April 22, 2024
image source: For the Ferals Society
Dr. Bill Cohen awarded 2023-24 UBC Community-University Engagement Support Fund
The UBC Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund, jointly administered by UBC Community Engagement and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, aims to foster impactful community-university partnerships throughout the British Columbia province. The fund is dedicated to advancing collaborative research, teaching, and learning while addressing the needs of diverse communities, particularly those historically marginalized or underserved.
This year, Dr. Bill Cohen (OSE) has been selected as a recipient of the fund for his project Appreciating Snk?caskáxa as Tmix? with Community Stewardship. This project is conducted in partnership with the Okanagan Indian Band Reserve’s Indigenous non-profit organization, For the Ferals Society (FtF). The pilot will explore developing an Indigenous community-based wild horse stewardship plan which supports snk?caska´xa (Syilx wild horses) as tmix? (part of all living things).
The Okanagan Indian Band Reserve has a population of horses living wild in range areas, who have a unique and culturally important relationship to Syilx community members and the land. However, stewarding the horses poses challenges that include maintaining a healthy, ecologically sustainable population, horses straying onto roads and the absence of a wild horse stewardship strategy. For the Ferals Society was established to address these challenges, working to ensure the health and safety of the wild horse population while supporting livestock management and preserving the health of the rangeland. This project is based on supporting this grassroots, Indigenous women-led community organization in developing capacity and working with community knowledge holders to meet key objectives, including developing a community stewardship plan, determining healthy herd size and identifying community stewardship priorities.
This project will also receive support from the Youth Elders Ecology Horses and Health (YEEHAH) project, a wider Syilx horse culture wellness project lead by Syilx Faculty.
To learn more about the 2023-24 UBC CUES fund recipients, visit UBC Community Engagement’s announcement page.
