Staff Profile: Deana Machin
IWI is lucky to have Deana Machin as part of the team as Senior Indigenous Advisor. Deana has been active in First Nations fisheries management and policy for 20 years and was most recently a member of the Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle for the Healthy Watersheds Initiative. We asked a few questions to get to know her a bit better...
Tell us a bit about yourself and where you’re from.
I feel very fortunate to have grown up in one of the most beautiful places in the world - the Okanagan Valley, or more specifically in Vernon, BC. I am a citizen of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation, and no matter where I am, I am always connected to the lands and waters of the Syilx peoples. And lucky for me, after twelve years living in Vancouver, I made the decision to move back to my home community Okanagan Indian Band in 2020 with no plans to leave any time soon.
My career to date has been spent primarily working for First Nation organizations, first with the Okanagan Nation Alliance in 1999 shortly after graduating from UBC with a BSc in Biology and most recently with the First Nations Fisheries Council of BC where I had the opportunity to work with many First Nation communities and organizations throughout the province.
What is a highlight from your career so far?
Hands down, one of the greatest highlights of my life (not just my career) has been the reintroduction and restoration of sockeye into the Okanagan Basin.
In the 1990s, Syilx Elder and Leaders made restoring the Okanagan Sockeye population one of the Nation’s top priorities, and with their guidance the Okanagan Nation Alliance got to work.
I started managing the ONA Fisheries Program in 2000 near the end of the assessment phase of the restoration initiative, and I led the team for the first few years of the sockeye re-introduction, starting with the “pilot” release of sockeye fry into the Okanagan River at the confluence of Shingle Creek in Penticton in 2004.
Being part of this initiative has taught me many things and has brought many gifts to our Nation. Our work restoring sockeye in the Okanagan Basin has really helped to define who we are as a Nation and has contributed significantly to Syilx Nation building. Every year when the Nation comes together in the spring to release the sockeye fry and in the fall when the adults return, it shows me the power of ceremony and celebration to honour the reciprocal relationship we have with salmon. I love to see the excitement and happiness that our community members have when they have an opportunity to harvest salmon for their families and communities, and the pride that all of the technicians and biologists have when they are collecting sockeye broodstock and working at the hatchery. But possibly my favourite thing is to see how excited and curious all the little kids get when they get to take a little cup filled with water and release a couple of sockeye fry into the river.
It took many, many people, both within the Nation and working with outside organizations, to move from the initial vision our Nation had to the reality of seeing sockeye back into their historic range in Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. Working on this initiative so early in my career has demonstrated the value of relationships and collaboration (it is also a great life lesson!) to advancing projects and initiatives, and I am so appreciative of the support, mentorship, and friendship I have been given along the way.
For the sake of brevity I have had to leave out a lot of the details of the story, so I encourage you to visit the ONA website if you are interested in learning more.
What led you to working with the Indigenous Watersheds Initiative? What are you most excited about?
The most exciting thing about the IWI is that through supporting Indigenous-led projects that address community priorities, the IWI values Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I am going to really enjoy learning about the different types of projects that communities and organizations are leading – what some of the challenges and problems they are trying to address, what are the innovative and creative ways they are designing their projects, how will they engage their community members.
Do you have advice for someone starting out in freshwater or fisheries management?
Build relationships and expand your networks – putting your time and energy into building positive and long-standing professional relationships with people and organizations will be so helpful throughout your career. From time to time everyone needs support, and these relationships can provide sound advice or guidance for problems you may be wrestling with, connect you with funding or other opportunities to help advance your projects, share relevant knowledge and information with you, and help you out with small favors when you are in a bind. In the way of all good relationships, reciprocity is key, so from time to time you can offer these same supports to others.
And when you have the time and opportunity, keep yourself informed about projects and initiatives that other communities and organizations are implementing. You will learn some new things and it may give you some ideas or inspiration to apply to your work.
