SṈIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project
SṈIDȻEȽ (Tod Inlet, Gowlland-Tod Provincial Park) is an important place to the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. SṈIDȻEȽ means “Place of the Blue Grouse” in SENĆOŦEN and is the first W̱SÁNEĆ village site. J,SIṈTEN (John Elliott, Tsartlip elder) tells us the story of how SṈIDȻEȽ was actually the first W̱SÁNEĆ village site and where SLEMEW̱, the first W̱SÁNEĆ person, was placed there by XÁLS the Creator.
PEPAKEṈ HÁUTW̱ works in collaboration with the Tsartlip First Nation, BC Parks, W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge keepers and local restoration specialists to guide the restoration of this site.
Healing our Home
SṈIDȻEȽ is the first WSÁNEĆ village site. SȽEMEW, the first W̱SÁNEĆ person, fell from the sky and landed in this place. XÁLS the Creator gifted SȽEMEW the laws, teachings, and ways of being in this land of WSÁNEĆ. All WSÁNEĆ people are descendants of SȽEMEW, which means rain in SENĆOŦEN.
PEPAKEṈ HÁUTW̱ team members have been doing ecosystem restoration at SṈIDȻEȽ since 2010, healing the land from the industrial legacy of the Portland Cement Company which operated here from 1904-1921.
Amazing volunteers from the local community, schools, and organizations, as well as students from the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board, all participate in restoring this special place. Many of the beautiful plants at the PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ nursery find their homes at SṈIDȻEȽ.
Please read our annual SṈIDȻEȽ reports to learn more about healing work that is being done!
Colonial History
From 1904-1913 the Portland Cement Company operated a limestone quarry in SṈIDȻEȽ, seriously impacting the lands and waters in this special place.
The structures built to house management level staff were used by white settlers as homes as late as the 1950s. In the 1970s local firefighters burned down the remaining structures as a practice exercise for their crews since most of these buildings had become derelict.
The remains of these buildings can be seen throughout the forests of SṈIDȻEȽ today. This legacy left behind soil contamination, invasive species, and displacement of Indigenous people, plants, and animals. This history is an important reminder that we must honour the land and treat it with respect.
We love volunteers!
We are happy to host community & student groups willing to do some restoration work as part of their education; instructors and team organizers are welcome to contact our Learning on the Land program.
SṈIDȻEȽ is a sacred place; our restoration work here is a deep honouring of the land.
Before You Visit
We follow the natural processes of these forest ecosystems and the wisdom of W̱SÁNEĆ elders & knowledge keepers in our decision making. We take the time to connect to place and uncover the layers of stories the land holds. If you would like to volunteer with us, please read our Protocols for Engagement before contacting us.
Directions to SṈIDȻEȽ
Tod Inlet, Wallace Dr, Victoria, British Columbia V9E 2A2, Canada
By car: Park at the Wallace Drive gate and walk 10-15 min down the trail marked in blue on the map.
By bus: Take #75 or #81 to the bus stop at the end of Benvenuto Ave (outside Butchart Gardens) and walk 5 min down the trail from the Benvenuto Ave gate, linking with the trail marked in blue on the map.
