment opportunities for present and future generations. He is a contemporary example of success through hard work and determination”. The Individual Achievement Award honours a person who has made a significant impact in the Aboriginal business community and in so doing, serves as

an inspiration to us all.

Chief Louie was elected Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band

in 1985 at the age of 25.

Under his leadership, the Band has built a multi-faceted development corporation that owns and manages nine businesses, including Nk’Mip Gas and Convenience Store, Nk’Mip Construction, Oliver Ready-Mix Ltd., Nk’Mip Daycare, Nk’Mip RV Park, Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, Sonora Dunes Golf Course, Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa, Nk’Mip Cellars, the first Aboriginal winery in North America and the most recently, the Senkulmen Business Park. Previous Individual Achievement Award recipients are

Entrepreneurs, Dorothy Grant, Angelique Merasty Levac and Dolly Watts McRae and Aboriginal business champion, John Harper. The BC Aboriginal Business Awards are presented by the BC Achievement Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and generously supported by New Relationship Trust, BC Hydro, Teck, Encana and Spectra Energy. The BC Achievement Foundation is an independent foundation established and endowed by the Province of British Columbia in 2003 to celebrate excellence in community service, the arts, humanities and enterprise. For information on the BC Aboriginal Business Awards and Gala Presentation dinner tickets, visit our website at www.bcachievement.com or call 604 261-9777 or toll free 1-866-882-6088. Contact: Nora Newlands Executive Director BC Achievement Foundation P: (604) 618-6949

http://www.bcachievement.com/


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Fisheries Update

Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye salmon (scwin in Nsyilxcen) is an indigenous

salmon in the Okanagan River. Sockeye is the same species

as kokanee (O.nerko), although, sockeye spend a portion of

its life cycle in the ocean (anadromous fish) while kokanee

remain in fresh waters. Sockeye salmon is the only salmon

that still return to the Okanagan River in appreciable

numbers. Okanagan Coho and chum salmon are already

assumed to be extirpated (locally extinct). Okanagan

Chinook and Steelhead are also in danger of becoming

extirpated.

What is the life cycle of wild Okanagan Sockeye Salmon?

Sockeye Salmon are a cyclic species Sockeye salmon are cyclic; this means that they generally

have a 4 year life cycle (as described above). It also means

that we can somewhat predict how large or small future

runs will be based on the number of spawners in a given

year. Some years will have a very strong run (like last year’s

huge run with over 200,000 spawners returning) and some

years will have a very poor return. The number of Sockeye

salmon that return in a particular year is based on numerous

factors (e.g. harvest, ocean and freshwater survival of adults

and juveniles etc) but we are able to generally predict how

many will return based on how many adults spawned during

what is called the ‘brood year’.

Some years will see only a small number of fish

returning but this doesn’t mean that the Sockeye run

has collapsed – just that it is not a dominant year and

some years will see very large numbers of Sockeye

returning but that doesn’t mean that we will see

those numbers every year.

Why were sockeye salmon at Okanagan Falls this

year?

Historically, salmon were present in several Okanagan

Lakes (Okanagan Lake, Skaha Lake, Vaseux Lake, and

Osoyoos Lake) and were the primary food sources for

the Syilx, or Okanagan People. However, dams

constructed in the Okanagan and Columbia rivers in

the 1900’s impeded or eliminated access by Okanagan

salmon to Okanagan, Skaha and Vaseux lakes.

McIntyre Dam (Oliver) has been an upstream fish

migration barrier since the 1950’s, but the dam was

modified for fish passage in 2009. Sockeye salmon can

now routinely migrate past McIntyre Dam and access

the Okanagan River up to Skaha Lake Dam (Okanagan

Falls), which is currently impassable. The fish ladder

present at Skaha Lake Dam is not operable, but the

issue of whether to permit future fish passage is

under review.

Why provide fish passage at McIntyre Dam? Fish passage at McIntyre Dam allows sockeye salmon

to access an additional 8 km of Okanagan River and

Vaseux Lake, which historically provided habitat for

this species. Refitting McIntyre Dam is part of a larger

sockeye salmon stock management initiative to:

Stabilize and rebuild the declining Okanagan sockeye population;

Return sockeye to their former habitat and migration range;

Revitalize fisheries supported by Okanagan sockeye salmon.

Migration to the ocean - Spring

After rearing for 1 year in Osoyoos Lake, the

juvenile salmon (smolts) undergo

physiological changes to adapt to salt water

and begin their long journey downstream to

Spawning - Fall

In October, the female salmon digs a

redd (nest) in the river to deposit eggs

for a male salmon to fertilize. Adult

sockeye salmon die after they

reproduce.

Emergence - Spring

The eggs incubate over the winter. The

fry hatch and emerge from the gravel

in the spring. The young salmon fry

rear in Osoyoos Lake for 1 year.

Maturing in the ocean

The salmon spend 1-3 years maturing in

the ocean, before the adults swim up

the Columbia River and into the

Okanagan

River to return to their spawning

grounds (1,200 km migration).

Migration back to the spawning grounds - Summer

In summer, the adult salmon arrive at Osoyoos Lake and

complete their sexual maturation. Salmon move onto their

spawning grounds when the water temperatures are cold

enough.

© Ron Hall


Will Skaha Lake Dam be refitted to allow fish passage?

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), B.C. Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) are reviewing the feasibility of re-establishing a self sustaining population of indigenous sockeye salmon in Skaha Lake. Following completion and review of results from a 12 year experimental study (2003-2015), a decision regarding whether to open fish passage at Skaha Lake Dam will be made.

Why there were sockeye salmon at Skaha Lake Dam in July but not in August?

Sockeye salmon migration is predominantly ‘triggered’ by water temperature. When water temperatures in the Okanagan River are too warm (> 20o C), sockeye that have migrated upstream of Osoyoos Lake in July, fall back to the lake and hold in ‘cooler’ water (8-12 o C) to avoid physiological stress and possible death. Sockeye will return to the river in late August or early September when preferred temperatures exist.

Why was Okanagan sockeye salmon population declining in the past years?

Salmon are very sensitive to changes in our waterways. Beginning in the 1800’s, and continuing today, sockeye salmon are under enormous threat due to a number of past, present and on-going changes to their habitat, such as:

Habitat Loss: channelization, water diversions, removal of natural vegetation;

Migratory Access: dams, water diversions, weirs, unscreened water intakes;

Water Flow: lowering or raising flow during sensitive periods, water withdrawals;

Water Quality: degradation from nutrient loading or hazardous materials;

Predation and Competition: exotic species introductions, human harvest;

Climate Change: increased frequency of floods and droughts, temperature increases.

What is the status of the Okanagan sockeye stock today? Over the period of record from 1938 to 2009, Okanagan sockeye returns have varied from a low of about 2,000 (in 1994) to a high of almost 130,000 (in 2008) adults. However, from 1974-2004, average returns numbered fewer than 35,000 fish and in 5 of these years fell below 5,000 fish.

A dramatic reversal of a long term trend to decline has occurred over the most recent decade during which average returns have increased to more than 85,000 adult fish culminating with a record breaking return with expectations of about 200,000 for 2010. The rebuilding of the Okanagan sockeye salmon population is attributed to the following:

Unprecedented levels of cooperation and negotiation among First Nations, industry and management agencies in both Canada and the U.S. to conserve and rebuild the Okanagan sockeye stock;

Critical assessments suggesting that the Okanagan River and Osoyoos Lake were capable of sustained production at larger run sizes followed by management steps that increased spawner abundance;

Creation and deployment of the Fish-and-Water Management Tools Model that encourages water regulation decisions that maintain “fish friendly flows” in the Okanagan River;

An increase in mainstem Columbia River flows during sockeye smolt migration since 2006;

Increased production of sockeye associated with their re-introduction into Skaha Lake after a roughly 100 years of absence;

Multiple habitat protection, restoration and enhancement initiatives;

Return to a period of favourable ocean survival for Okanagan salmon over the past decade in association with the prayers and cultural protocol offerings by elders and Okanagan Nation members.


Wellness Update

The Wellness Department has been focused on integrating programs so that they are comprehensive and promote a common approach. Communications and community engagement has been identified as areas for improvement and we’ve worked diligently to ensure that information is distributed to communities in a timely manner. In the area of health we’ve developed a health strategy that demonstrates how Syilx participation in the BC First Nations health governance process is community-driven; this will be achieved by creating opportunities for community members to meet and discuss needs and issues with their respective Wellness Committee representative(s) and/or Community Engagement Hub Committee Members. These committees provide guidance, advice and direction to the ONA Wellness Department and to the ONA Representative (Mic Werstuik) to the regional and provincial discussions. ONA Wellness is holding a Health Open House on Tuesday, December 13 2011 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Shannon Lake Boardroom. If you are unable to attend in person you can join in this dialogue via video conference. This is preparatory session with ONA Wellness (health) and ONA Health Representatives to ensure that community members will have informative participation at the December 15/16 First Nation Health Governance Interior Caucus meeting. ONA is co-hosting the Interior Caucus Session with First Nations Health Council and it will be held in Kelowna at the Capri Coast Hotel. Child and Youth Mental Health projects have all completed individual reviews this year and work plans are being developed to reflect best practice recommendations that came from these reviews/reports. One area of important development is with regard to integrated case management; this will ensure that all ONA ACYMH projects are collaborating &planning to ensure the development of successful support initiatives. In the area of Child & Families, ONA Wellness is developing a similar strategic approach to that of Health – clearly defining responsibilities of technical and political roles to ensure effective support and the distribution of information to community members. In the new year we look forward to bring all three of the Wellness ‘clusters’ together under a common strategy through the development of a Syilx Wellness Framework; this will ensure departmentally our work reflects our four strategic focuses: (1) Community Capacity Development; (2) Community Engagement; (3) Partnerships and (4) Funding for Success; and that we are working toward seeing our departments mission a reality:

“Reclaiming and Restoring Syilx ways of being and knowing (worldview) through development of holistic Wellness programs

and services grounded in a Syilx-centred framework.”

O K A N A G A N N A T I O N H E A L T H

M A N D A T E

“To advocate for Syilx control and management of

their health, programs and services”

Upcoming Dates

Interior Region Governance Caucus Meeting

Coast Hotel

Dec 15 & 16, 2011

Kelowna BC

To register, click on the following link:

http://www.regonline.ca/interiorregioncaucusmtg

SAVE THE DATE

May 15 – 17, 2011

Gathering Wisdom V

Hyatt Regency, Vancouver BC

www.indigenous2012.com

World Indigenous Housing Conference

June 2012

Vancouver BC

Health Links

http://www.bccdc.ca/audience/aboriginal

BC Centre for Disease Control

Aboriginal Peoples

www.bcaafc.com/initiatives/asrpa-partners-council

BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centre

Aboriginal Sports, Recreation and Physical Activity

Partners Council

http://www.regonline.ca/interiorregioncaucusmtg

http://www.indigenous2012.com/

http://www.bccdc.ca/audience/aboriginal

http://www.bcaafc.com/initiatives/asrpa-partners-council


Aboriginal Child & Youth Wellness Program

Update

Syilx Children and Family Service Initiative

Reminder that Christmas is a stressful time of year. Please take note to watch out for changes in your child’s behaviors listed below. If changes are noticed please call if you have concerns about your child. Reminder to parents: Children can experience stress, anxiety, depression, and other conditions that adults experience. Children may have changes in their;

Moods * More withdrawn

Behavior * Loss of interest in activities

Friends they use to enjoy

Changes in routines such as sleep, appetite or

hygiene

Changes at school affecting their attendance

or grades

Our program has 27 on our active list and 15 on our wait list.

If you have concerns with any of these changes, please

contact our office to make an appointment or for more

information about the Aboriginal Child and Youth Wellness

Program.

Freda McLean Okanagan Nation Wellness Coordinator W (250) 707-0095 (ext 150) C (250)-488-9947 [email protected] Shannon Stewart Mental Health Clinician (250)328-8534 [email protected]

This past month Syilx Children and Family had the honour to sit with Elders on two occasions: Nsyilxcen Translation: The purpose of gathering language speakers is to translate words into Nsyilxcen for the Children’s Art Compilation Book and Children and Families programs

names/headers.

Some words that were translated into Nsyilxcen are: ϯ sisәncaʔ – little brother

ϯ qaqcaʔ – big brother

sncʔ iws – brothers

sncʔ iws – brothers

k uW ullus – coming together

These are just a few of the translated words that will be in the Children’s Book and embedded throughout the Child and Family programs.

mailto:[email protected]



This forum took place at the Westbank First Nation Elders Hall, November 16-17, 2011. The first day was all about the Aboriginal Early Childhood Development program and Margo Greenwood presented, and the Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Strategy was presented by Ramona Wilson and Jennifer Houde. On the second day, Jeannette Armstrong was the keynote speaker, and the Syilx Child and Family Services Framework update was presented by Jennifer Houde.

As the holiday season approaches many are thinking of ways to share their time or gifts with others. Perhaps we can take a look through cupboards and cassette tape boxes for old photos, tapes of songs and stories in Okanagan, or anything that can be shared with our families, the schools and daycare teachers. If you can make copies of old photos and let the children know the story behind the picture our history can become “real” for the next generation. Photos can be scanned to a computer and shared with others and children will enjoy looking at pictures of their ancestors and hearing the stories. There are people who can copy old cassette tapes before they disintegrate and we lose the valuable songs that we recorded many years ago. A CD or DVD is truly a wonderful gift for anyone who wants to hear the voices of the elders as we heard them many years ago. A final note, since I live in the Vernon area it has become difficult these last few months to travel to Westbank

Coming Together for Children and Families & Aboriginal Early Childhood Development

Forum

There was a lot of discussion around the table and a few ideas were: have more information sessions with today parents and future parents of the Okanagan nation, that there be one specific for the men of the Okanagan Nation; take away the electronic toys, no texting, put them to work, that is what our bodies are made for. For more information contact: Jennifer Houde Children & Family Services Lead Phone: (250) 707-0095 (ext 158) Email: [email protected] Cell: (250) 215-9399 Karen Frazie Children and Family Services Program Assistant Phone: (250) 707-0095 (ext 153) Email: [email protected]

for work so I have made the decision to resign my position as

AECD Coordinator. The last year has been incredibly

rewarding for me and I have enjoyed connecting with so

many wonderful and dedicated people of our nation.

Certainly I will continue to be involved in Early Childhood

projects, perhaps as a volunteer, or as an advisor in some

capacity. Please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers and I

respectfully thank everyone for their dedication to our

children.

Limlimpt

For more information please contact: Ramona Wilson AECD Coordinator P (250) 707-0095 [email protected]

Aboriginal Early Childhood Development





Health Update Aboriginal Family

Group Conferencing

In November the Aboriginal Family Group Conference program and the Child and Youth Wellness program had the opportunity to attend the Collaborative Problem Solving workshop presented by Don Duncan, MD, FRCPC and Scott Jacobsen, RPN. The presentation dealt with Coerce or Collaborations - A Punishment Free Approach to Managing "Bad" Behaviour. This presentation looked at how your explanation for a behaviour guides your intervention; which means your beliefs about the cause of the problem will influence your approach to solve the problem. The fundamental key to the presentation was that when kids are challenging they lack

the skills to deal with the problem they are being faced

with.

Collaborative problem solving states that When kids fail to meet expectations or act out that parents

and caregivers have basically 3 options to deal with the

situation:

1. Plan A - Make the child meet your expectation 2. Plan B - Collaborate 3. Plan C - Drop your expectation The Collaborative Problem Solving method states that collaboration - Plan B is the best option for caregivers. As it speaks to understanding both the child's issues or concern as well as the adults. Collaboration looks at the concerns of both parties and offeres planning together for problem solving. When dealing with negative behaviours understanding what the concern or deficit of the child assists with the skill development and results in a positive outcome. For more information on Aboriginal Family Group Conferencing, or to refer a family to the program please contact: Cricket Testawich AFGC Program Coordinator P: (250) 707-0095 ext 152 [email protected] C: (250) 808-7798

Community “Information Sharing Community Engagements are an opportunity for hub community’s to showcase what they have been working on in their communities in regards to Health, in partnership with the Okanagan Health Hub, as well as a place for external Health programs and services to share information and provide updates to the local Hub community members, leadership and staff.

There are a total of 11 sessions that can be held within the seven member bands, three friendship centers, and one urban organization. To date there have been three sessions completed to date and there are five sessions currently in planning stages. This process is ongoing in order to support hub representatives to increase communications and distribution of information. For more information or to schedule a meeting please contact:

Vanessa Mitchell Health Hub Coordinator [email protected].




R’Native Voice Update

Currently the R’Native Voice Program is running in the

Lower and Upper Similkameen on Tuesdays, at Penticton

Indian Band on Wednesdays and Upper Nicola Indian Band

on Thursdays.

To date, we have discussed the following curriculum topics:

Okanagan History, Nsyilxcen, Captikwl, Beliefs and Values,

Self-Esteem and Sexual Health.

In the New Year, beginning in February 2012 the program

will be running at Okanagan Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian

Band and Westbank First Nations.

If you have any questions regarding the program or would

like to enroll your child in the program, please contact:

Amanda Montgomery

R’Native Voice Coordinator

(250) 707-0095 ext. 159

[email protected]

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs

Resolutions The resolutions that were presented, discussed and/or ratified

at the UBCIC Chiefs Council meeting in November have been

posted and can be viewed at the following link attached. More

Snya?tan Grand Opening was held November 16th, 2011 and

hosted by the Westbank First Nation and Anthem Properties. The ceremony started at 5:30 pm and included prayers and keynote speeches by Chief Robert Louie and Anthem Properties. The evening also included a speech by the Snyatan sculpture artist as well as cultural dance performances. Congratulations Westbank First Nations on the Grand Opening!

Snya?tan Grand Opening

information regarding Bill C-3 can be found on PDF 15.

http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/ChiefsCouncilResolu

tions_Nov2011.pdf


http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/ChiefsCouncilResolutions_Nov2011.pdf

http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/ChiefsCouncilResolutions_Nov2011.pdf


Nselxcin scak – Salish Numbers Book


ONA January E-News

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS December 20, 2011

If you have a story or event that you would like included in our E-bulletin please email:

[email protected]

WHATS HAPPENING

Christmas Holiday Office Closures:

OKIB Closed Dec 23, 2011 at 12:00pm Open Jan 2, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. ONA Closed Dec 26, 2011 - January 1, 2012 OIB Closed Dec 23, 2011 - Jan 2, 2012 PIB Closed Dec 16, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Open January 2, 2012 LSIB Closed Dec 22, 2011 – January 1, 2012 USIB Closed Dec 16, 2011 – January 2, 2012 UNIB Closed Dec 23, 2011 – January 3, 2012 WFN Closed Dec 22, 2011 – January 3, 2012

Photo Gallery

Margo Greenwood speaking at the “Coming

Together Forum”

Participants at the “Coming Together Forum”

Coming Together Forum Coming Together Forum

table of contents xast sputa? - syilx · mcintyre dam (oliver) has been an upstream fish migration...

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