Huu-ay-aht First Nations Government has decided not to renew our participation in the NTC Graduation & Scholarship Program.
Why? Huu-ay-aht already offers our own graduation and scholarship programs—and they are more inclusive and provide greater support to our students.
• Our program recognizes all Huu-ay-aht graduates (Dogwood, Adult Dogwood, Evergreen, and post-secondary) • NTC’s program is limited to SD70 students and has had low participation from our citizens • Only a small number of Huu-ay-aht students have received modest NTC scholarships in recent years • NTC programs have also created confusion and overlap with our own supports.
What this means By stepping away from the NTC program, we can invest more directly into our own students.
This means: • More support for all Huu-ay-aht learners (K–12 and beyond) • Stronger and more consistent recognition and scholarships • A program that is designed specifically for our citizens
This decision is about focusing on our own programs and better supporting Huu-ay-aht students. If you have any questions, please reach out to Brent Ronning, Education Manager, at brent.r@huuayaht.org or 250.723.0100.
On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Land and Natural Resource team collaborated with The Kelp Rescue Initiative and the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ / Che:k’tles7et’h’ (Kyuquot / Checleseht) First Nations to harvest a total of 1,449 t̓uc̓up (sea urchins). The harvesting had two main goals; first, to remove urchins from five sites around Barkley Sound to reduce grazing pressure and support the planting of young kelp, as part of ongoing kelp forest restoration efforts; and second to provide t̓uc̓up as food for Huu-ay-aht and Kyuquot / Checleseht First Nations.
On board the Huu-ay-aht vessel were Stephen Smith and Nolan Nookemus. The SCUBA diving team included Duncan Jackson, Matt Bakken, Jasmin Schuster, Hannah Schriber, and Ben Holland, whose efforts were essential to the harvest. Anacla citizens received their distribution the day of the harvest. Representatives from the Kyuquot / Checleseht First Nations Lands and Natural Resources department, Paul Vincent and Josh Orwin travelled to Bamfield to collect the t̓uc̓up to distribute to their citizens. Learn more about Kelp restoration efforts in Barkley Sound please visit The Kelp Rescue Initiative at www. kelprescue.org/
On March 10 and 11, 2026, as part of the Huu-ay-aht Watershed Renewal Program, the Lands and Natural Resources department participated in riverbank stabilization work along the South Sarita River. This effort involved willow live staking and alder transplanting to support riparian restoration.
The Sarita River, known as “The Heart of the People”, is one of the most important rivers in the Huu-ay-aht ḥaḥuułi. It has historically been the home to numerous villages, and several families continue to reside nearby today. However, extensive logging in the 1950s – 1960s left much of the watershed with little to no intact riparian habitat. In addition, a critically aggraded section of the streambed – where sediment buildup has raised the riverbed elevation – now blocks the passage of returning Chinook Salmon spawners up the South Sarita River.
Although some natural re-vegetation has occurred over time, bioengineering techniques such as ‘live staking’ can accelerate channel stabilization. These methods help reduce streamflow velocity, allowing for the deposition of organic materials and sediment. Over time, this process contributes to soil formation and supports the establishment of healthy riparian vegetation.
Working alongside LGL Environmental Consulting, the Huu-ay-aht Lands and Natural Resources team gained hands-on experience installing live willow stakes in sensitive areas to stabilize the riverbank. The team learned to identify plant species, prepare willow cuttings, and apply both hand- and excavator-based planting techniques. Alder saplings were also transplanted into a higher-elevation gravel bar within the South Sarita River to monitor the success of this restoration approach.
The goal of this project is to build knowledge and capacity in stream restoration techniques and to put them into practice. In the long term, these efforts aim to enhance riparian vegetation along the Sarita River and create deeper, cooler channels that better support the return of salmon.
Left to right: Jared Nookemus, Justine Mack, Louella Dennis, and Conrad Young.
Alder saplings ready for transplanting.
Photos by A. Andiel.
PROJECT PROPOSAL SUMMARY
This project is the culmination of 7 years of investment under the Huu-ay-aht Watershed Renewal Program. The program revealed a critically aggraded area of that blocks the passage up the Sarita River of returning Chinook Salmon spawners. Work proposed elsewhere will produce restoration designs to improve fish passage. Concurrently, we propose initiating live stake planting of upstream of the impediment to the stabilize the substrate, slow sediment transport, retain debris and aid in soil formation. Harvesting and planting live stakes will be part of future restoration designs. This project will provide the requisite initial trainings to HFN Natural Resources staff.
Youth digging for clams, with clam garden rock wall in the foreground.
Longer daylight hours and low tides combined to create ideal conditions for an intertidal clam digging experience at the food beach at Sarita Bay. The event was led by the Huu-ay-aht Lands and Natural Resources Team—Tommy Joe, Abigail Andiel, and Stephen Smith.
Joining the harvest were Huu-ay-aht youth Vanessa Young and Issiah Dennis. Jacquie Dennis also brought a van load of youngsters from Paawats. Staff members from Nova Harvest participated as well, making it a lively and collaborative outing.
Participants enjoyed digging up clams and discovering many other intertidal organisms in the mucky clam garden. Tommy Joe, a true clam-digging machine, worked continuously and filled two buckets—the equivalent of about 100 pounds of clams. In total, 150 pounds of clams were harvested during this “introduction to clam digging” event.
The use of the food beach at Sarita Bay encourages its ongoing productivity and celebrates the construction of the clam garden, a project completed through the Huu-ay-aht Warriors program. Clam gardens are a prehistoric practice used to increase the production of culturally significant foods. Rock walls built in the lower intertidal zone filter sediment and create a shallow, sloped terrace—ideal conditions for clams to grow and spawn.
Photo, (left to right: Sean Flickinger, Stephen Smith, Tommy Joe (still digging!), three Nova Harvest staff, Savanna Lincez, Ilan, Issiah Dennis and Abigail Andiel, with clam garden wall built by Huu-ay-aht Warriors to the left.
