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AND MOVE THEM INTO THE TRIBUTARIES
AND ARMS OF THE SARITA.
WE WILL USE THESE LOGS AND BOULDERS TO REBUILD THE BANKS,
RESHAPE THE RIVER AND CREATE POOLS FOR SALMON HABITAT.
AT VARIOUS SITES SPREAD AROUND THE SARITA VALLEY,
OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WORK AT PREPARING THE BOULDERS
AND FALLEN TREES THAT WILL BE BOLTED TO THE RIVER BANKS,
DEBRIS THAT WILL RE-CHANNEL THE WATER TO HOPEFULLY RESTORE
A NATURAL BALANCE TO THE RIVER.
THE SKY CRANE WILL SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY LIFTING TONS
OF THIS MAN-MADE DEBRIS AWAY FROM THESE SITES
AND INTO THE NEARBY CREEKS.
THE COSTS FOR UNDERTAKING SUCH AN OPERATION ARE ENORMOUS
AND SINCE THIS IS CUTTING EDGE,
NOBODY IS SURE EXACTLY WHAT THE RESULTS WILL BE,
OR WHEN WE WILL SEE THEM.
I JUST ESTIMATED,
AND THAT IS NOT EVEN CALCULATING THE AIR CRANE TIME,
AND HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST
TO PUT THE LARGE *** DEBRIS IN THE POOLS
AND BUILD RIFFLES IN CERTAIN AREAS.
I ESTIMATED THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT $5 MILLION
TO RESTORE THAT WATERSHED PROPERLY,
MAYBE IT WON'T TAKE US 20 YEARS;
MAYBE IT WILL TAKE US 15.
I KNOW IDEALLY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT DONE IN 10,
AND IF WE CAN GET THE FUNDING LEVELS UP TO $500,000 A YEAR,
THEN WE COULD ACHIEVE THAT, BUT IT IS SLOW.
OH, THE PROCESS IS JUST AGONIZINGLY SLOW.
AND SO FOR THE LAST SEVERAL SUMMERS,
STEFAN AND HIS CREW HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE WATERSHED.
CLEAR-CUT LOGGING HAS FILLED THESE STREAMBEDS WITH GRAVEL.
BY BUILDING THESE STRUCTURES,
EVEN WIRING THE LOGS ONTO BANKS,
THEY ARE HOPING TO PREVENT FURTHER EROSION
WHILE USING THE WATER FLOW ITSELF TO SCOUR OUT POOLS,
CREATING NEW HABITAT FOR THE SALMON.
THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL POOL;
IT WAS A STUMP-CONTROLLED POOL.
REALLY THE CURRE T UDE TO JUST HIT THAT BIG STUMP
AND CREATE THIS POOL,
BUT THERE WAS NO COVER
SO BY PROVIDING THIS ROOT ***
ALL THE FISH WILL BE ABLE TO HANG OUT IN THERE
AND THERE WILL BE EXTRA SCOWERING HAPPENING DURING WINTER
SO THIS POOL WILL BE EVEN DEEPER.
DUE TO THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES REGULATIONS,
OUR TEAMS ONLY HAVE TWO SHORT MONTHS EACH YEAR
TO COMPLETE THIS IMPORTANT INSTREAM WORK,
ADDING ADDITIONAL PRESSURES TO THIS TIME-CONSUMING PROCESS.
YOU CAN'T GET ANYTHING APPROVED UNLESS YOU GO THROUGH
AND JUMP THROUGH THESE HOOPS THAT ARE SET BY THE GOVERNMENT.
WE ARE WORKING WITH ALL THESE GUIDELINES
AND ALL WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS FIX THE RIVER
AND WE HAVE A VERY SMALL, NARROW OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT,
AND THERE IS DIFFERENT WINDOWS
THAT WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY
TO BE ABLE TO RESTORE THE SARITA RIVER,
WHICH IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY,
THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE
I AM FEELING REALLY GOOD
ATOUT SOME PEOPLE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH,
AND SURPRISINGLY IT HAS BEEN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BEEN
THE MOST SUPPORTIVE AND HAS BEEN THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN
THE FIRST AT THE TABLE
AND PUTTING SOMETHING ON THE TABLE,
BEING THE ONES SUPPORTING OUR RESTORATION INITIATIVE
AND THAT PART HAS BEEN EXCITING
AND WE BASICALLY HAD TO BRING BRITISH COLUMBIA
SCREAMING AND HOLLERING TO OUR PLANNING
AND PARTICIPATING IN THE PLANNING.
CUT BLOCKS ARE FINISHED NOW.
I HAVE PRINTOUTS HERE OF THE VOLUMES
THAT CAME OFF THE CUT BLOCK.
AFTER EACH BLOCK OF HUU-AY-AHT LAND HAS BEEN LOGGED
AND THE WOOD PROCESSED,
ASSESSMENT MEETINGS ARE HELD WITH WEYERHAEUSER
TO DETERMINE THE FINAL RESULTS.
FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH VOLUME IS IN RETENTION PATCHES,
SO OUR ACTUAL NET HARVEST VOLUME
WAS REALLY CLOSE TO WHAT WAS EXPECTED
AND EVERYTHING ELSE WENT REALLY, REALLY WELL
WITH THE OPENING.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS WORKING RELATIONSHIP,
WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO GET WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY,
LET'S GO TO THE PROVINCE ON A JOINT PROPOSAL.
AND, I THINK, WE ARE CONQUERING NEW GROUND HERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH A TRUST LEVEL
BETWEEN THE PEOPLE YOU ARE WORKING WITH,
AND, I THINK, WE HAVE GONE A LONG WAY.
I REMEMBER WHEN I GOT IN A ROOM
AND I WOULDN'T TRUST ONE WORD THAT WAS SAID,
BUT I HAVE A DIFFERENT FEELING TODAY.
WELL, ONE OF ROBERT' ENDEARING QUALITIES
IS HIS CONSTANT REMINDER
THAT THE LAND BASE GIVETH,
SO THE LAND BASE NEEDS SOMETHING,
AND SO THE LAND BASE NEEDS SOMETHING
IN THE SENSE OF THE SARITA NEEDS SOME FUNDS
TO GET THE REBUILDING OF THE FISH STOCK.
IT'S EARLY SUMMER,
WATER LEVELS ARE STILL HIGH
AND SOME OF THE FISH HABITAT STRUCTURES WE BUILT
ARE BEING PUT TO THE TEST.
IT'S TIME FOR THE RELEASE
OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SALMON FRY
INTO THE SARITA,
BOTH IN RIVER AND OCEAN PENS
FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD.
NET PEN, THE IDEA THERE IS FOR THE FISH
TO GET MORE USED TO THE RIVER, TO THE WATER,
TO THE SMELL IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT CAUSE THE SALMON TO HONE INTO THE NATIVE RIVER.
SO WHEN WE FEED THEM IN THE NET PEN
FOR ABOUT A WEEK TO TEN DAYS,
FEEDING THEM USUALLY ONCE OR TWICE A DAY
SO THEY GAIN QUITE A BIT OF WEIGHT IN THAT ONE WEEK
AND THEN WE LOWER THE NET AND THEY ARE OFF TO THE OCEAN.
WE ALSO DO RELEASES DIRECTLY INTO THE RIVER.
SO TODAY WE ACTUALLY RELEASED UP TO 200,000 LITTLE CHINOOK
WHICH WEIGH BETWEEN 4 AND 5 GRAMS.
A GOOD SIGHT TO SEE THIS RIVER COME ALIVE AGAIN
WHEN IT WAS JUST ABOUT DEAD THERE FOR A WHILE.
WE ARE GETTING THERE SLOWLY.
WE ARE TRYING TO GET BACK--
AND MAYBE OUR PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO EAT SALMON AGAIN.
ONCE THESE TINY FISH HAVE MATURED
AND FOUND THEIR WAY TO THE SEA,
THEY FACE A GAUNTLET OF RAVENOUS PREDATORS
AND SPORTS AND COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN.
THE RETURN ON THESE SARITA FISH
IS CURRENTLY ONLY 1%,
WHILE THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH,
IN THE 1980'S THERE WERE ONLY 120 CHINOOK
RETURNING TO THE SARITA.
LATELY, THERE HAVE BEEN AS MANY AS 2000
COMING BACK UP RIVER TO SPAWN.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DAY THAT THERE IS SO MUCH SALMON
IN THE SARITA RIVER WATERSHED
THAT WE CAN DO WITH WHAT THE OLD PEOPLE USED TO DO.
AND THAT WAS TO BE ABLE TO WITNESS--
THERE WAS SO MUCH SALMON IN THE RIVER
THAT YOU COULD ALMOST WALK ACROSS THE RIVER.
YEAH, MAYBE ONE DAY WE WILL SEE THAT,
BUT WE WON'T SEE THAT
UNLESS WE DO THE WORK THAT'S NEEDED TO REBUILD IT.
IT WAS THE TIME FOR CELEBRATING THE COMPLETION OF OUR BIGHOUSE
AND AS WE WAITED PATIENTLY ON OUR BEACH AT ANACLA
FOR THE VISITING CANOES TO ARRIVE.
THERE WAS MUCH TO PREPARE.
AS IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN OUR TYEE-HAWILTH
INVITED GUESTS TO POTLATCH CELEBRATIONS,
WE SMOKED AND BARBEQUED FISH AND GATHERED MUSSELS,
CLAMS AND URCHINS FOR THE DAYS OF FEASTING AHEAD.
THESE SEA URCHINS,
NOW A RARE DELICACY,
ARE QUICKLY TRANSPORTED UP THE BEACH,
WHERE SOME OF THE ELDERS CAN'T RESIST TRYING THEM OUT.
THEN, DISTANT SONGS ANNOUNCE THE ARRIVAL OF OUR GUESTS,
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 14 NUU-CHAH-NULTH TRIBES
WHO HAVE PADDLED AS CHCH AS TWO DAYS TO REACH US.
THAT'S A GREAT FEELING.
IT IS THE MOST WONDERFUL FEELING YOU HAVE
WHEN YOU HAVE THE RIGHTS TO THE BEACH.
AND WHEN I SAY "RIGHTS TO THE BEACH",
IT WAS GIVEN TO MY MOTHER QUITE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO
AS A WEDDING DOWRY.
SHE HAD HANDED IT DOWN TO ALL HER GRANDDAUGHTERS AND NIECES
TO LOOK AFTER THE BEACH FOR US.
IT IS A GREAT FEELING WHEN YOU INVITE PEOPLE FROM OTHER NATIONS
TO A PLACE LIKE THIS.
(♪♪♪)
THE HUY-AA-AHT IN THE LAST 10, 15, 20 YEARS
HAVE REALLY COME OUT TRADITIONALLY
IN FNDING THEIR CULTURE.
MORE AND MORE, WE HAVE CANOE PADDLERS
WE HAVE A DANCE GROUP.
THE CHIEFS ARE ALL BRINGING THEIR SONGS TOGETHER NOW
AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PREPARING
AND GETTING READY FOR THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
IT'S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR US AND WE'D LIKE TO COME ASHORE.
WE WELCOME--
WELCOME TO THE SHORE.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS FEELING INSIDE OF ME
WHEN WE WERE STANDING THERE SINGING
AND THE CANOES WERE ALL WAITING.
THE SPEAKER IN THE BOAT STANDS UP
AND ASKS TO BE WELCOMED ASHORE.
THIS IS REALLY A TRADITIONAL THING
WHERE YOU BRING PEOPLE IN,
YOU FEED THEM,
YOU MAKE THEM FEEL MORE THAN WELCOME
AND IT IS JUST A CUSTOM OR A TRADITION OF OURS.
(♪♪♪)
WHEN WE COMPLETED THE HOUSE OF HUU-AY-AHT,
IT WAS AN EXTREMELY HAPPY MOMENT FOR ME
BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT WE WILL ONCE AGAIN
SEE OUR GOVERNMENT IN ACTION.
WE WILL ONCE AGAIN SEE OUR CULTURE BLOSSOMING
TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL.
IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENED
BECAUSE THAT HOUSE WAS BUILT.
AND IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE SO MANY NUU-CHAH-NULTH PEOPLE
COME TO OUR VILLAGE IN ANACLA
BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE 50 TO 60 YEARS
THAT THAT AMOUNT OF NUU-CHAH-NULTH OPLP
HAVE BEEN IN HUU-AY-AHT TERRITORY.
AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT FOR A LONG TIME.