The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are honored to host the fifth Indigenous-Led Transboundary Mining Conference. We will gather in CSKT’s homelands, the Flathead Indian Reservation, at Kwataqnuk Resort. This gathering will bring together Indigenous leaders from across what is also known today as Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia, as well as government officials and community partners. We will share information, spend time together on our lands and waters, and explore solutions for transboundary governance. We must develop a road map for the future.

Our waters are the lifeblood of our people—from Montana to Idaho, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia—we all share concerns with Indigenous peoples who reside along these same rivers, and collectively, we are stronger together.

The first Indigenous-led Transboundary Mining Conference was hosted by UCUT in Wenatchee, WA in 2022. The second conference was hosted by Lower Similkameen Indian Band in Osoyoos, BC in 2023. The third conference was hosted by the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida in Dzántik’i Héeni (Juneau, Alaska) in 2024. And the fourth conference was hosted by Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation in Qukin ʔamakʔis in Fernie, BC. This is the fifth annual gathering of Indigenous leaders, government officials, and regional partners to share knowledge about mining activities in the US-BC transboundary region that are jeopardizing our waters and our communities for generations to come.

These gatherings have provided a diverse and informative set of presentations and panels, highlighting the array of projects that currently impact our waterways as well as proposed projects that bring additional threats to our way of life.