Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program (OCCP)

Water shapes every part of life in the Okanagan. Our lakes, rivers, wildlife, agriculture, communities, and our future.

This week, the Syilx Okanagan Nation formally declared a Watershed Emergency across the region in response to worsening drought conditions, declining snowpack, ecosystem stress, and growing threats to water security.

The impacts are already being seen across local watersheds: warmer water temperatures, drying creeks and wetlands, increased wildfire risk, and stress on fish and wildlife populations. Protecting water is an environmental issue, and also a collective community responsibility we must all take accountability for.

As we head into another hot, dry season, it's a reminder that every action matters:
-Reduce unnecessary water use
-Choose drought-tolerant landscaping
-Respect lakes, rivers, and wetlands
-Help reduce wildfire risk
-Support watershed restoration and stewardship
-Healthy watersheds support all living things, now and for future generations.

We stand with the Syilx Okanagan Nation in recognizing the urgency of protecting siwtk" (water) and the ecosystems that depend on it.

Read the full press release from Okanagan Nation Alliance here: https://syilx.org/the-syilx-okanagan-nation-declares-a-watershed-emergency/

With the Syilx Water Forum now less than two weeks away, we’re excited to continue sharing the momentum around this important gathering. Please take a moment to read through the agenda, and secure your spot if you haven't already.

OCCP is honoured to be a sponsor and to support the conversations that will unfold.

From ceremony at kłúsx̌nítkʷ – Okanagan Lake, to keynote reflections from Syilx scholar Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Haida Nation Principal and Counsel Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, and international water governance expert Dr. Nuria Hernández-Mora from Spain, participants will journey from place-based Syilx and First Nation teachings to international insight — exploring how we move from awareness to action in protecting siwɬkʷ for generations to come.

Registration Link:
🔗 https://lnkd.in/g-EkD_35

We hope you’ll join us!

Last week, the 7th Collaborative Leadership Table brought leaders from across the Okanagan-Similkameen together to continue advancing shared work on water, ecosystems, and long-term regional collaboration.

OCCP is grateful to coordinate and support this table alongside the Okanagan Nation Alliance, creating space for dialogue, alignment, and action across Nations, local governments, and organizations.

These gatherings go beyond meetings and are about strengthening relationships, honouring Syilx leadership, and building the collective path forward for healthy watersheds and connected landscapes.

Thank you to Coldstream Community Hall for hosting us in their beautiful new facility (with amazing acoustics!)

🐟 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

After nearly a century, salmon will once again have unimpeded access to Okanagan Lake and its tributaries! 🌊

Join the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) to celebrate the official opening of the Okanagan Dam Fish Passage:
📅 Monday, August 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM
📍 East side of Okanagan Lake Dam, Riverside Drive, Penticton, BC

This innovative project, led by the Syilx Nation with many partners, reconnects siwɬkʷ (water) and tmixʷ (all living things), allowing salmon and other fish species to return to their historical spawning grounds in kłusxnitkʷ (Okanagan Lake).

This is a powerful act of environmental and cultural healing - ntytyix (salmon) are not just resources, they are relatives.

Learn more from ONA: https://syilx.org/about-us/operations/news/

Salmon Passage At Okanagan Lake To Open August 18, 2025 🌊

After years of hard work, advocacy, planning, and now successful implementation while overcoming challenges, the new Okanagan Dam Fish Passage is about to open! The water will be released and permanently flowing, providing salmon unimpeded access from Okanagan River into their Okanagan Lake historical spawning habitat.

For close to 100 years, salmon, a keystone species inextricably linked to the health of Okanagan Lake and its ecosystem, have had no or limited access to the lake and its tributaries.

For more info, please visit: https://syilx.org/salmon-passage-at-okanagan-lake-to-open-august-18-2025/