The Coast Salish Gathering was held Sunday through Tuesday in Cowichan, B.C.
From the Cowichan News Leader:
Dozens of West Coast chiefs and Native leaders representing 66 tribes met with scientists in Duncan this week in an effort to find new approaches to climate change.
A few hundred participants took part in a three-day Coast Salish gathering at the Qu’wutsun’ Cultural Centre to discuss what most agreed was a critical period for both the ecology and the economy.
“There’s no profit in truth,” said Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission member Darrell Phare of Washington state’s Lummi Nation.
“Nature only deals in truths. We can ignore its signs, but it will come back to us…those people in government are totally afraid of the truth. It all goes back to making money.”
Scientists expect dramatic temperature changes by 2050, which will heavily effect areas like the Cowichan Valley, where communities have thrived off the river’s extensive ecosystem.
Climate change, glacier retreat, hydrological boundaries, greenhouse gases, global warming and rising water levels were up for discussion and frustration about how little is being done in response.
