Salish Sea Trust World Heritage Booklet by Salish Sea Trust

PEOPLE & PLACES OF THE

SALISH SEA INVITING WORLD-CLASS RECOGNITION OF THE SALISH SEA’S HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, AND NATURAL SIGNIFICANCE

WELCOME TO THE SALISH SEA T

he Salish Sea offers cultural, natural and historical significance, alongside unparralleled beauty. As Canada prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday, the people of the world are looking to recognize its heritage. We are working to protect places of outstanding universal value, such as the Salish Sea, that our children's children will inherit. The Salish Sea basin includes some eight million of us along the shores of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia. As this region develops, we're going to find ourselves in the midst of many competing interests, with a growing population to accommodate.

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

he Salish Sea is home to some 3000 species, many unique to the area. The culture, traditions, and hard-won wisdom of the First People of the Salish Sea honour the area. Our ancestors hopes and dreams for the future are now ours to share, enjoy, and be proud of. This, then, is a legacy moment for the Salish Sea, and for all of us who live by the shores of this biodiverse and worldclass inner ocean. Right now we have a chance to protect it as a World Heritage Site, to set development plans in place so our west coast inheritance becomes the model for 21st century marine and ocean initiatives everywhere. We would like you to join with us in partnership as we reply to our Prime Minister's invitation by submitting a Salish Sea World Heritage Site application for 2017.

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

INTRODUCTION TO THE SALISH SEA WORLD HERITAGE SITE CAMPAIGN © Cheryl Alexander, WildAwake Images

orld Heritage Sites protect the best that our world has to offer, while providing a foundation for long-term growth and prosperity, within a sustainable framework. This is the moment for the Salish Sea, one of the world’s largest coastal seas—

encompassing Puget Sound, the Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Georgia Strait. The name honours the Coast Salish. To be successful, a World Heritage Site application must illustrate the 'outstanding universal values' of the Salish Sea. This area easily exceeds the

criteria to be seriously considered. This designation offers a chance to protect the places we enjoy and love, and the values we hold dear. Offering a balanced approach, a World Heritage Site designation affirms and respects First Nation interests, supports a healthy

environment and marine protection measures, and serves to recognize and to honour all the Salish Sea embodies. Applying World Heritage Site standards to the Salish Sea will provide a significant and lasting foundation for growth and prosperity, while ensuring

a high quality of life and the enduring inheritance we wish to hand on to our children, and generations to come. And so, we are proceeding with all due haste to develop a World Heritage Site application for the Salish Sea, in partnership with all interests.

INSIDE Welcome to the Salish Sea Why the Salish Sea? Quotations regarding this endeavour People and Cultures of the Salish Sea Other World Heritage Sites Q&A The Next Steps Our Website Innovations What you can do A few more photos of the area

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

Publication of

The Salish Sea Trust Laurie Gourlay, Interim Director Box 333, Cedar, BC, V9X 1W1 250.722.3444, salishseatrust@shaw.ca facebook.com/salishseatrust/ twitter.com/SalishSeaTrust www.salishseatrust.ca photography by:

Sea Legacy

www.sealegacy.org

& ©Cheryl Alexander Wild Awake Images cheralexander@gmail.com www.wildawake.com sponsored in part by:

Coast Internet

Gwen Donley-Dickieson 28 Highvale Cres Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5J8 780-863-2337 edited & designed by

Shaleeta Harper

The Salish Sea People & Places booklet was produced for public distribution, and non-commercial use is welcome. We encourage you to forward to friends and others who share interest in the Salish Sea. If you quote or reproduce sections please include a citation. Sale of this booklet is not permitted without explicit pemission from the Salish Sea Trust The photographs within this booklet reflect our ocean's marine and watershed life, and are representative of the west coast's biodiversity and habitat, but are not necessarily the Salish Sea itself. We will have photographs of the Salish Sea in our second edition, which will be available in 2017. We invite all readers to contribute photographs and stories to this endeavour, about the People & Places of the Salish Sea!

...A CHANCE FOR FAME, FORTUNE, & A PROUD LEGACY! “The designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is reserved for humanity’s most outstanding achievements and natures most inspiring creations. This is an opportunity for all Canadians to think about the natural, historic and cultural wonders in their communities. As we prepare to come together as a nation to celebrate our 150th birthday in 2017, I invite Canadians and communities from across the country to nominate their unique and exceptional places for consideration as future World Heritage Sites, so we can share more of our treasures with the world.”

QUOTATIONS "Canadians expect that we'll grow the economy, and protect the environment." Prime Minister Trudeau in Parliament, September 28/16 © Cristina Mittermeier

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Press Release: 'Government of Canada Seeking Nominations for New World Heritage Sites,' August 8/16

“Canada has unparalleled ocean and freshwater resources, and protecting our waters is critical to the lives and livelihoods of all Canadians. Our government is committed to preserving and expanding marine protected areas... ...In doing so, we will recognize the role of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and in the traditional use of these special places. Through collaboration, and using science and Indigenous traditional knowledge as our guide, we will achieve our government’s ambitious targets for protecting marine and coastal areas.” The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada; 'Government of Canada Celebrates Oceans Day and Announces Plan for Marine Conservation Targets' June 8/16

"When we protect our rivers, oceans, atmospheres and forests, we are telling our children that our future prosperity cannot be disconnected from the health of the natural world." Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, in the great bear rainforest, September 26/16

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

“A healthy Puget Sound provides key economic, cultural and ecological benefits, and serves as the cornerstone of the region's high quality of life. Building on decades of conservation efforts from federal, state, local and tribal agencies, today's actions will strengthen federal efforts to bolster conservation, restoration, and enhance tribal treaty rights within the Puget Sound at a critical juncture in the ecosystem's recovery.” Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director of President Obama’s White House Council on Environmental Quality, October 18/16

“The more people who get involved with the new management plan, the better the protection for our incredible World Heritage Site.”

Adam Wilkinson, director Edinburgh World Heritage

"I am committed to protecting Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marine and coastal areas from 1.3 percent to 5 percent by 2017, and ten percent by 2020." Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, June 2015

"New protected areas along the BC coast will be identified as part of national plan funded by an $81 million, five-year injection in the 2016 budget ...We want the world to see we are putting together an approach that will maintain the beauty, the ecosystems, while at the same time allowing us to continue to develop our economy.â&#x20AC;? Minister Marc Garneau, September 4/16

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

WEST COAST & WORLD HERITAGE SITES S

Gang Gwaay, the World Heritage Site (WHS) in Haida Gwaii along BC's north Coast, offers a west coast example of what is possible when First Nations and governments cooperate to protect a cultural site of outstanding universal value. Some $680,000 was provided this summer for infrastructure and improvements, benefitting the local economy and Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve. The Salish Sea, and the proposed southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area would benefit from a similar designation, which offers a chance for local residents and communities to be involved in the process of identifying places of importance, as well as the measures needed to protect such historical, cultural and natural significance. Along with the prominent cultural importance of the Salish Sea we will be highlighting many aspects of the ocean environment which attract both residents and visitors from around the ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

world. The work of the World Heritage Marine Programme provides essential support, based on scientific data and analysis, to the World Heritage Committee and national governments, so they can monitor and evaluate the state of conservation in World Heritage marine sites. As the Salish Sea application for World Heritage Site designation is prepared, it will be aided by reviewing other mixed cultural and natural WHS sites, including: • Pa p a h ā n a u m o k u ā k e a , Hawaii; • The Great Barrier Reef; • Gwaii Haanas; • Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska's Inside Passage; • the West Norwegian Fjords of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord; • Banc d'Arguin National Park (Mauritania); • Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines); • Tikal National Park (Guatemala); • Ibiza, Spain's centre of Biodiversity and Culture. © Cristina Mittermeier

"The Government of Canada is inviting communities from coast to coast to coast to nominate our country’s most exceptional places to Canada’s Tentative List for World Heritage Sites as a way to celebrate Canada’s heritage. Canada’s new nominees as UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be announced in 2017 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation." 'Government of Canada Seeking Nominations for New World Heritage Sites' Press Release, August 8/16

WHY THE SALISH SEA SHOULD BE A WORLD HERITAGE SITE Â© Cristina Mittermeier

here’s a lot of beauty invested in this world. And, here and now, we have a chance to protect a small piece of it, the Salish Sea, simply by recognizing it as a World Heritage Site. The Salish Sea's culture, people, and marine life more than meet the criteria. A short stroll along the shores of the Salish Sea illustrates the significant natural, historical and cultural heritage. There are 5000 years of Coast Salish tradition and knowledge to reflect on, and 3000 unique species to study, many found nowhere else in the world. There is enough here for anyone to spend a lifetime exploring. The Salish Sea is one of the world’s largest coastal seas— encompassing Puget Sound, the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Georgia Strait. The name honours the Coast Salish. The time is right for bold steps on marine protection. President Obama declared the largest marine reserve in the world in Hawaii this past August, and initiatives for restoration and habitat protection are expected as a result of the Paris Convention on climate, held last December. Canada's express wish for reconciliation and healing with First Nations, alongside the federal government's upcoming Ocean Act revisions, new fishery regulations, and promises of a Pacific Strategy suggest that the west coast's interests, and the Salsih Sea's goals could be most readily achieved. Besides protection and restoration of our historical, cultural, and natural attributes, World Heritage recognition also serves as an economic driver and drawing card. The Salish Sea’s eco-tourism and tourism sectors substantially contribute to jobs and business in the region. Nature tourism in the Puget Sound region is estimated at $3 billion alone, with annual revenues of between $17 and $24 million noted from whale watching. By welcoming the Prime Minister's invitation we now have an exceptional opportunity to protect these economic, social and ecological assets of the Salish Sea by way of

seeking a World Heritage Site designation. A WHS application also supports recommendations by all levels of government for marine management plans, as well as addressing polls which show 95% of BC residents want increased protection of coastal areas. As a contribution by BC, the recognition of the Salish Sea as a World Heritage Site would substantially contribute to Canada's national goal of protecting 5% and 10% of Canada' s coastal marine environments by 2017 and 2020 respectively. The UNESCO declaration also reflects the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples which was recently signed by the Government of Canada, supporting First Nation rights and consultation. In doing so the process of applying for a World Heritage Site designation provides a means by which cultural protections, places and measures, rights and titles, and First Nation interests might be identified and addressed. The fact that it takes 1-2 years to complete the initial assessment for a World Heritage Site Interim designation to be achieved offers opportunity for all stakeholders to come to an agreement about the fine details, the full review process to be completed over some 6-10 years. Considerations and attention to climate change challenges and mitigation efforts are new provisions which World Heritage Sites are now incorporatingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly important to all of us living alongside the shores of the Salish Sea. And, as such designation lets the world know that here is a significant place of historical, cultural and natural heritage ...so does it serve to attract visitors and international attention so that such standards and benefits are maintained. So that the Salish Sea's 'outstanding universal values' are protected for all, forever. Seeking a World Heritage Site designation for the Salish Sea is our chance to work in partnership for the greater good, across borders, with all interests and a 2017 reconciliation legacy in mind.

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

INTRODUCING WEST COAST WORLD HERITAGE

Q&A Â© Cristina Mittermeier

Q) Where can I go to get a better understanding of Canada's work with UNESCO in identifying and designating World Heritage Sites? A) Visit the government's website for Frequently Asked Questions regarding World Heritage in Canada pc.gc.ca/eng/progs/spmwhs/sec05.aspx. Here's a sample: World Heritage sites are exceptional places around the world that are considered to have Outstanding Universal Value — these sites are as diverse as the Pyramids of Egypt and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Parks Canada is the Government of Canada’s representative for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Only two nominations per year can be submitted by each country for consideration by the World Heritage Committee. Canada’s nomination list, called the Tentative List for World Heritage Sites, was last updated in 2004. July 23, 2016 marked the 40th anniversary of Canada’s ratification of the World Heritage Convention. © Cheryl Alexander, WildAwake Images

Q) Are you consulting with any non-government organizations about the benefits of World Heritage Sites, and the Salish Sea's 'outstanding universal values'? A) The Salish Sea Trust is mandated to reach out to all sectors and interests in its goal to help restore and rejuvenate the historical, cultural and natural features and significance of the Salish Sea. This includes exchanges with business, civil society and First Nations in the United States and in Canada. As more organizations and contacts are identified the Trust attempts to seek their advice and partnership, whether locally or otherwise. One example of such new contact is the overture recently made with ICOMOS Canada, who's goal is to look at 'broad societal issues that are key to thinking about the development of best practices for the conservation of cultural heritage.' canada. icomos.org/icomos-canadanew-thematic-priorities/ ÂŠ Cheryl Alexander, WildAwake Images

Q) What has Canada done to share our outstanding cultural and natural heritages with the world? A) 18 World Heritage Sites have been designated in Canada. See them at: pc.gc.ca/eng/progs/spm-whs/sec02.aspx

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

THE SALISH SEA’S PLACES & PEOPLE: HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, & NATURAL "We commend our governing neighbours in the success of bringing our water bodies together under one name, the Salish Sea. In 2010, we had an official naming ceremony in the Songees Long House to ratify the naming of the sea. We believe the new name is a symbol of the international message to the World. It demonstrates the importance for all governing bodies of recognizing the connectivity of the ecosystems and the awareness that pollution doesn’t recognize political boundaries. The naming of the Salish Sea is a positive move toward future collaboration of policy and science to address issues in an ecosystem that is so vital to the sustainability of all of our life ways." Coast Salish Gathering, Hosted by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Coast Salish Gathering Steering Committee, May 26–28/15

s 2017 begins we expect an increased interest in Canada and our west coast heritage ...and in the legacy we will leave our children and the future. Europeans first started arriving here some 500 years ago, to be greeted by a culture with roots extending back to the last ice age—some 12,000 years ago. By all measures 2017 is an exemplary heritage moment for the country of Canada—a time to re-visit our historical, cultural and natural values and a moment to consider others who share the Salish Sea. And, we’re lucky. Not just because of the rich history and long-standing relationships that have evolved across the borders but because friendships know no borders. The US, Canada and First Nations share the waters of the Salish Sea, and a special bond that continues to evolve. We have a living history if you will, a mix of traditions and a mature respect for how the natural environment makes this a home for all of us, a place we want to protect at least until the next ice age comes along! It is interesting that such significant and outstanding values which we share exemplify the goals and qualifications that World Heritage Sites were first established for. With the highest aspirations of humankind embodied in the ambitions for World Heritage Sites, and reflected in the waters of the Salish Sea, we believe our three nations have much to look forward to as we work for the betterment of the region we share. Shared goals and vision can bring us all closer together, heal old wounds and reconcile differences. Leadership, respect and a wish to honour the hopes and dreams which our ancestors worked so hard to achieve will see us through the challenges

ahead. Just as a renewed commitment to work with each other can see the waters of the Salish sea rehabilitated and protected within a network of nations and World Heritage Site goals and priorities. Canadians, Americans, First Nations and citizens of the world all have a stake in World Heritage Sites, and we sincerely believe that a balanced approach, and new ways to keep the Salish Sea healthy and sustainable, serves us all. We're looking forward to working with all sectors, interests and communities in the months ahead, before and after the WHS application is submitted in early 2017. Let's those of us who are non-natives listen to our First Nation friends, many of whom this sea is named after and honours, as they define their vision and guiding principles for the future of a Salish Sea World Heritage Site. One endorsed and supported by Canada, the US and UNESCO, First Nations and all of us who live here. Let’s act with our values guiding us, respect our elders and ancestors, and make a strong and unequivocal decision to live in partnership. We will face the future together, and we will have each other’s back, no matter the challenges ahead. And as we walk the shores of this unique inner sea, leap-frogging across the estuarine reaches where salmon packed the river's edges and kelp forests provided habitat and harvesting for millennia, let’s allow our thoughts to wander, to think of all nations together, working as one for the © Cristina Mittermeier

interests of all. And let’s start with the US, Canada and all First Nations of the Salish Sea co-managing the resources, stewarding the health and biodiversity, and protecting the world’s heritage here in our backyard. Now that's a goal that would inspire, that would ‘float all boats’ and embrace our shared inheritance with honour and respect, to the mutual benefit of our generation and all to come. And I am reminded that it is amazing what we can achieve when we try. "Between 60,000 and 20,000 years ago, the most recent of four ice ages during the last 2.6 million years, the Salish Sea bioregion was buried under about a mile of ice relative to current sea level." salishsea.org/brief-history-of-salish-seabioregional-geology-bathymetry/ "First Nations people have lived and flourished on Vancouver Island and the coast for over ten thousand years, since some time after the end of the last Ice Age 12,000 years ago. The rich land and marine resources of the Salish Sea enabled complex societies to develop, in turn enabling intricate aboriginal art that is now internationally acclaimed. ...Some five hundred years ago the first Europeans arrived, the Fraser River being 'discovered' in 1791 by Spaniard Jose Maria Narvaez, a pilot in the Spanish Navy." vancouverisland.com/ general/details.asp?id=22 © Cheryl Alexander, WildAwake Images

"The history of Vancouver Island is an interesting amalgamation of First Nations and European culture..." vancouverisland.com/general/details. asp?id=24 "...the intricate, reciprocal connections of its indigenous inhabitants with local biota were disrupted, along with traditional ways of life, following contact with Europeans in the late 1700s. Successive waves of cultural drivers have since altered the local marine ecosystem and adjacent human communities, with developments in technology, demography, sociopolitical organization, law, and governance. Periods of relative stability in the European-dominated era of the Salish Sea may be defined by: canneries (late 1800s); steam-powered vessels (1920s); end of the whaling industry (1950s); herring collapse (1960s); climate shift (1970s); formalized fishing rights (1980s); salmon collapse and aquaculture (1990s); seal resurgence (2000s); and overfishing, pollution and climate change (2010)." researchgate.net/ publication/267283333_Reconstructing_ the_Salish_Sea_Linking_historical_ ecology_and_future_policy_with_local_ communities

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

hould we successfully submit the application, we expect this region to embark upon an exciting ten-year journey that will see First Nations, organizations, institutions, businesses and governments working with the public for the betterment and establishment of the Salish Sea as a World Heritage Site. This is an exceptional opportunity that rarely offers itself, and by all indications the time is right. Our expectation is that an application to have the Salish Sea considered for designation as a World Heritage Site will be reviewed by Parks Canada in December, with the final submission completed to UNESCO for January's deadline. We have registered the Salilistsh Sea Trust to serve as an umbrella non-profit society that will represent and consult with organizations and institutions with expertise and involvement in the Salish Sea, encouraging First Nation partnership and participation on the board. We have begun to build a website that will provide updates, resource and background information, and our outreach welcomes recommendations and contributions from professionals and the general public alike: salishseatrust.ca We welcome those who may wish to serve as directors or volunteers of the Salish Sea Trust, to represent the diverse interests of organizations and the highest objectives of the public interest. ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

And we are and will continue to reach out far and wide to individuals, elected representatives, Chambers of Commerce and organizations with interest in the Salish Sea. This includes Canadian, US and First Nation contacts in all sectors and reaches of the Salish Sea. Of course we'd be very pleased if our material is forwarded through personal and organizational networks. We also expect to have a Salish Sea listserve and Facebook page up and ready to go, to be co-managed with our First Nation friends. We’re looking to encourage a dialogue around the Salish Sea and its future. The listserve and facebook page offers a means to share information on the Salish Sea, as well as the World Heritage Site campaign, and will be open to one and all—free. We invite you to consider signing on, and encourage your participation. Your personal experience or professional expertise would be welcome as we raise attention and support for this, and all Salish Sea initiatives. We expect the Salish Sea listserve and facebook page to continue after the WHS application is submitted in January 2017. And please note our sincere wish to partner with organizations and individuals who have an interest in furthering the health, biodiversity, culture and sustainability of the Salish Sea. We`re happy to talk, and welcome a discussion with all who value the Salish Sea and the people who share its shores. © Cristina Mittermeier

A ROUNDTABLE WEBSITE & INNOVATION CORRIDOR a hi-tech masterpiece & resource tool that's coming to you ...soon!

e have been in discussion with representatives of the BC government with respect to the Cascadia Innovation Corridor proposed with the State of Washington. We have a substantive new and innovative hi-tech app and website that has domestic and export potential for Marine Protection Areas and other public interest initiatives. We plan to demonstrate the 'Salish Sea Roundtable' website by year’s end in furtherance of the World Heritage Site application. At this time we are building the demo of the Salish Sea Roundtable website using US data from two Washington state sources. We are looking to supplement this with Canadian data pertinent to the biology, ecology and geology of the northern portion of the Salish Sea—integrating cultural, natural and economic resources with governmental, First Nation and non-government projects and activities in and around the Salish Sea. Testing by users will follow, with a demonstration expected in the new year as we acquire Salish Sea data and reports. This ambitious cross-sectoral partnership holds much promise for the way we plan and do business here on the west coast, as well as lending itself to other applications around North America and the world as ocean and marine restoration efforts increase.

This initiative fosters new partnerships and innovative approaches, harnessing technological advances with heritage initiatives, as Canada turns 150. In other words we are working to help build a foundation for cultural and natural heritage protection which will result in jobs and economic returns, renewing meaningful consultation and cooperation across sectors and interests. We see great opportunities opening up as we move forward with the development of the 'Roundtable'. Similarly so as we advance our application to see the Salish Sea considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

WHAT YOU CAN DO

As per the Prime Minister's direction the Salish Sea has a once in a decade opportunity to submit an application to be considered as a World Heritage Site, late January 2017 being the deadline. Your earliest support is very much appreciated, Part of the application includes outreach to all 'property owners', which we read to be all communities of interestâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the people, governments, businesses, communities, First Nations and institutions of the Salish Sea region. We are then requesting letters of support from one and all. If you wish to have the Salish Sea designated as a World Heritage Site please let us know. We will gather letters for presentation to UNESCO and to senior levels of government. ...and BTW, there is a deadline of April 2017 for such letters to be submitted! So, you still have a bit of time to write to us, to sign our petition, and to join in on the discussion we have underway. To gather support we have a number of initiatives underway. You can find more information by visiting our website, or sending us an email.

Here's how you can help: Join our Salish Sea listserve. Talk with others who are furthering efforts to protect the Salish Sea's World Heritage; share information, reports and photos. Visit our Facebook page. Post your remarks, and forward to friends and colleagues. Write a letter to MP's and MLA's of the Salish Sea, as well as provincial and federal Ministers with such responsibilities. And send a copy to us! Sign our Petition. Support the Salish Sea as a World Heritage Site. Feel free to send us your pics and thoughts, along with any articles, reports or scientific papers that help us understand the Salish Sea and all it means to us. Join us on our journey to have the Salish Sea designated a World Heritage Site, and help leave a legacy our children and the world will thank us for!

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

...An application is being prepared to go to UNESCO in January 2017. Perhaps you, or a representative institution that you know, would like to consider supporting this application, by providing a letter or endorsing a...

The

SalishSea

...A Gift to the World

Resolution for a Salish Sea World Heritage Site Inviting world recognition of the Salish Sea’s 'outstanding universal values' ...the heart and soul of the west coast’s historical, cultural and natural heritage.

“WHEREAS the Salish Sea is an ecologically, economically, and culturally rich area which provides critical marine habitat, biodiversity and essential ecosystems that are of as much importance to nature as to the peoples, regions and nations which reside alongside this unique ocean environment; and WHEREAS there is an increasing call by many nations of the world to find ways to meet the challenges of climate change, to restore the oceans of our blue planet, and to work in partnership with First Peoples everywhere; and WHEREAS the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada have invited applications to be submitted for places exemplifying the outstanding universal values embraced by World Heritage Sites; the historical, cultural and natural places of significance that may be found in our country and along our shores; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I/we support an application for the Salish Sea to be considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site; and urge immediate action from all local, provincial and federal governments in furtherance of this regional initiative, and in honour of all who live here.”

______________________________ (signed)

________ (dated)

ÂŠ Cristina Mittermeier

More on WHS process, considerations and requirements can be found on the Parks Canada website, including documents on the process for updating Canada’s Tentative WHS List of Natural and Cultural Heritage. A similar report on Canada’s Indigenous heritage will be available shortly. These reports are particularly appropriate, as the Salish Sea WHS application is a mix of cultural and natural. Advice offered from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is also valuable to the application. ICOMOS is an organization dedicated to the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage places. The Canadian National Committee of ICOMOS is inviting partnerships with organizations that address climate change, cultural landscapes, and/or aboriginal heritage. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website has the particulars on World Heritage.

WELCOME TO THE SALISH SEA WORLD HERITAGE SITE CAMPAIGN