Engaging First Nation communities in environmental monitoring: the experience of Black River First Nation, Manitoba

Environments, August, 2006 by Brian G. Kotak

Over the past decade there has been a heightened interest and desire by First Nations to take a more active role in management and monitoring of natural resources, particularly in their traditional lands. In some cases, the momentum for stronger participation by First Nations has been accelerated by forming partnerships between First Nation communities and resource-based industries, or by greater inclusion in land management decisions through provincial land use planning initiatives. However, many First Nations currently lack the capacity to effectively participate in these initiatives.

Black River First Nation (BRFN), a community of 400 people located along the shores of Lake Winnipeg in eastern Manitoba, is an example of a First Nation community that has taken a leadership role in developing community capacity to not only participate in environmental monitoring initiatives, but to design and lead them. To accomplish this, the community has produced a long-term vision, documented in a community plan. As part of that plan, Chief and Council established a formal Environment Department within the community, staffing it initially with outside research scientists, but also community youth, with the intent of building internal capacity over time. The Environment Department liaises with community members and Elders to understand community concerns regarding the environment, and has written proposals to funding agencies to develop projects to address those concerns. A significant key to the success of our programs has been the forging of partnerships with the forest industry (e.g., Tembec Inc.), provincial and federal government agencies (Manitoba Conservation, Manitoba Water Stewardship, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, Environment Canada) and non-government organizations such as the Manitoba Model Forest. Together, these partners have not only provided financial resources for our environmental projects, but have also provided significant in-kind support in the form of technical expertise. The involvement of these organizations has been tremendous, and this partnership has been formalized with the creation of the multi-party Black River First Nation Environment and Community Development Committee. The committee meets approximately quarterly to review progress on Black River projects. In this respect, our partners have become much more than just project partners; they have become colleagues who share our vision of environmental sustainability. Two of our environmental projects are outlined below.

To address concerns of Elders about water quality in the region, a regional water quality network was designed and implemented by Black River First Nation. Since 2004, water quality in more than 20 rivers and streams in eastern Manitoba has been monitored in order to understand the regional patterns of water quality and what factors affect water quality, including soil and forest types in watersheds, and disturbance history including agriculture, forestry activities, wildfire and beaver. Integral to the program is the training of First Nation youth from the community of Black River First Nation. In 2006, the monitoring network will be expanded to include training of youth from other First Nation communities in the region. Tembec Inc. has provided training to Black River staff on the use of GIS, has provided free access to all their GIS database layers (logging and fire history, forest inventory, road networks, etc.) and Black River will be using this and the water quality information to develop watershed management tools for Tembec, which allow for the incorporation of water quality objectives into forest management planning.

In partnership with the Manitoba Model Forest and Tembec Inc., Black River First Nation has also established a long-term monitoring program to examine the effects of climate change on the boreal forest of eastern Manitoba. The project, initiated in 2004, has established long-term monitoring plots in forests of different ages (young, intermediate and old), different origin (fire origin and logged) and of different type (upland jack pine, lowland black spruce). In 2005, Black River First Nation added the EMAN Coordinating Office as a project partner and utilized EMAN protocols for establishing and monitoring new study plots. Black River First Nation is responsible for all plot establishment and data collection. A unique aspect of the project is that Black River has also partnered with three high schools in the region. Students from Grades 10-12 participate in field trips in the spring and fall, in which Black River staff provide training on the collection of field data. The students therefore learn about environmental monitoring through hands-on experience and collect their own data. Data collection includes species composition of the herb, shrub and tree layers, aging trees, estimating tree height, assessing tree health, measuring soil pH, moisture and temperature, monitoring air temperature and relative humidity, and assessing small mammal species composition and abundance through live trapping. The educational component has been very successful, with more than 100 students participating in 2004 and 2005, and more schools expressing a desire to participate. Black River First Nation has been awarded a prestigious Manitoba Hydro Spirit of the Earth Award, as well as a national Forest Stewardship Award by Wildlife Habitat Canada for our environmental projects.