SS 4 - Headwaters of the Columbia - Smelqmix Protected Area - Threats and Opportunities

Session Description: The Columbia River is impacted by many different types of activities, among the most significant are mining, agriculture, and hydroelectric development. Climate change is also having impacts. The Similkameen River is a tributary to the Okanagan River, which flows into the Columbia River. Impacts in the headwaters of the Columbia in the Similkameen Valley are by legacy mines, ongoing mining, forestry, agricultural, and climate change.

This presentation will have members of the smelqmix people share smelqmix knowledge about the systems, threats to the systems, opportunities to preserve biodiversity and aquatic health, how smelqmix knowledge and traditional community decision-making inform protection and restoration strategies and activities, and showcase some of the smelqmix knowledge-informed projects in aquatic habitats.

The aquatic ecology of the Similkameen River has been heavily impacted by mining impacts, the smelqmix people have not eaten the fish in the river for 30 years. There are no water quality standards in BC and the water quality criteria that do exist are frequently exceeded. A recent study of contaminants in salmon in the Columbia showed that the fish have levels of toxicity that could be a human health risk when eaten in moderate amounts. Salmon species are species upon which nations along the Columbia rely and negative human health threats are unacceptable. In addition to these water quality impacts, the smelqmix recently learned that temperature increases from climate change are projected to cause an extinction event in the Similkameen River by 2040. In order to mitigate these effects the smelqmix Protected Area was declared by the Lower Similkameen Indian Band as a protected area. This protected area is in the Ashnola Valley, the Ashnola River is a tributary to the Similkameen River, which flows into the Okanagan and then the Columbia River. The Ashnola was selected as a protected area in order to ensure that clear water was available to local populations because of the current water quality of the Similkameen, the threat of devastating tailings pond failures, and over-extraction. smelqmix people want to protect the Ashnola Valley and continue their restoration efforts on the Similkameen River so that the Columbia System can have inputs of cool water, which are necessary for the salmon, and water quality improvements are made so that the salmon are healthier to eat. Salmon are an important staple of many nations along the Columbia river, threats to them are threats to cultural integrity and survival.