Sarah Jim TŦE NE SNÁ. ĆSELÁE SEN EṮ W̱SÁNEĆ (W̱S͸ḴEM). My name is Sarah Jim and I'm an artist and land steward of mixed ancestry from the small village of Tseycum in W̱SÁNEĆ. 

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I lead the W̱S͸ḴEM Ivy Project on my family's land here in W̱S͸ḴEM. I take this responsibility very seriously and continue the tradition of stewarding these lands; a practice my ancestors have done since time immemorial. The context of stewardship has evolved since colonization as we now have to deal with invasive species — mostly English ivy in this particular forest.

We have the privilege of managing 18 acres of undeveloped land. Unfortunately, ivy is growing on almost every tree and square inch of the forest floor. This creates a monoculture and is detrimental to the biodiversity of the ecosystem, resulting in less forage, nesting sites, places of refuge for the animals, and inaccessibility of native foods, medicines, and materials for our people.

This project was initiated in 2021, utilizing the experience I've gained in the environmental restoration field with the PEPAKEṈ HÁUTW̱ Foundation. Countless volunteers have helped with the healing efforts and this project would not be possible without them! My family and myself are continually and eternally grateful for the generosity of this growing community.