Columbia Basin Transboundary Youth Network rolls out simultaneous events at headwaters and mouth of the Columbia River on May 15

The Columbia Basin Transboundary Youth Network (CBTYN), led by Tribal and non-Tribal young professionals, invites the public to join in parallel ‘Source to Sea’ storytelling and film screening events in Canal Flats and in Astoria, Oregon on Sunday, May 15.

Through Skype and social media, audiences will be connected to both events as they happen simultaneously at the headwaters and mouth of the Columbia River.

These events are produced in partnership with the Columbia River Watershed Storytelling Tour. This series of locally organized independent storytelling programs is being organized throughout the Columbia River watershed, across southern British Columbia in Canada and the western states in America.

Canal Flats – ‘Source to Sea’ headwaters walk, film screening & storytelling May 15

On Sunday May 15, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., celebrate the source of the Columbia River and enjoy extraordinary stories, films and music shared by First Nations and settlers of this region.

The Canal Flats event begins with a headwaters walk at 1 p.m. sharp. (Drive north on Grainger Road and then west on Beatty Avenue to trailhead.) At 2:30 p.m. the storytelling and films begin at Canal Flats Civic Centre.

Join in symbolically connecting from ‘source to sea’ as the headwaters audience is linked online with the sister event happening at the same time at the mouth of the river. RSVP: wingsovertherockies.org

There’s more! The CBTYN also invites young people throughout the international Columbia River Basin to post pictures of themselves naming their local creek, river or lake with the message: “Standing up for our watershed.”

Please post your photos to the Columbia Basin Transboundary Youth Network Facebook page, or via Twitter, using the hashtags  #JoinCBTYN #SourceToSea #ColumbiaRiver.

Why is now the time to have this event? 

The Canada/US Columbia River Treaty is in a renegotiation process, due to be signed in 2024. At the moment, much of the negotiating is taking place between BC Hydro and Bonneville Power behind closed doors. First Nations on both sides of the 49th Parallel are calling for an equal place at the table; communities are also recognizing that an Ecosystem Function needs to be central to any new agreement.

CBTYN member Tessa Terbasket says, “Unlike the people of the Columbia Basin, the waters of the Columbia flow between jurisdictions and across borders. Historical wrongdoings have disconnected the communities of the Columbia and has taken away the voice of the river itself. Current social and ecological perspectives demand a reconnection to water, place and each other.”

The Columbia River Watershed Storytelling project is particularly relevant in opening positive new ways for First Nations and settler residents to express our care and concerns for local ecosystems and to join together across our communities to advance solutions.

Astoria – Film screening and story-telling event May 15

The Astoria, Oregon ‘Source to Sea’ event will be held at The Columbian Theater.  Doors will open at 1 p.m. There will be free smoked salmon snacks for everyone and pizza available for sale. Organizers invite participants to share stories about the Columbia River and their connection to its waters.  There will then be film screenings of four short independent films. Several filmmakers will be on-hand for audience discussion.

The film “Treaty Talks: A journey up the Columbia River for people and salmon” tells the story of young people canoeing up the Columbia River from Astoria to Canal Flats in 2013. Other films include: “Habitat: Whitewater Rafting in the Columbia River Basin,” “The Lost Fish: The Struggle to Save Pacific Lamprey” and “Of People and Salmon: Linking Culture and Ecology.”

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