Nii Haliis'maasaw 2023

Nii

SALMON SUMMER/FALL 2023

Mountain goat harvested on Kitselas Traditional Territory.

Photo courtesy of Michael Benson.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 Letter from the Director of Lands and Resources Chris Apps

3 Salmon, Water, and Climate Change Kitselas Lands and Resources Staff

9 Fun Facts For All Ages: Old-Growth Forests and Culturally Modified Trees

Kitselas Lands and Resources Staff

Illustrations by Amanda Key

20 Elder Connections Series: A Family Recipe Tells a Story

Mariah Hogue

15 The Glint of Light on Broken Glass: Tracing Gitselasu History Through Archaeology

Guest article: Travis Freeland

23 Photos From the Community Michael Benson

Message from the Director of Lands and Resources

Chris Apps

Dear readers and harvesters,

I am so thrilled to welcome you to the second edition of Nii, a magazine produced by the Kitselas Lands and Resources Department. With Nii we aim to provide the community with a fresh and exciting way to engage, learn and share your stories and perspectives on lands and resources issues, science and stewardship. With this edition, Haliis’maasaw, we celebrate the Salmon harvest and the harvesters who dedicate so much of their time and energy to providing for their families and community. To honour this important time of year, we have pulled together an incredible issue covering some engaging stories about the Kitselas Canyon, Old Growth Forests, and of course, Salmon. I am also very pleased that some heard our call for contributions, and this edition features some amazing picture submissions. However, a magazine like this is only as strong as its community, and that is why I will continue to urge you to share your remarkable photographs, unforgettable stories, and memorable experiences being a part of this incredible territory you call home. Your contributions will not only enrich Nii but also strengthen the bonds between families and the community as we come together to celebrate the harvest and environmental stewardship.

But it has occurred to us that we don’t want to stop there. Families, their stories, and their knowledge are not necessarily restricted by community, and with Nii, Kitselas has an opportunity to share these treasures with other communities. We believe that by slowly but surely expanding our reach, we can connect readers through shared perspectives, learn about different approaches to science, stewardship and resource management, and ultimately foster a stronger community united by shared values.

To achieve this vision, we would love to welcome contributions from other Indigenous communities and organizations, as well as relevant advertisers or sponsors who might share in this passion. If you believe in the power of this publication to inspire and educate, we invite you to join us on this journey.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to those who have submitted their pictures and stories and to our contributors whose expertise and willingness to share have brought this second edition of Nii to life.

Thank you for being a part of this and allowing us the opportunity to try something different. Let’s continue to explore the endless possibilities something like this has to offer Kitselas.

Salmon, Water, and Climate Change

Kitselas people have been adapting to changing environmental conditions in our territory for millennia. But today, the speed and intensity of human-caused climate change is a new and serious challenge. It’s a problem we face with the rest of the global community. Climate change will impact many of the species and habitats we and others depend on, like salmon.

Climate change impacts on salmon

Climate change will likely harm salmon in multiple ways, including by affecting the water in our rivers, lakes, and streams. Salmon rely on these freshwater habitats. This is where they hatch and spend the first part of their life cycle, and it’s where they return at the end to spawn. We know that climate change will bring an increase in water temperature and affect the quantity and quality of the water. This will have many different impacts on the salmon lifecycle.

KLRD taking action

Habitat restoration helps salmon by improving water quality, restoring nearby plant-life, and enhancing in-stream features. KLRD is involved in several collaborative restoration projects. We are working with the Province, other indigenous groups and Nations to restore and protect key salmon habitats. These projects will bring healthier and more diverse habitats for spawning, rearing, and migration. By restoring and protecting these key habitats, salmon can cope better with stresses brought by climate change.

KITSELAS LANDS AND RESOURCES STAFF

Water changes: high and low, hot and cold

Winter and fall: rain and floods

The water in our river systems flows from several sources: glacier melt, snowmelt, and rainfall.

In general, scientists predict the weather will shift towards less snow and more rain during the fall and winter. This could mean more flooding, which has many negative effects for salmon. Flooding can displace or damage salmon egg clusters or suffocate eggs under sediment. It can also cause erosion that blocks streams or removes important features of the waterside habitat.

Less snowfall in the winter also means the mountain snowpack will melt away earlier in the year. This brings lower flows and less cold water during the hottest days of summer.

Summer: low water levels

Low water levels can create problems for adult salmon as they migrate upstream. Salmon might get stuck in shallow areas or behind barriers, even where they can pass in higher-flow times. They could be delayed or prevented from reaching the spawning ground. This will lead to fewer salmon spawning successfully.

Reduced flows during the spawning season can also make a habitat less ideal for eggs and young salmon. Slower water can concentrate sediments in certain areas. Low flows can mean less oxygen in the water. This is especially dangerous in stagnant or isolated pools. If the oxygen in the water gets too low, it can stress or kill the fish. Lower and slower water also tends to be hotter.

Photo courtesy of KLRD staff.

Hot water

Most climate change predictions say the air temperature will increase by 2 to 4 °C (or more) by the year 2100. Warming air will lead to warming water, and water that’s too hot can stress or even kill both young and adult salmon. Egg survival and development are also affected by higher water temperatures. Water temperatures over 20 °C are dangerous for salmon.

Glaciers

Glaciers act as giant ice cubes providing cool water during the hottest summer months. In the Babine system of the Skeena watershed, tests were done to look at glacier melt and stream temperature. These tests found that streams with 10% glacier coverage are 5 °C cooler than streams without glacier melt. But glacier melt doesn’t only provide cooler water. Glaciers also provide extra water during the hottest times.

Dangerous heat

In 2019, a drought in watersheds around Prince William Sound in Alaska killed thousands of pink salmon before they could spawn. A study done on this event found that watersheds with glacier melt had more successful spawning salmon than rain-based watersheds. The glacier melt helped keep the water flowing and cool during a drought. Watersheds with glacier waters are less likely to have heatrelated mass fish-kills.

Managing water

These water changes are already impacting salmon. Studies of Chinook show fewer salmon surviving in years with large fall/ winter floods or low summer flows.

To maintain healthy salmon populations, we must manage peak-flow and low-flow events. Good water management will be critical for adapting to climate change.

This means ensuring that there is enough water in rivers to keep the ecosystem healthy based on climate change projections. It also means working to restore and protect salmon habitats. Good quality habitat can ease the stress of extreme high and low flow events on salmon.

Habitat restoration

Habitat restoration plays a crucial role in helping Pacific salmon populations cope with climate change. Restoration projects use many strategies to enhance and restore degraded spawning and rearing habitats. The goal is to provide better conditions for salmon to complete their life cycle successfully.

Restoring stream channels that once provided high-quality habitat for salmon.

Habitat restoration includes Improving in-stream “structures,” like adding dead wood to streams to provide shelter and food for salmon.

Creating or enhancing side channels and floodplains to expand habitat.

Reducing stranding

Habitat restoration is very important to reduce juvenile stranding. Stranding is when fish become trapped in isolated pools or very lowflow areas. Stranding is a serious problem for juvenile salmon when the water levels get low.

Habitat restoration projects can remove or modify barriers in the streambed to restore natural stream channels. This allows salmon to move more freely. These efforts can reduce the risk of juvenile salmon becoming stranded.

KLRD is collaborating with other Nations to restore salmon habitat in the Skeena Estuary. This project will try to reduce stranding of juvenile salmon due to highway and rail infrastructure.

Rock weirs

A rock weir consists of rocks or boulders carefully placed in a specific pattern in the water. Rock weirs can be used to modify the streamflow to create better conditions for salmon. For example, a weir can add variations to a stream’s flow, like deeper pools and riffles. Providing a diversity of habitats and stream features is important. Salmon need different types of habitats at different points in their life cycle.

You can see a rock weir in action in Kleanza Creek Provincial Park! KLRD installed two V-shaped rock weirs in 2020 to slow down flows. This allows spawning substrates (small rocks and pebbles) to gather on the streambed as the water flows over the weir rocks. Pink salmon were recently seen using the structures for spawning!

Overwintering pond

An overwintering pond is usually close to where salmon naturally spawn and rear. It is a calm area of water connected to a stream or river through a small inlet and outlet channel. This provides a constant flow of water into and out of the pond. An overwintering pond maintains good oxygen levels and prevents stagnant water.

KLRD is beginning a new study to establish an overwintering pond in Gitaus!

Photos courtesy of KLRD staff.

Estuarine and nearshore habitats

Estuaries and nearshore habitats are very important for salmon. These habitats support salmon during their transition from freshwater to the ocean and vice versa. Marshes, wetlands, and eelgrass beds are some key habitat types where salmon find food and refuge from predators. These habitats are especially important for the growth and survival of juvenile salmon.

Saltmarsh

The conservation and protection of saltmarsh habitat is critical to our salmon. Salmon smolts experience changes in their bodies and behaviour as they prepare to migrate to the ocean. But these changes take time. Saltmarshes provide an in-between habitat of semi-salty brackish water. This gradual change in the salt level of the water helps the young salmon adjust to the marine environment. Saltmarshes also offer shelter for juvenile salmon, protecting them from predators.

KLRD is part of a team developing Salt Marsh Monitoring Protocols. These protocols will direct future plans for field-based projects within the Skeena Estuary. They will also help restore and protect saltmarsh habitat.

Eelgrass

Eelgrass is a seagrass species that forms dense underwater meadows in shallow coastal waters. The long, ribbon-like leaves of eelgrass provide habitat for a wide variety of marine species. Eelgrass beds are a key habitat for juvenile salmon as they enter the ocean. These areas provide them with rich feeding grounds and shelter from predators.

KLRD is part of a team developing the North Coast Eelgrass Monitoring Strategy. This project will collect important information on how industrial development is affecting eelgrass. The goal of this strategy is to protect Kitselas’s most valued resource, salmon.

Above, left: Saltmarsh. Courtesy of Sarah Poole. Above, right: Eelgrass. Courtesy of Natasha Nahirnick.

What is old growth?

COMPLEXITY CONNECTIONS

OldGrowth Forests

and Culturally Modified Trees

Old-growth forests are communities of trees, other plants, fungi, animals and microbes. These species have lived together for a long time in strong and interconnected relationships.

The provincial government considers forests to be “old growth” if the trees are over 250 years old. But just looking at age is not enough to define a true “old-growth forest.” The key is complexity.

In BC, you might see old growth forests with ancient trees that are 5 meters wide. Or you might see forests in high places and in bogs where trees are only 3 meters tall, even though they are hundreds of years old.

Old growth in Furlong Provincial Park. Courtesy of Travis Freeland.

KITSELAS LANDS AND RESOURCES STAFF

Old growth endures

Old-growth forests go through natural events like wildfires, insect outbreaks and storms. These events leave big veteran trees, dead “snag” trees, and rotting wood mixed together. Gaps in the canopy open up so new trees can grow. Forests can regenerate from these events, and a forest that survives may eventually become an old-growth ecosystem.

But it is still at risk

When humans clear-cut forests or cause other industrial impacts, these events do not resemble natural events. Even if a logged forest grows back and becomes “old,” it may never be the same as a natural old-growth forest. The changing climate is also impacting forests that are trying to regrow.

What are Culturally Modified Trees?

Culturally modified trees (CMTs) are trees that Indigenous People have altered as part of their traditional use of the forest.

These trees show us the sustainable harvesting techniques that have been passed down through the ages. First Nations still use these techniques today. CMTs modified before 1846 are protected by law in BC.

However, every year, logging companies get permission from the provincial government to change or destroy these CMTs and the forests where they live. It is very important to safeguard the knowledge that lives in these CMTs and to maintain large cedar trees on the landscape for future use. This helps protect Indigenous culture and keep it alive.

The Tree of Life

On the West Coast, the red cedar is a very important tree. It is called the “tree of life” because almost every part is used in Indigenous cultures the wood, bark, pitch, branches, and roots.

Cedar trees provide material that is used to make shelter, clothing, bedding, medicines, food, canoes, and totem poles. Cedar is also used for spiritual and ceremonial purposes.

A taper bark-stripped CMT near Kleanza Creek. Courtesy of KLRD staff.

Why are Old-Growth Forests Important?

Biodiversity

Old-growth forests have qualities other ecosystems don’t have. They are a unique habitat and home to over 400 different species. Many of these species need old growth to survive, and some are at risk of extinction. Experts think there might be species that haven’t even been discovered yet. Indigenous Peoples have been taking care of old-growth forests for thousands of years, caring for this important habitat.

Old growth and climate change

Old-growth forests absorb large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it away. This is important in the fight against global warming. Larger, older trees and dead trees on the ground also absorb water and hold on to it. This keeps the forest cool and damp. Oldgrowth forests are more resistant to wildfires.

Waterways

Many fish can’t survive in hot temperatures. Large trees in old-growth forests keep streams cool for fish to lay eggs. Fallen tree trunks and branches create hiding places and food for fish. When old-growth forests are logged, it can cause serious problems like soil erosion, mudslides and poor water quality. This can destroy fish habitat.

Cultural heritage

Indigenous Peoples have a strong cultural and spiritual connection to the province’s forests, including old-growth forests. Thousands of people visit BC’s old-growth forests each year to see the amazing trees and do other fun activities. But Indigenous Peoples have been living in these forests for thousands of years, carefully taking care of them. Traditional knowledge shows how to harvest what is needed while keeping the ecosystem healthy.

Home for many species

Fighting climate change

Cool, clear waters

Old growth in Furlong Provincial Park. Courtesy of Travis Freeland.

Preserving our heritage

Wildlife in our Old-Growth Forests

Illustrations by Amanda Key

Marbled Murrelet

Status: Threatened

A small seabird that only nests in old-growth forests. Rather than building a nest, it lays its single egg in a patch of soft moss growing on a wide tree branch.

Marten

Status: Threatened

Marten are part of the weasel family, and they prefer to live in old-growth forests. They usually make their dens in hollow trees.

Northern Goshawk (laingi subspecies)

Status: Threatened

A large hawk that requires big areas of old-growth and mature forests to make nests and find food.

Pacific Salmon

All Pacific Salmon species need forests to protect the streams where they spawn. Old-growth forests have shade to keep the water cool and plenty of fallen wood in streams so their young can hide.

Southern Mountain Caribou

These caribou rely on old-growth

Girdled trees are usually red cedar or lodgepole pine. A large sheet of bark is removed in a circle around the trunk, killing the tree. Over time, it dries out and falls over. This was probably done to make firewood.

Cambium-stripped trees are hemlock trees. The bark is stripped off to harvest the inner cambium, which is used for medicine and food.

Taper bark-stripped trees are usually red cedar. They are harvested for the inner bark, which is used to make many items: rope, baskets, blankets, hats, and more.

Culturally Modified Trees in Kitselas Territory

Tested trees have rectangular holes chopped into the trunk. This was done to check if the quality of the heartwood was good enough for canoes or planks.

The Future of Old-Growth Forests

BC’s old-growth forests are a non-renewable resource. This means they can’t be replaced once they’re gone. The areas where trees are cut down will regrow, and young secondary forests are growing quickly. But it will be a very, very long time before these new forests become old-growth forests, and they might never be the same as the forests we have now.

Right now, only a small percentage of BC’s original old-growth forests are left — around 3% to 30%. Because of this, the provincial government is engaging with First Nations and people in the forest industry. This process will try to protect the old-growth ecosystems that still exist and come up with a new way to manage forests.

Kitselas Lands and Resources Department has received funding to conduct our own study of old-growth forests within the Kitselas Territory. We will combine this study with engagement of Kitselas leadership and community. Together, we will create policies and recommendations for taking care of Kitselas old-growth forests. This will also help with provincial forest management as we move forward.

Top: A “tested” old-growth CMT at Lakelse Lake. Courtesy of Dwayne Ridler. Right: Cambium-Stripped (Hemlock) CMT, Newtown Creek. Courtesy of Travis Freeland.

The Glint of Light on Broken Glass

Tracing Gitselasu History Through Archaeology

BY TRAVIS FREELAND Archaeologist and General Manager, Gitselasu Stewardship Society

On a calm day in Kitselas Canyon, you can hear the creaking of hemlocks bending in the breeze. A red squirrel searches for hazelnuts, and an eagle flies overhead without a sound. The mossy ground is covered with mushrooms and ferns. It’s hard to imagine that for a long time, this was a place full of human activity. This narrow gorge on Ksyen (the Skeena River) was probably one of the most densely populated places in the region for several thousand years. The area was full of the activities of multiple year-round villages. These were the comings-and-goings of the Gitselasu, the tollkeepers of the canyon.

Malsk (Sm’algayx) – To tell, to relate a story. Heelda malsk a lawaalm gyik’ooł – There is a lot of history about the olden times.

Archaeology is one way we can try to piece together the lifeways of people from the deep past. Beneath the soft forest floor of Kitselas Canyon are layers of sediments and artifacts. These artifacts can help us to understand how Gitselasu ancestors lived during the 6,000 years of documented history here. Most of what remains of the deep past are stone tools. Stone is the most durable material used by ancient people. The cedarwood buildings, fur robes, smoked fish, and bone and antler tools have broken down in the acidic soil. We are left with only a few objects and belongings from the lives of past generations. Imagine if archaeologists in the year 3023 were trying to learn about your life today. If they only found a rusty kitchen knife and tweezers in your long-decayed house, what would they know?

We have developed a few ways to gain as much knowledge from these ancient objects as possible. Take, for example, obsidian. Obsidian forms when molten lava cools under special conditions during a volcanic eruption. It is a

brittle, glassy rock that breaks with razor-sharp edges. Ancient peoples around the world used obsidian to produce cutting and piercing tools. It has been traded throughout the Pacific Northwest of North America for the last 10,000 years. In most times and places, it was very valuable. There are only a few known volcanic sources of obsidian in what is now British Columbia. Ancient Gitselasu artisans would need to travel long distances or trade other valued goods to get obsidian. As a result, it was used carefully and frugally and never wasted. When archaeologists find obsidian in places like Kitselas Canyon, it is usually in tiny, wornout fragments rather than large chunks.

Archaeological research since the 1960s has uncovered much information about the ancient people of the canyon. Over time, a growing collection of obsidian artifacts has been found and catalogued. Many of these are classified as “micro-blades.” These small pieces of volcanic glass have two parallel edges and were used for fine cutting tasks. Blades like this might

Tiny obsidian micro-blades found in Kitselas Canyon. Below: approximately to scale. Left: enlarged.

have been set lengthwise into a bone or wood handle to produce a longer cutting edge. These blades were made by expert toolmakers beginning at least 5,000 years ago.

Since 2019, groups of Kitselas summer students have searched for these obsidian artifacts. They carefully sift through countless buckets of soil to spot tiny bits of black, glassy stone — the “crown jewels” of the canyon. In a landscape this big, it’s a needle-in-a-haystack situation. But the obsidian collection is growing, allowing us to investigate how and why these tools were made.

Archaeologists can unlock some of these secrets by looking at the obsidian’s chemical composition. Each volcanic eruption produces obsidian with slightly different concentrations of trace elements. We can examine these elements like a fingerprint. They are so unique they can even vary within the same lava flows. Obsidian on one side of a volcano can have a different fingerprint than obsidian on the other side.

So, we can trace a piece of obsidian back to the source by working with experts in geology and chemistry.

In the 1980s, archaeological research was done at the oldest known site in Kitselas Canyon. Researchers found obsidian that was traced back to two sources: Mount Edziza, on the Stikine Plateau in Tahltan territory, and Anahim Peak, on the Chilcotin Plateau in Tsilhqot’in territory. These sources are not very close to the Kitselas Canyon. As the crow flies, Edziza is nearly 400 km to the north, and Anahim is around 300 km to the south. Travelling by foot and canoe along river valleys and coastlines would make these distances much longer.

Archaeologists studying this obsidian have another great advantage: the Ts’msyen adawx, or oral histories. These histories recount in fine detail the names, movements, and feats of those who came before. As Kitselas Councillor and Treaty Manager Cyril (CJ) Bennett-Nabess tells us, while many neighbouring nations have

Below: A heavy stone chopping tool, one of dozens recently recovered through archaeology at Kitselas Canyon.

Right: Kitselas summer students carefully cleaning and cataloguing ancient artifacts.

stories about their supernatural creation within their homelands, the founding narratives of the Gitselasu are all about a series of arrivals from distant locations in the interior and on the coast. These stories of movement, interaction, and intermarriage provide clues about the transport of objects like obsidian.

The Gitselasu Stewardship Society has collaborated with the Vancouver Island University Earth Science Department to look more closely at the obsidian recovered by Kitselas summer students. There is a wide variety of colours and textures in these samples. Some are a waxy blueish grey, and others are a translucent caramel brown glass. You might think these obsidian pieces come from different sources based on the way they look. However, advanced X-ray fluorescence technology has told a different story. Nearly all the obsidian pieces we have examined match most closely with the Mount Edziza source. The few pieces that couldn’t be matched might come from another Edziza flow that hasn’t been examined yet.

This information gives us a strong sign that there were close trading ties with Tahltan ancestors to the north or perhaps other “middlemen” in between. In archaeological research, the answer to one question leads to new questions. Ancient people of the canyon had obsidian that came from the snowy peaks of the Stikine Plateau, but what did they trade in exchange? What other goods would they have obtained through trade with interior peoples? We can imagine small nuggets of obsidian packed in marmot or ermine furs, caribou robes, and dried meats and berries. These could be traded for valued goods from the coast: dried fish, herring eggs, eulachon grease, cedar textiles and basketry, and fruits like moolks (crabapple).

What other interactions did these peoples have? Perhaps ceremonies and marriages occurred at these meetings, solidifying relations between distant nations. Perhaps the social occasion of these meetings was most important, and the traded goods were secondary. How many languages would the tollkeepers of Kitselas

Canyon have spoken to maintain this role? What do the Gitselasu adawx tell us about how these relationships developed over time?

Of course, none of these questions come with easy or simple answers. But with each new clue, the story becomes richer and more textured. The Kitselas youth who helped recover these precious objects are now sharing their knowledge with the Kitselas community and with visitors from around the world who come to experience the heritage of this spectacular landscape.

Kitselas Canyon

Mount Edziza

Anahim Peak

≈380 km ≈300km

Distance from Kitselas Canyon to the two sources of the obsidian found

Above, left: Kitselas summer students screen through dirt in search of stone tools left behind by Gitselasu ancestors.

Above: Mount Edziza’s volcanic slopes. Greg Buri / Flickr.

ELDER CONNECTIONS SERIES

A Family Recipe Tells a Story

BY MARIAH HOGUE

During this Elder Connection, Mariah Hogue interviewed her grandmother, Darlene Seymour, about a special recipe from her childhood.

Growing up, Darlene’s mother, Rhoda Seymour, stressed the importance of making sure everything went to use without waste. She found a purpose for each part of meat, plant, or fish and often created her own recipe or dish, giving it a unique name.

Darlene Seymour recalls enjoying one recipe, in particular: head cheese. She mentions she would trade it at school among her peers since it was such a hit.

Head cheese is a mixture of pork hocks and moose meat. Her mom, late matriarch Rhoda Seymour made it many times throughout her childhood. Darlene observed from an early age that her mom knew recipes from memory and didn’t need a book to measure.

Although there is no record of an exact recipe, the ingredients for head cheese are as follows:

• Moose meat

• Pork hocks

• Salt

• Pepper

• Pickling seasoning

• Crushed fresh garlic

Head cheese was only made during the winter months and stored in a container in the fridge. Head cheese is described as similar to lunch meat (spam, bologna, etc.). They would eat it on bread as a sandwich. Rhoda would boil the meat, and that would help form the gelatin to give it a spam-like consistency.

The objective of this interview was to understand how food and culture intersect within the author’s family. The author wrote everything in this article based on their personal experiences and opinions.

All photos courtesy of the Seymour Family with the exception of bull moose, above right, courtesy of Dwayne Ridler.

Participate in our Elder Connections series

This is an opportunity for youth to connect with Elders in their family by interviewing their family members and learning from them. We are providing the platform of this article series to demonstrate knowledge transmission from one generation to another.

Are you interested in writing an article for this series?

We are looking for Kitselas youth under 25 who would like to interview their elders and write about that experience in their own words. We will provide the cost of a one-time meal to facilitate the interview. We are looking for writing with a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1200 words for the article.

Suggested questions for your elders:

• How have you experienced material/processing change in harvesting traditional foods in your family?

• How have you experienced seasonal changes in the timing of harvesting?

• How have our cultural ways experienced change for the better/worse?

• What hopes do you have for your family or for Kitselas?

• Development on reserves: What amenities do you hope for on reserve?

• Knowledge transmission: What is the best way for younger generations to learn about Kitselsas Land Connections?

We recommend providing a sheet with these questions to each elder after the interview. If they forget to mention something and want to include it, they can write down their thoughts later.

Please contact Cedar Welsh, LR.Manager@kitselas.com, if you would like to participate!

The next issue of the magazine will be published in the winter.

Photos From the Community Michael Benson

All photos were taken on Kitselas Traditional Territory.

Thank you!

JUNE 14 2023 – HARVEST KICK-OFF

KLRD would like to extend our gratitude to the elders, community leaders, and Kitselas members who attended the Harvest Kick-off event. Your presence and participation greatly enriched the occasion and contributed to its success!

Kitselas Traditional Territory

Kitselas is a Tsimshian (Ts’mysen) Nation whose Traditional Territory stretches from the Pacific Ocean on the north coast, about 200 km inland, to the lower Skeena River Valley. Kitselas culture and history is deeply rooted in the land, as demonstrated by numerous archeological sites and the traditional land and resource management practices of the Gitselasu (People of the Canyon).