Table of contents: Head Start Update Stewardship Update Fisheries Update Lands Update
HEAD START UPDATE
- Hope Johnson, "Champion Mom"
Krista and I (Hope) have been busy researching products, program ideas, playgrounds, and policies for the aboriginal Head Start program while the building is still being constructed. In the meantime we are going to start running the program in "Outreach" Mode. We look forward to talking to the families and connecting everyone virtually during these trying times with the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Wuikala Book - A Wuikala first words book for infants and toddlers will be available at the end of April as a PDF for printing and lamination or you can get a hold of us for a copy via the mail. A printed edition may be available once we find an affordable small print publisher. In addition it will be available to read on the Wuikinuxv website as well. - Logo Contest - The contest ends March 31st with judging happening on April 1st with judges from each house . Please check in for the winners post at 4pm on April 1st on the Wuikinuxv website.
- Family Survey -
There is also a short 2 minute survey available on the website for the families on and off reserve to give input towards the Head Start program and what they would like to see going forward.
What is Head Start?
The Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve Program (AHSOR) is a program funded by First Nations Health Authority to enhance early childhood development, school readiness and overall family health and wellness for First Nations preschool children (birth to six years old) on reserve.
It is a holistic, community-based early intervention program that supports locally-controlled and designed early intervention strategies that provide First Nations children with opportunities to develop a positive sense of themselves, and a desire for learning and successes to build upon.
All Head Start programs include six key components:
Culture and Language
Education
Health Promotion
Nutrition
Parent and Family Involvement
Social Support
STEWARDSHIP UPDATE
Message from the Stewardship Director,
- Andra Forney
Longer days are returning to the Inlet. Warm sunshine is waking up the land and waters around us. Soon the alder will be flowering and it will be time to go harvest seaweed. In a few weeks the bears will be emerging from hibernation. Spring time is also a busy time for the Stewardship office. We are wrapping up projects and reports from our work over the past year, while also busily preparing for a new year of work.
Like the plants and animals, this spring our Stewardship Office will be growing. We are currently looking to hire a Climate Action Coordinator and a Guardian Watchman to join our team. (if you are interested read on for the job advertisements) On April 6th the Guardians will be starting back at work and getting out on the water. This month our Fisheries Technicians will continue to monitor for the return of the eulachon to the Wanukv. The longer days and sunshine are beckoning us all to get outside. Seaweed Harvesting
What is your favorite outdoor activity to do in the spring time?
FISHERIES UPDATE
- Jason Slade, "Fisheries Manager"
- Eulachon Monitoring Project -
Community members may have noticed the loud crash of the anchor dropping off the bow of the jet boat as Chris, Will and Jonathan conduct the annual Eulachon Monitoring project in the territory. A plankton net is deployed in the Wanukv at 4 different locations each day for the two-month study, and the resulting samples are examined with a microscope for eulachon eggs and larvae. Eulachon sampling nets are deployed in the river to detect the presence of adult Eulachons, and observations are recorded of eulachon predators like eagles, seals, sea lions, and seagulls.
When weather permits, the Kilbala/Chuckwalla systems are also checked for presence of eulachons. No significant eulachon run has been detected in the territory as of March 30. There is still another month of potential for an eulachon run to show up according to the run timing knowledge we have available for the territory.
Our Northern neighbors the Nuxalk have observed eulachon presence in the Bella Coola river over the last couple of weeks. Musgamagw Dzawada'enuxv fishers at Kingcome Inlet to the south have not yet observed any significant eulachon presence. Traditionally the eulachons show themselves starting on the Northern coast and work their way south.
zàcxvən - eulachon
LANDS UPDATE
- Calen May-Tobin, "Lands Manager"
- Electric Fence -
After years of planning, the landfill will soon, once again, have a working electric fence. A team of contractors, conservation officers, and a bear biologist are in the community this week getting the fence up and running. In addition to being repaired and reinforced, the fence will be getting other upgrades to ensure it can keep nosey bears and wolves out of the landfill.
The project was timed so that as bears wake up from hibernation they will not have access to the landfill and will go looking elsewhere for food. While this should eventually lead to fewer bears being dependent on human sources of food, there may be a short term increase in the number of bears that come into our community searching for food. In the next few weeks residents should be aware of bears entering the village and make an extra effort to reduce any potential attractants.
While the landfill fence should go a long way in breaking bears of their dependency on human food sources and reducing human/bear conflict, it is only the first step. In order to lower the number of bears coming into the community in search of food, efforts must be made to control the attractants that are drawing them in. The four major attractants are: food waste; pet food; feeding wildlife; and fish processing waste.
Here are just a few easy steps every community member can take to help reduce the attractants:
Food waste
Keep all food and other scents out of trash
Separate food from other trash
Thoroughly wash all food packing before placing into trash or recycle Composting
Place all vegetable food scraps in a composting bin
Use meat leftovers to feed dogs (see pet food)
Storing trash and compost inside until pickup
Pets
When possible, feed non-compostable food leftovers to pets
Non-pet owners can connect with a pet owner to see if they are able to collect leftovers
Do not feed pets outside
When feeding pets use a dish so that food smells don’t get into floorboards
Wild Animals
Refrain from leaving food out for wild animals, including birds
If someone is concerned about the health and well-being of wild animals, they should contact the Stewardship Department (lands_manager@wuikinuxv.net) to ask about opportunities to get involved in conservation projects.
Fish Waste
Thoroughly clean any areas where fish processing happened
Do not process fish directly on ground or porches so smells do not have an opportunity to soak in.
Do not throw fish waste in trash or compost
Dispose of fish waste by dropping it into the river or the water at RIC
Stewardship will be reinstating “gut runs”
When someone is cleaning fish, they can call Stewardship to come pick up any fish waste and drop them in the water at RIC
Together with these simple steps we can help protect the local bear population and ensure the safety of the community.
I.T. UPDATE
- Ray Jacobs, "I.T. Admin"
- Phone System -
The phone system was recently updated. Due to this update the phone extensions have changed. The updated extensions are as follows:
COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE
- Jonathan Nolan, Communication Specialist
Firstly I would like to introduce myself, my name is Jonathan and I have been hired as the Communications Specialist for Wuikinuxv. This means you will be hearing from me a lot as I make posts to the Facebook pages, attend meetings, and manage the website.
- Website -
I have been working this past month building an all new website for the Nation. It will be launching along with the release of this newsletter. While the website isn't in a completely finished state, it has come far enough to be released to the public. The mobile version of the website will also be completed at a later date.
Some features of the website include:
News posts that you can comment directly on or share on social media
Forums for people to communicate on
Making posts, sharing images/videos, commenting on posts
Frequent updated news, which will be shared on official Wuikinuxv social media channels
Resources for both community members and employees
and more!
The website will see further updates as time goes on and I respond to user feedback to ensure the most useful and easy to use website.
- Newsletters -
Every month will have a Newsletter posted on the last day that encompasses the important events for that month.
What's your preferred communication method?
Please refer to the survey linked here or email me directly at commsupport@wuikinuxv.net
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE UPDATE
- Pamela Johnson, EoC Director
To: Wuikinuxv Nation Residents
A message from the BC Government
To address rising COVID-19 case counts, protect people and
communities and help break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, the
provincial health officer is amending the provincial public health orders
effective midnight tonight, March 30, 2021.
“COVID-19 continues to create challenges for people and businesses throughout B.C., and we are grateful for the sacrifices people continue to make to keep one another safe,”
said Premier John Horgan.
“We know that the idea of more restrictions is not welcome news, but we are asking people to rise to the challenge with the confidence that vaccines mean better days are ahead. We are not out of the woods yet, but the provincial health officer’s orders, combined with our vaccines, give us the tools we need to move out of this pandemic together.”
New and amended orders and guidelines are in effect through April 19,
2021, and include:
For restaurants, bars and pubs, all food and liquor-serving premises must only provide take-out or delivery service. Dine-in service is prohibited, except for outdoor patios. People dining on patios should do so with their immediate household or core bubble.
Indoor, adult group fitness activities of any kind are also paused. Gyms and fitness centres are restricted to individual or one-on-one activities only i.e. one-on-one personal training.
The previously announced class variance for limited indoor worship services has been suspended. Outdoor worship services under the current variance may continue.
Travel continues to be limited to essential travel, work or medical reasons only. For those who have traveled outside their health region, if you or anyone in your family develops any signs of illness, you must stay home from work, school or daycare, and arrange to get tested immediately.
Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort is closed through to April 19, 2021, to address and prevent community spread related to non-essential travel.
All workers are strongly encouraged to work from home, where possible.
Public health guidance for schools has also been amended to support and encourage students down to Grade 4 to wear masks while at school.
“Rising case levels, variants of concern, increased transmission and an increase in more severe cases are huge concerns,” -- “B.C. public health officials are making the tough choices now to break the chain and protect our communities.”
said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, said:
“Social connection is important, and so is keeping our loved ones and ourselves safe. We all have a choice – to stay safe or put our loved ones, our friends and ourselves at risk, which is why non-essential activities need to be limited and need to be outside with the same small number of people. The sacrifices we make today will help all of us to get through this storm.”
To learn about amended and existing provincewide restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions
To learn about B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/bcseniorsfirst And: www.gov.bc.ca/covidvaccine
For technical immunization information, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control’s website: www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine
For more information on what to expect when you go to get vaccinated for COVID-19, visit: www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/getting-a-vaccine
ADDITIONAL READING
Percy Walkus Hatchery
Clipping and coded wire tagging has begun on this year’s Chuckwalla and Kilbella babies!
Departments with no updates this month:
Health
Administration
Treaty
Housing
Operations & Maintenance
Finance
Capital
That's it for this months newsletter, we will see you April 30th for the next one! In the meantime, sign up for the website to join the mailing list and get all new posts directly to your email.
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