Editor:
On March 12, the Sunshine Coast Conser-vation Association (SCCA) presented the shíshálh Nation with the 2016 John Hind-Smith Environmental Achievement Award. Since the 1970s, the shíshálh people have been quietly – and collaboratively – working behind the scenes to enhance and restore our environment. Their achievements include: building a joint watershed management plan with the SCCA, building a 400-metre salmon spawning channel in Sechelt Creek, stopping logging around the Egmont and South Pender watersheds, playing a role in the creation of the Spipiyus (Caren Range) Park, creating a solid land use plan for the B.C. government, saving Sakinaw Lake salmon from extinction, managing the fish hatchery, building access roads to Tetrahedron and Mt. Richardson, standing up to coal trains, promoting the survival of mountain goats and making commitments to protect the Elphinstone Forest. At the awards ceremony, Mayor Milne said that one of their greatest contributions is the concept that we are one – not separate from or outside of – our environment.
How can we show our support for those whose actions have made the Coast a better place for all of us to live? We might find suggestions on their website (www.shishalh.com) or on Calvin Craigan’s Voices of shíshálh TV show. There are also several Truth and Reconciliation Circle events; the next one is the Blanket Exercise on Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Living Faith Lutheran Church in Davis Bay.
Valerie Ruhe, Sechelt
