W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians Stand Out at IMPAC5 Conference
The QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians made waves as the only Marine Guardians presenting at the prestigious IMPAC5 conference.
After extensive preparation, the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians presented their important work protecting and monitoring KELŁOLEMEĆEN to a global audience at the prestigious IMPAC5 conference.
The IMPAC5 conference is “a global forum that brings together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on marine protected animals.” It emphasizes the importance of Indigenous leadership and collaborative approaches in conservation efforts.
This year, the conference took place in Vancouver from February 3rd to February 9th and was hosted by the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) first nations. Over 100 countries were represented at the large conference, which featured three floors of booths and presentations.
Founded in 2022 to “ensure W̱SÁNEĆ involvement in the protection and monitoring of the endangered KELŁOLEMEĆEN,” the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians program stands out as exceptional. In a short period, they’ve already established an office, acquired materials, equipment, and training, and developed a strong, seven-person team to help protect the Salish Sea.
Their presence at IMPAC5 was no less exceptional. At the IMPAC5, there is an area called the “Ocean Expo” where various NGOs and governments set up booths to share information about their programs. While there are many Marine Guardians programs in Canada, the Qentol.Yen/ W̱sáneć Marine Guardians were the only Marine Guardians presenting at the Ocean Expo. Their unique presence made their booth popular – attracting hundreds of visitors each day.
In addition to maintaining a presence at the Ocean Expo, the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians were chosen from a pool of over 700 applicants from 66 countries to give a special presentation at IMPAC5. The QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians presented twice. The first presentation took place on February 5th and was by the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians alone. The second presentation took place on February 7th and was a collaboration between QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians, Parks Canada, and other collaborators.
The rapid success of the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians can likely be attributed to their tight knit team. The team includes Senior Manager David Dick, Data Analyst Dan Baker, Marine Biologist Shelly Selivanov, Marine Clerk Leona Peter, and Marine Guardians Patrick Elliott, Maxwell Pelkey, and Mathias Sampson. David Dick describes the team as a family, sharing “we’re a family team here . . . keeping a healthy family and working together has really helped our QENTOL group really gel together in the work that we’ve done in a really short time.” He encourages others seeking the same success to prioritize the health of their team. In his own words, “For those that are starting out . . . create that family environment with your team and . . . make it feel like home.”
The team worked collaboratively to make the most of IMPAC5. While some team members worked the booth at the Ocean Expo, others explored the conference and made connections. Selivanov describes this opportunity to “meet like-minded people working in similar professions . . . from all over the world, whether it’s from French Polynesia or people in our own backyard” as her favorite part of the conference. Pelkey and Baker echoed this sentiment. Pelkey explained he enjoyed “. . . just getting . . . a viewpoint of how other guardian groups and other like-minded people work,” while Baker expressed excitement about the opportunity to “meet other research groups and other guardians programs as well, and getting to attend lectures and seminars to hear what other research is going on and . . . what other projects for Ocean conservation are taking place.”
According to Selivanov, it was a rare opportunity to focus on the good work being done. “Even just going to the event,” Selivanov shares, “you learn so much about the good work that’s happening; oftentimes we hear a lot about all the problems, but we don’t often hear about all the people working to solve these or working towards solving these issues.”
The Guardians left the conference with renewed tools, connections, and, importantly, inspiration to fuel their work. They’re eager to inspire others in the W̱SÁNEĆ community to get involved with their work. In Elliott’s words, “. . . we’re called the saltwater people for a reason, so I think we should be connected about our waters.”
Youth and other interested community members are encouraged to reach out to the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians at any time to get involved. Senior Manager David Dick maintains an open-door policy and invites all who are interested to stop by the office.
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