The Stó:lō Geohazard Project was initiated by nine First Nations: Xwóxwelá:lhp (Yale), Union Bar, Shxw’ōwhámél, Pópkw’em, Xwchíyò:m, Sq’éwlets, Sq’éwqel, Sq’ewá:lxw, and Chowéthel, to better understand landslide risks following the 2021 atmospheric river. Funded by the Union of BC Municipalities, the project identified likely landslide pathways under dierent atmospheric river scenarios and assessed rockfall risk.

 

The project also sought to communicate the Coast Salish worldview in relation to the landscape and events such as landslides. Coast Salish people have lived here since time immemorial and understand themselves as part of the land itself. In their histories, ancestors have been transformed into mountains, rocks, animals, and other features of the landscape, making these places non-human relatives and, in some cases, deities. Stories of significant events, including landslides, are passed down through generations, embedding history directly into the land. This connection carries responsibility: to respect the gis of the Creator, practice gratitude such as through the First Salmon Ceremony, and learn from the stories held in the landscape. Through this lens, landslides are not only disruptions to infrastructure but impacts to relatives and sacred places.