Training and Capacity Building Initiatives

Training and capacity building in the Clayoquot Alliance

Training and capacity building activities planned or in progress centre on the ongoing need for monitoring and reporting on community health, ecosystem integrity and sustainable resource management, and developing skills and expertise of relevance to the region – such as GIS mapping, resource management and ecosystem restoration.

Clayoquot Sound - Mamook Broadband Access Project

Project leaders: Stan Boychuk, Tom Pearce

News release »

Industry Canada's Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Program provides funding through a competitive process to bring publicly available broadband access to Canadian communities, with priority given to First Nations, northern, remote and rural communities which are currently unserved by Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable modem service. Supported in part by the Clayoquot Alliance, the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust sought and received first-round funding for Broadband Business Plan Development.

Community Mapping Network

Aquatic Management Board

Clayoquot Sound Regional Web Atlas

Project leader: Caron Olive

Read more and view Atlas  »

The Clayoquot Sound Regional Web Atlas is a cooperative project between the Clayoquot Alliance for Research, Education and Training and the Nuu-chah-nulth-aht/West Coast Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board, in association with the BC Community Mapping Network.

The atlas contains a range of information about the region. Explore the various map layers, check out reports on selected map features, zoom in & out to access map layers, and move around the region. The atlas will grow with map layers and information, so visit often.

Co-developing protocols for community-university research collaborations

Community University Connections Protocols Project

Project facilitator: Kelly Bannister

Protocols Project web site »
Download Standard of Conduct Version 1.0 » (329 kB PDF)
UVic Media Tip » (28 July 2003)
Clayoquot Alliance Press Release » (8 August 2003)
UVic Media Release » (8 August 2003)

The purpose of the Protocols Project has been to develop consensus on research conduct for collaborations between universities and communities in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve region. Version 1.0 of the Standard of Conduct for Research in Northern Barkley and Clayoquot Sound Communities was released in June 2003.

The Standard of Conduct was developed over several months, under the guidance of a working group that includes members of the local communities and the central region Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. It is meant to guide Clayoquot Alliance-sponsored research in ways consistent with community expectations, First Nations customs and university ethics requirements. It provides a foundation for project-specific research agreements and letters of consent, and offers numerous practical tips for making research mutually beneficial to everyone involved.

Your comments on Version 1.0 the Standard of Conduct are welcomed, and will be incorporated into a revised version planned for early 2004. Please contact Kelly Bannister, Project Facilitator for the Protocols Project:

Iisaak Forest Resources

Iisaak Sustainable Forestry Project

Project leaders: Stan Boychuk, Gypsy Wilson

Coop work term report »

The first component of this monitoring and capacity building program iteratively analyzes a suite of criteria and indicators, with associated measures and methodologies, to gain information on both ecological and social pattern and process. Assessment information is fed back into Iisaak Forest Resources' planning and practice, to guide management decisions adaptively and to achieve sustainable forestry in Iisaak’s ecological and social context. The second component of this project is employment, training, and professional development in forest management and ecosystem assessment skills for Central Region First Nations. Meaningful consultation with Nuu-chah-nulth members is absolutely central, and this project can provide lessons and experience in collaboration with and amongst First Nations. Working models and best practices will be developed and disseminated, in consultation with the Central Region First Nations leadership.

Building capacity for traditional language, culture and knowledge management

Nuu-chah-nulth Language Group

Nuu-chah-nulth Central Region Language Project

Project leaders: Anne Morgan, Natasha Thorpe and Towagh Behr, in consultation with the Nuu-chah-nulth Language (Ciqy'ak) Group.

Read more »
View poster » (157 kB PDF)

The Nuu-chah-nulth Central Region Language project was initiated by the Clayoquot Alliance in response to First Nations’ community concerns over language loss. In May 2002, consultant Natasha Thorpe and graduate student Towagh Behr were commissioned by the Clayoquot Alliance to consult the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations in Clayoquot Sound on the feasibility of conducting language and traditional knowledge projects.

Raincoast Host Program

Project leader: Barb Beasley

Read more »
View poster » (220 kB PDF)

The front-line staff of the hospitality industry is the primary point of interaction between visitors to the Clayoquot region and our communities. Resort staff and the staff of tourism-related businesses respond to countless questions from visitors. The Raincoast Host Program will help ensure that you, the front-line staff, can answer commonly-asked questions about the environment and communities of the Clayoquot Biosphere region, and deliver key messages about how to explore the region safely and respectfully. It will also familiarize you with resources at the Raincoast Interpretive Centre where you can find more information for questions that arise over the tourist season.

Research and Document Database

Project leaders: Kelly Bannister, Sylvia Harron

Read more and view database files »

As part of its initial contribution to efforts to build research and training capacity within the region, the Clayoquot Alliance sought to begin a systematic inventory of research materials and other information held in the region, and of documents describing prior research activities.