Cultural Heritage Assessment

The Nicola River valley and its communities were significantly impacted during and after recent extreme rainfall, flood events, and subsequent wildfires. This Cultural Heritage Assessment aimed to gather community insights and document cultural knowledge to understand how the events impacted local livelihoods and to help inform the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in the watershed, including a highway and several bridges. We helped to identify many environmental and cultural impacts to the Nation and generated actionable recommendations to help restore important habitats, including an illustration of preferred plants for slope and riparian area restoration. Areas where community members lost access to important fishing and harvesting areas were mapped, along with recommendations for the reconstruction of the Highway and its re-alignment. Other socio-economic and cumulative impacts were addressed, and clear links to the Nation’s expectations and role in future watershed management were established.