Breaking Water with Tasha Romeyn
Swim Drink Fish is highlighting members of our incredible ecosystem. This Breaking Water segment features Tasha Romeyn, one of three Project Co-Leads on the Year of the Salish Sea initiative.
Can you please introduce yourself and tell us about the Year of the Salish Sea initiative?
Hi! My name is Tasha and I am one of three Project Co-Leads on the Year of the Salish Sea initiative. The Year of the Salish Sea is an endorsed UN Ocean Decade activity running from June 8, 2022-June 7, 2023 and it's aimed at increasing public engagement with the Salish Sea, fostering greater collaboration between experts, and pushing for change related to ocean management.
How did the Year of the Salish Sea initiative come to be?
The initiative started as a final project for SFU’s Semester by the Salish Sea program in Fall 2021. After learning about the many issues facing the Salish Sea and its stewards, my cohort worked together with stakeholders and experts to brainstorm the impacts a Year of the Salish Sea could have on their work. After the program ended, Emma, Simran, and I continued to lead the project and make it a reality.
What inspired you to be a part of the Year of the Salish Sea initiative?
I think the aspect of community and collective action has inspired me. There is so much work being done to protect our ocean and it is both comforting and empowering to know that many before me have felt the same way about the Salish Sea as I do now and that I have the chance to support some of this ongoing work with our initiative.
What do you think was the most valuable thing you learned from your Semester by the Salish Sea?
The Semester by the Salish Sea program taught me how complex and interconnected ocean and climate related problems truly are, and that working out of silos may be the best way to tackle these issues. And, that dialogue is a simple yet very effective tool for working together and solving problems.
Where did you grow up? Did you have a relationship with water there?
I grew up in Vancouver on the ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ Nations near the Fraser River, known to the Coast Salish Peoples as Sto:lo. I have always enjoyed rivers and the ocean and I can’t imagine not living near a body of water, but my favourite way to enjoy water has actually always been being outside in the rain!
What is the most powerful memory you have of being on or near the water?
A powerful water-related memory for me was really realizing that there is no new water! I find it very magical that water is shared across time, and I like to wonder where it’s been and if my ancestors in different parts of the world ever interacted with the same water as me.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved in protecting the planet but doesn’t know where to start?
Spend some time outdoors, look into whatever it is you’re interested in, and talk about it with a friend! Year of the Salish Sea has some resources available. And remember that you do not have to be an expert to get involved and you do not need to be able to commit a lot of your time - there is a place for everyone!
Do you have anything else that you’d like to share about your work, your connection to water, or how we can encourage people to join the movement for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future?
Unswimmable, undrinkable, and unfishable water affects all of us but it does not do so in the same ways. Keep learning about others’ experiences and pay attention to whose voices are not being heard enough.
Clif Family Foundation is proud to support hundreds of organizations that are working tirelessly to strengthen our food system, enhance equitable community health outcomes, and protect the places we play by being stewards of our environment and natural resources. Their desire is to leave the world a better place for our children.