Salmon Arm West Cultural Heritage Assessment

Salmon Arm West Cultural Heritage Assessment

Kwusen has completed a collaborative Cultural Heritage Assessment (CHA) project with the Adams Lake Indian Band, Neskonlith, and Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band (the Secwépemc Parties) regarding the proposed Salmon Arm West Project.

The CHA project began in April 2016 with a week-long CHA Interview Methods and Data Management Training Course in Tappen, B.C., facilitated by Kwusen trainers and attended by eight community Cultural Heritage (CH) Researchers.

Following this training session, interviews with Secwépemc Party Elders and other knowledgeable land users were conducted collaboratively by community CH Researchers and Kwusen Researchers. When the community CH Researchers were comfortable conducting interviews on their own, additional interviews were held with remote support and CKK data review provided by Kwusen Researchers. After the completion of all interviews and data management, community data review and mitigation development workshops were held with interview respondents and other interested community members.

This Cultural Heritage Assessment was designed to assist the Secwépemc Parties in assessing the potential effects of the Salmon Arm West segment of Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Highway 1 – Kamloops to Alberta Four-Laning Program on Traditional Use Values, opportunities to exercise rights, the proposed Project’s contribution to cumulative effects, and effects on the broader Aboriginal Rights and Title of the Secwépemc Parties.