May 2020 Update and Upcoming Events

Dear Wild Salmon Supporter,

We hope this message finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe.

The past few months have been full of uncertainty for many of us, with the COVID-19 global pandemic as the new, abnormal backdrop to our daily lives. 

May is our favorite time of year at the Salmon Beyond Borders campaign - daylight grows longer, the salmon return, and we all get ready for long days outside and on the water. It is also this time of year when we get to see a lot of you for our annual summer kickoff BBQ in Juneau - and after last year’s incredible celebration with more than 150 people, our team was really looking forward to doing it again this year. 

With heavy hearts, the Salmon Beyond Borders team has decided that we are not going to host any in-person events or visit communities throughout the transboundary region as we normally would during the summer months. While we will deeply miss the opportunity to visit our favorite places and gather with you and the rest of our salmon community in person, we know this is the right choice. 

We might not be able to gather in person this month, but we do have two very exciting, virtual events planned for May that we are really looking forward to! 

• May 14th: Join Salmon Beyond Borders and our partners for a webinar on the U.S.-B.C. transboundary mining issue. 

In this webinar, members of the U.S. - Canada International Joint Commission will provide an overview of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and the mandate of the International Joint Commission. Following this overview, Indigenous leadership and key stakeholders will provide perspectives on the U.S.-B.C. transboundary mining issue, and dialogue with each other and the Commissioners on perspectives, challenges, and opportunities. Register for the webinar here. For more information  visit our website here. 

Panelists include: President Richard Peterson - Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Chairwoman Shelly Fyant - Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe of Montana, Chairman Gary Aitken Jr. - Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Commissioner Rob Sisson - International Joint Commission, U.S. Section, Commissioner Merrell-Ann Phare - International Joint Commission, Canada Section, Jill Weitz - director, Salmon Beyond Borders, Erin Sexton - senior  scientist, University of Montana, Allen Edzerza - First Nations Energy and Mining Council. 

• May 31st: Save The Date: 2020 Online Premier of Transboundary Salmon Stories 

Salmon Beyond Borders, in partnership with Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, and Ping Chong + Company, is thrilled to announce the premiere of Transboundary Salmon Stories, a collaborative online video production. Led by Tis Peterman (Tlingit), Annita McPhee (Tahltan), and Ping Chong + Company Associate Artist Ryan Conarro, Transboundary Salmon Stories shares stories from indigenous communities tied to the “transboundary” rivers shared by northwest British Columbia and southeast Alaska. Stay tuned to the Salmon Beyond Borders website and social media for info about the May 31 video premiere online, as well as live stream panel discussions, and our accompanying story website. 

We hope to see you online this month!

Now more than ever, we are grateful to live and work along the wild rivers of the Salmon Coast. As always, your continued engagement is what makes our collective efforts to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers possible. Please reach out to us anytime. 
Be healthy and well -

With Gratitude, 
The Salmon Beyond Borders Team
Jill, Heather, Mary Catharine, and Bre