Marine resources, formed a fundamental component of traditional life ways, and today still remain important to First Nations people.
The peoples of the Salish Sea recognized the close relationship between the land and the sea. They have witnessed first hand the impacts of development on the marine resources of the Strait of Georgia and Strait of Juan de Fuca. These impacts have directly and drastically altered their traditional life ways.
Coast Salish Council representative on the Race Rocks Advisory Board, Tom Sampsonmeets the federal and provincial ministers at the official designation of the MPA before singing an opening prayer. He addressed the gathering in the Lecture Theatre at Lester Pearson College, speaking about the importance of the new MPA to the First Nations people of the Salish Sea.
The word written in the Klallum language means "swift water" , the area around Race Rocks. The late Thomas Charles of Beecher Bay First Nations provided this name for us in March of 1999. It was transcribed from the word written out in Klallum by his wife Mrs.Tom Charles .
