When CWS decides to enter a new relationship with an Indigenous Nation in BC, the staff need to be as well informed as possible. While staff can (and usually do) do their own research prior to meetings, it can be helpful to have a specific place to find all that information. My unit at CWS Pacific has developed documents called 'Case Studies'. These are 30 to 70-page documents that cover a variety of information about the Indigenous Nation or Organization including:
- History
- Ecology of their territory
- Funding history with CWS
- Species at Risk
Additionally, we include recommendations to staff on what future projects could be developed with this nation or organization based on their interests and the ecology of their territory.
In order to produce one of these documents, I research the Organization in question as well as all their member nations. This required reading their websites, CWS's agreements, Government of Canada websites, and contacting various staff members within the region for their insight.
After that, I analyzed my research to develop recommendations for future projects.
The document was proofread and approved by my manager and will be used to inform CWS Pacific Region decisions in the future
This project showed how much I have learnt over my 8-month term at CWS, because I was able to confidently analyse information related to both Indigenous relations with CWS and Species at Risk Protection.