Last week Jenn went to Bella Bella in Heiltsuk Nation territory to present the ongoing Coastal Voices work to the staff of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department. It was great to be back in Bella Bella, as we have been engaged in research linked to sea otter recovery in Heiltsuk territory (and the adjacent Wuikinuxv territory) for many years now. It was fun to review all the work that the Salomon Lab and the Coastal Voices team have done: dive surveys, underwater experiments, sea otter foraging surveys, fish capture surveys, kelp harvest studies, interviews, workshops, documentary films! So much! Overall, the presentation was well received and there is much enthusiasm for this work to continue.
Jenn with Kelly Brown (H.I.R.M.D Director) and Mike Reed (H.I.R.M.D. Aquatics Manager)
There was also a chance to do some great kelp forest and sea otter lessons in the Bella Bella elementary school. This was particularly fun because the students asked wonderful questions and were really interested in the underwater videos and the clips from the Coastal Voices documentary film.
Thanks for a wonderful visit!
