ABOUT

What is known to the Wet’suwet’en as Widzin Kwah is the river called Morice, and means river of clear, blue-green waters. Widzin Kwah includes its starting place where the river flows from its headwaters at Morice Lake (Widzin Bin), to where it meets and joins the Upper Bulkley River (Neexdzii Kwah) and continues as Widzin Kwah until its confluence with the Skeena River. Widzin Kwah and its watershed are central to Wet’suwet’en culture and ways of being, and highly valued by surrounding communities. In Wet’suwet’en, kwah means river, bin means lake and t’oh means water. Using Wet’suwet’en place names is a way to acknowledge the deep connection Wet’suwet’en carry to their clan territories, built over thousands of years, and predating colonization when English place names were created.

Since 2014, BC and Wet’suwet’en have collaborated through the Environmental Stewardship Initiative’s Skeena Sustainability Assessment Forum (SSAF), a partnership between BC and First Nations to produce high-quality, accessible, and trusted environmental information. SSAF state of value reports have identified cumulative impacts to watershed health in the Widzin Kwah area.

On May 14, 2020, Wet’suwet’en, BC and Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that recognized Wet’suwet’en aboriginal title and rights exist throughout the Yintah (territory) and are held by the Wet’suwet’en houses under Wet’suwet’en’s system of governance. The MOU also established a distinct process for the affirmation and implementation of Wet’suwet’en aboriginal title, rights, and jurisdiction. Water/t’oh was identified as a priority area for implementation.

The Widzin Kwah Water Sustainability Project (WWSP) is a watershed planning process drawing on SSAF-generated data, funded through the modernized land use planning program, and delivering on the water priority of the MOU. WWSP is a joint initiative led by the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and Province of BC, as two governments working together with the goal to develop and recommend for approval new objectives and management direction for the Widzin Kwah, for the purpose of maintaining and improving watershed health (condition) and integrity (function).

The Widzin Kwah Project area includes what is known as the Morice River and upper section of the Bulkley River (Neexdzii Kwah), as well as a small portion of the lower or mainstem Bulkley River. The western boundary is delineated by the headwaters of the Widzin Kwah (Widzin Bin/Morice Lake) which flows northeast and joins with the Bulkley River near the District of Houston. The southern boundary of the project area separates the Morice and Bulkley River systems from the Stuart-Nechako watershed.

Click here to see map.

The Project Team is comprised of representatives from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and the Province of BC. The project team will lead engagement, technical assessments, and implementation of project deliverables. Within the project team, a Technical Working Group reports to a Core Working Group, which then reports to respective Executive Directors at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. Members of the project team are based in Smithers and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.

A Terms of Reference has been signed and a Project Charter has been developed to guide the project work. The project team began with a review of existing legal orders in the Morice Land and Resource Management Plan area. The team then developed a conceptual model built out of workshops with Wet’suwet’en knowledge keepers and BC and Wet’suwet’en government staff that identifies shared priority watershed values within the Widzin Kwah. The team has also developed an engagement plan that describes the goals, principles, and approaches that will underpin public outreach on WWSP.

• Healthy aquatic ecosystems and habitat

• T'oh – water is sacred

• Traditional and cultural relationship with water and water-related species

• Abundant and safe drinking water

• Health, medicine, and food security

• Climate change resilience

• Agriculture and livestock

• Tourism and recreation

• Industrial/commercial use

The project team has committed to robust engagement throughout the project, building on the MOU Community Engagement Strategy (CES). Community engagement will aid in informing the project team’s understanding of values, uses, concerns, issues, and potential solutions within the Widzin Kwah. It will involve providing information to, as well as receiving input from, those who have interests in the watershed. Engagement will occur throughout the project process, using a variety of methods intended to reach diverse audiences. Engagement phases will be structured around three project milestones: (1) Watershed Values, (2) Watershed Objectives, and (3) a Water Sustainability Plan.

The current funding for the project comes from the BC Modernized Land Use Planning (mLUP) Program.

The mLUP program represents a commitment to collaborating with Indigenous governments in natural resource management, informed by the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People’s Act. BC’s Declaration Act and it’s associated Action Plan provide guidance on how the Province will implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

As a project funded through this program, the WWSP is committed to working in collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and stakeholders in the pursuit of our goals to improve watershed health and integrity in the Widzin Kwah.

For more information on BC’s mLUP Program, visit:

landuseplanning.gov.bc.ca

We are honoured that Wet’suwet’en artist and carver Tse’kot (Ron Austin) offered his talents, his life story and his storytelling skills in the creation of the logo for the Widzin Kwah Water Sustainability Project.

The Office of the Wet’suwet’en retains all copyright and ownership rights to this Logo, which cannot be utilized without written permission. © 2023 The Office of the Wet’suwet’en. - Mike Ridsdale