Towards the end of August, Sockeye salmon begin their return from the ocean to the Birkenhead River. The Lil'wat Nation Fisheries program is a large-scale salmon stock assessment program that involves counting the returning salmon - the unique Birkenhead River Spring salmon, the sockeye, and the Coho. Here, Fisheries and Environmental Manager, Lhpatq (Maxine Joseph-Bruce) … Continue reading Lil’wat prepare for Sockeye salmon count

This story ran recently in the Walrus and offers a powerful reframe for those of us who were taught that European settlers saved First Nations people from starvation, or that they were unsophisticated and lacking in technology. You can also listen to it on Soundcloud: The Walrus · The Hungry People     The gloves … Continue reading Longreads: The Hungry People by Robert Jago

Keep the skin on! (Best option if your spuds are home-grown or Pemby-sourced from an organic or biodynamic farm. Head to the Farmers Market on Friday to stock up.) Start boiling them, whole, in cold water, and simmer slowly. For oven-roasting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, cut raw potatoes into halves or wedges. Toss … Continue reading How to cook potatoes: advice from the Queen of Potatoes, Anna Helmer

Mrs. Cameron’s Gr. 1-2 class at Signal Hill Elementary School called up the museum in early May as they wanted to donate a time capsule full of their thoughts and feelings about the pandemic. The donation came in a hand painted box that pictured a silhouette of a rock climber and the hand painted words … Continue reading Reflections on a pandemic become Museum artefacts: Ms Cameron’s grade 1/2 class donate time capsule

Archaeologist and Anthropologist Bill Angelbeck was scheduled to present his carbon-dating results, gathered from Signal Hill last year, at the annual Lil'wat Nation Land and Resources Department community supper. Given that is not possible at this time, Bill's update has been shared in the July Land and Resources Department newsletter, and we're happy to share … Continue reading Archaelogical Investigations at Spel’kumtn (Signal Hill) – a report by Bill Angelbeck

This story in the CBC last month was heartwarming and felt worth sharing, as I'm thinking about the Mayor's Task Force, and 'what we can do to cultivate resilience and recovery'. If there's an elder in your life, please, ask them what helped them get through tough times in their lives. And share with us. … Continue reading Barter, garden, look out for one another: beautiful advice on how to weather tough times from a couple of 90-year-olds

Today's headline, on ABC news:  Clorox says disinfectant wipes shortage may last until 2021 The factors? The pandemic, the upcoming cold and flu season, and increased demand in health care facilities. Additionally, many companies make wipes using polyester spunlace, a key ingredient needed to make Personal Protective Equipment. Add to this, the fact that many … Continue reading How to make your own disinfectant wipes

Deeply inspired by an extremely lovely thread on the Pemberton Food and Farm facebook page,  it felt timely to share weekly tips on how to preserve fresh produce that's in season right now, to build your personal food security going into the winter. You can do this whether or not you have a garden... if … Continue reading Pantry talk: flash freezing fruit

The Pemberton Museum will remain closed for the remainder of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Individuals can still visit by appointment for research or reproductions or to donate an item to the museum. Exhibits in the historic houses were not set up this year and the exhibits will remain closed to the public for … Continue reading Making history comes alive starts with preserving it: Museum invites your membership, to support work during COVID19 closures