Crowdfunding Campaign to Support the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering
Your generosity helps remove barriers, strengthen connections, and lay the foundation for a thriving future rooted in Indigenous leadership.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve 78% of our goal!
So far, we have raised: $155,000.00
The 3rd annual Estuary to Old Growth Gathering will take place on January 19–23, 2026, at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort on the lands of the Snaw-Naw-As and Kwalikum First Nations (Parksville, B.C.). The Gathering brings together Indigenous Nations, knowledge holders, youth, Elders, and partners from across the Pacific West Coast to strengthen relationships and advance shared stewardship of lands and waters — from estuaries to old growth forests.
To ensure Indigenous leaders can attend, we’ve launched the We Rise Together Crowdfunding Campaign. We need your help to bring everyone to the table.
Why Your Support Matters
This year’s Gathering is made possible through the collective efforts of community and partner organizations who share a responsibility to care for the lands, waters, and one another.
Your support directly strengthens:
Community Participation: Making it possible for representatives from coastal Nations to share their stories, priorities, and visions for the future.
Intergenerational Learning: Creating space for Elders and youth to connect, exchange knowledge, and carry forward teachings.
Cultural Protocols and Ceremony: Honouring practices that root the Gathering in respect and relationship, linking cultural and ecological restoration.
Every contribution carries forward the spirit of the We Rise Together movement.
What Your Contribution Supports
Here is the full cost to support one participant’s attendance at the Gathering:
Ways To Contribute
1. Sponsor The Event
Sponsorship reflects a deeper commitment to allyship and shared responsibility, demonstrating meaningful support for the We Rise Together movement and for Indigenous conservation leadership across the Pacific west coast.
Sponsor one attendee: Become a Herring Sponsor and donate $3,000 to cover the costs of one person’s attendance at the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering.
Direct contribution: For maximum impact, send an e-transfer to donate@cicica.ca Or send a cheque (contact Abby Sparling, abby@iisaakolam.ca for details).
Donate online: Donations can also be made through our secure Charitable Impact page under the Canadian Indigenous Conservation Innovation Centre Association (CICICA). (Please note: Charitable Impact applies a 2.8% fee to credit card donations. To ensure your full contribution supports the campaign, you can send an e-transfer and we’ll send you a donation receipt).
Charitable tax receipts will be issued for direct contributions of $50 or more. To receive a charitable tax receipt, please contact abby@iisaakolam.ca.
2. Support Our Campaign
Help us expand the circle of support by sharing this campaign document through your networks, newsletters, and social channels.
See our social media toolkit below for details:
Across the coast, Indigenous Nations are leading efforts to restore balance through the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and other Indigenous-led conservation initiatives. At a time when spaces for connection and collaboration are urgently needed, the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering provides a vital forum to share experiences and build collective capacity to uphold our shared responsibilities to the lands and waters we all rely on.
The Gathering is more than an event; it is a living expression of We Rise Together— a movement grounded in reciprocity, care, and relationship. It reaffirms that the well-being of people and place are inseparable, and that enduring solutions emerge when we learn from one another and work together.
Impact
Over the past three years, more than 250 participants representing 40+ Indigenous Nations have gathered through the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering series. Together, they have:
Co-created a regional movement advancing Indigenous-led conservation and governance across Vancouver Island and the West Coast of B.C.
Launched the Estuary to Old Growth Declaration process, now underway through regional circles and a growing Steering Committee representing coastal Nations.
Celebrated/Supported the first graduates of IPCA Planning Advanced Certificate program with Vancouver Island University, building the next generation of IPCA planners and stewards.
Each Gathering builds on the last — turning dialogue into shared governance, collaboration, and stewardship rooted in respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
Join us at the Estuary Exchange - January 21, 2026
We invite partners and sponsors to join the Estuary Exchange on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, as part of the Gathering. This dedicated space is designed to foster dialogue, learning, and relationship-building between Indigenous leaders and partner organizations who are working to support Indigenous-led conservation along the coast.
As a participant in the Estuary Exchange, you are invited to host a table — a conversational space to share your organization’s work, listen to stories and priorities from Indigenous participants, and explore pathways for collaboration. Hosting a table is an opportunity to show up as a relational ally — arriving with humility, intention, and respect.
There is no separate cost to host a table. Participation is included for event sponsors at any level, who are encouraged to join this day of exchange as part of their support.
Non-sponsoring partners may also express interest in attending. Space will be offered as capacity allows.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Abby Sparling at abby@iisaakolam.ca.
Estuary to Old Growth Operations
The Estuary to Old Growth Gathering is coordinated through the IISAAK OLAM Foundation (IOF) and the Canadian Indigenous Conservation Innovation Centre Association (CICICA):
IOF is an Indigenous-led, educational, not-for-profit society. Our mission to support Indigenous Peoples’ leadership and capacity in the establishment of IPCAs and guide the transformation of nature conservation in Canada.
CICICA is Canada’s first Indigenous-led charity dedicated to supporting the establishment, governance, and management of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and IPCA Innovation Centres.
These sister organizations serve as trusted vehicles for funders to support the annual Estuary to Old Growth Gathering. Both organizations have the administrative infrastructure to manage grants, sponsorships, and contributions from diverse funding sources, ensuring that resources flow efficiently and transparently to where they are most needed.
By contributing, you help the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering remain a place for connection, healing, and collaboration.
We rise together — from the estuaries to the old growth forests!
For questions or sponsorship inquires, please contact:
Abby Sparling
Estuary to Old Growth Gathering Planning Team, IISAAK OLAM Foundation
More information: https://ipcainnovation.ca/e2oggathering
