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Salish Sea Institute News
Climate Change in the Salish Sea Bioregion: Webinar
The Salish Sea Institute was thrilled to be able to host a webinar on Climate Change in the Salish Sea Bioregion: Observed and Projected Trends in Temperature and Precipitation featuring Dr. Aquila Flower. The webinar took place on December 11th at WWU's Bellingham Campus AW room 204 and virtually. Learn how anthropogenic climate change has altered temperature and precipitation patterns in the Salish Sea bioregion and what global climate models have projected for our region over the next 75 years. Check it out here!
Islands in the Salish Sea: A digitized Atlas
The Salish Sea Institute is excited to support the release of the digitized Island Map Explorer version of "Islands in the Salish Sea: A Community Atlas". A culmination of the efforts of artists throughout the Gulf Islands of British Columbia and digitized by Bert Webber, Sheila Harrington and Olivia Hobson. On the explorer site you can find information about 19 of the northern Salish Sea islands and virtually explore them as they were at the beginning of the century. View artistic maps of the islands made by local artists, residents, and Indigenous communities. The Salish Sea Institute has chosen to showcase a few of the islands to pique your interest and feature a beautiful artistic representation of the Salish Sea and some of the man made issues that reside therein.
Reconstructing Ancestral səl̓ilwətaɬ Diets
SSI held a webinar in October entitled: "Reconstructing Ancestral səl̓ilwətaɬ Diets-Archaeology and Ecology for Indigenous Food Sovereignty" by Dr. Meghan Efford. This talk discussed a unique collaborative, transdisciplinary research project under the leadership of səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). This research integrates archeology, ecology, historical and archival records, and səl̓ilwətaɬ traditional ecological and cultural knowledge to reconstruct a best estimate of the precontact diet of səl̓ilwətaɬ communities.
Emerging Issues in the Salish Sea: Issue 6
The Salish Sea Institute has just released their 6th volume of their Emerging Issues in the Salish Sea Series: Mega-Projects, Cumulative Impacts, & Indigenous Nationhood on the Multinational Salish Sea which looks at the approved Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project and it's legal challenges over environmental and Indigenous consultation issues.
The Salish Sea
The Salish Sea bioregion is an estuarine inland sea surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges and rich in biodiversity. Freshwater lakes and glaciers filter through temperate rainforest into rivers that meet the saltwater and tides from the Pacific Ocean, filling the Puget Sound, Georgia Basin, and Strait of Juan de Fuca. The name "Salish Sea" reflects the long history of Straits and Coast Salish peoples, who have developed deep and abiding relationships with the lands and waters of this region since time immemorial.
Over the past two centuries, the Canada-United States border and each nation's governance structures have cut across this waterscape and intersected with Indigenous nations' laws and governance systems in myriad ways. Millions of people from around the world have moved to the region's cities and rural areas. Settler colonial systems and industrial-scale population growth in the region, combined with extractive resource economies and global climate change, create challenges for the future of this region and all who live here.
The Institute
The Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University is dedicated to the study and conservation of the Salish Sea ecosystem. We collaborate with regional universities, government agencies, Indigenous communities, and non-profit organizations to conduct scientific research, develop sustainable management strategies, and educate the public about the environmental, social, and economic importance of the Salish Sea.
The Extraordinary Salish Sea
"The Extraordinary Salish Sea" by our own Salish Sea Fellows, Bob Turner! The film explores the Salish Sea highlighting its unique geography, diverse climates, and rich biodiversity. The film emphasizes the ecological importance of the Salish Sea and the need for conservation amidst growing human impact from urbanization and industry.
‘Orca-tober’ webinar
On October 23 the Salish Sea Institute hosted a webinar on helping killer whales of the Salish Sea featuring Dr. Deborah Giles, Monika Weiland Shields and Misty MacDuffee.
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Webinar
The Salish Sea Institute hosted a webinar on the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project on October 10 featuring Ginny Broadhurst, Natalie Baloy and Derek Moscato.
The Return of Humpback Whales to the Salish Sea
In this video by Bob Turner (also a Salish Sea Institute Fellow) learn more about why humpback whales are returning to the Salish Sea in larger numbers and what this means for the health of the Salish Sea.
