Pimachiowin Aki

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A Year of Connections for Pimachiowin Aki

As 2022 draws to a close, we look back at a stellar year of connections. A traditional medicine workshop brought together community members, an art installation shared Anishinaabeg traditional knowledge, and a PhD thesis and documentary film spread word of Pimachiowin Aki around the globe. Here are eight highlights from our special year:

1. What We Do to the Land We Do to Ourselves

Filmmaker Michael Zelniker joined the Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members for a special screening of his documentary film The Issue with Tissue­ – a Boreal Love Story. Michael’s film features First Nation Elders and leaders from across the boreal, including Bloodvein River First Nation Elder Leslie Orvis Sr. and Pimachiowin Aki Director William Young, along with leading scientists and activists. It was an emotional experience to see and hear stories of the devastating impacts of colonization and damage done to Mother Earth as the world’s boreal forest is clearcut to manufacture toilet paper.

More than one million acres of boreal forest are lost to clear cutting in Canada every year. 

Forests take care of us. But we are cutting down the world’s oldest living trees and flushing them down the toilet, Michael warns.  

In early December, he spoke with CBC about his film and how the logging industry has affected the boreal forest and the life it supports. Indigenous Peoples have protected millions of acres of boreal forest in Pimachiowin Aki from destruction from human activity for over 7,000 years.

See the trailer for The Issue with Tissue – A Boreal Love Story

2. A Tiny Bird on a Tremendous Journey

For World Migratory Bird Day, Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green helped the National Audubon Society remind the world that birds connect us all.  

Melba joined Audubon’s Dr. Jeff Wells in a video to discuss the Canada Warbler, a vulnerable species that finds refuge in Pimachiowin Aki.

“Pimachiowin Aki is [committed] to protecting wildlife, birds, and land from mining and forestry, and all other things that harm the land,” Melba explains.

Millions of birds migrate to and from Pimachiowin Aki each year, including the Canada Warbler. Contrary to its name, this bright yellow songbird sets out on a heroic, international voyage – it leaves the forest wetlands of Pimachiowin Aki in August for woodlands on the Texas coast, its first stop on the way to La Semilla, a natural reserve in Colombia.

Conservation of these areas, from the boreal forest of Pimachiowin Aki to South America, is critical to birds’ survival.

“Without strong, large, intact protected areas in the boreal forest, [birds’ migratory] cycles could shut down,” says Jeff.

“It’s really important for us to maintain these areas,” Melba adds.

64 % of Canada Warblers rely on Canadian Boreal Forest for their breeding grounds.

Birds are indicators of our changing climate. Global warming is the biggest threat to their natural habitat, and shifting migratory patterns demonstrate this.

See the full video featuring Melba: http://surl.li/ebgvp

3. Women Turn Out for Trapping Education Course

Pimachiowin Aki, with financial support from the South East Resource Development Council, organized a week-long trapper education course at Little Grand Rapids First Nation.

An instructor from Red Lake taught the group of mainly women how to create muskrat boxes, a skill required to obtain their trapping licences.

Did you know?
Traplines in Little Grand Rapids span both Manitoba and Ontario. Manitoba recognizes Ontario trapper training programs for licensing in Manitoba, but you must receive training from a qualified instructor in Ontario to get a licence to trap there.

Bloodvein plans to hold a trapper training course in January 2023. The course is full, but the Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian will share information if space becomes available.

4. Pimachiowin Aki Provides Global Inspiration

N. Ireland

If you close your eyes and think about Pimachiowin Aki, what do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

Dr. Gemma Faith had never been to Pimachiowin Aki, but three years ago, as a PhD researcher at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, she noticed that this special place came to life online with “rich and stirring content” that made her feel like she was here. Gemma was so impressed with Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence and values-based approach to management that she chose to use Pimachiowin Aki as a case study for her thesis: Evaluating World Heritage Interpretation in Online Spaces and its Potential to Prime the Development of Eco-Cultural Tourism Experiences (Virtual and Onsite): A Case Study on Pimachiowin Aki, Canada’s First Mixed World Heritage Site.

Dr. Faith studied Pimachiowin Aki over a three-year period, capturing and analyzing information, including:  

  • pimaki.ca
  • Facebook page
  • Official documents
  • Zoom interviews with Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members
  • Insights shared by community members through written submissions
Dr. Gemma Faith graduated with a degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Ulster University in Northern Ireland in December 2022. Pimachiowin Aki’s contribution is acknowledged in her PhD thesis.  

What is the purpose of the study?

With technology at our fingertips, people can explore any place in the world with a few swipes and clicks. It’s important for mixed World Heritage sites like Pimachiowin Aki to carve out a place on the internet, so that people learn about Outstanding Universal Value and why it is preserved for the benefit of all humanity. 

Gemma’s study explores how Pimachiowin Aki communicates the unique bond that Anishinaabeg have with the land to people around the world through social media and our website.  It also looks at ways that online communication can be used to develop eco-cultural tourism.

New tourism development is in its infancy at Pimachiowin Aki, but exploring pimaki.ca or browsing its social media is like having a local, online tour guide:

  • Someone to show you what makes this mixed World Heritage site special (through text, photographs, video storytelling and descriptions)
  • Someone to share and explain the values that preserve and sustain this protected area
  • Someone to answer your questions or comments  

By presenting Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence as a global exemplar (a good example to the world), it is hoped that the findings of the study will aid the management of online heritage interpretation at future mixed sites in Canada and the world, Gemma says. Pimachiowin Aki thanks Dr. Gemma Faith for her gift of curiosity, and the Elders, knowledge keepers and community members who share stories and bring Anishinaabeg cultural heritage to life for our social media followers, newsletter subscribers, and web visitors from across the globe.

5. Elders Share Knowledge of Traditional Medicines

Ka mashkawak mashkiski (sage) means ‘the strong medicine’ and has a very strong scent. This traditional knowledge was shared during a discussion with Elders in Pauingassi First Nation this fall.

The community event, sponsored by Pimachiowin Aki, focused on traditional medicines.

Participants discussed traditional plant names, when to harvest them, parts of plants used for medicines, symptoms they treat, how to prepare them, and how they’re used today.

Joe Owen, Pimachiowin Aki Board member and knowledge keeper from Pauingassi First Nation, says, “The important thing is I’m trying to encourage Elders, whatever they still know, to exercise using that knowledge about medicines. The medicines help with some illnesses.  It is nice to share with the people from other communities too. If Elders have any young people who come around to their houses, it is good to talk with them about some of the medicines we still have out there.”

Organizers are currently working on a document to share teachings from the workshop with community members. Watch for it in our future eNews.

6. Wildfire Sparks Art at an International Festival

Pimachiowin Aki was excited to be a part of an art installation of dancing trees created by artist Jonathan Green. The installation, which appeared during Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, was inspired in part by Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic.

“I found the graphic when I was looking for an image to explain the idea of a fire cycle,” says Jonathan. “I scrolled down to Pimachiowin Aki’s version of the cycle and immediately loved its clarity, and the way it explains details such as wild berries becoming abundant, animals migrating, and how the land changes.”

“I’ve been researching wildfires for years, but I didn’t know former burn sites make for good hunting,” says Jonathan. “The graphic is so rich in local Anishinaabeg knowledge and practice it felt like something I could trust innately.”

Artist Jonathan Green

Jonathan credits Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic, adapted from work by Dr. Andrew Miller, with inspiring him to include trees from the boreal in his installation, which he designed to help visitors get a better understanding of how wildfires impact habitats.

“I hope it allows us all to consider the human impact on the environment and the ways in which many recent large-scale wildfires are a direct result of extreme climate change due to this human impact.”

7. Making Strides in Digital Map Project

Fieldwork for the much-anticipated digital habitat maps, in partnership with ECOSTEM, continued this year, with tours around Aikens Lake and Fishing Lake.

ECOSTEM is now in the process of creating a preliminary version of the habitat map, which we expect to release in March 2023, followed by detailed maps of cultural features.

Elders, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians and other knowledge keepers are contributing data and information to the maps, such as knowledge of wildlife-habitat relationships, and will be able to use the maps to preserve important habitats and keep an eye on the health of the land.

“The maps won’t just show us the land; they will show us what the land can sustain,” says Alison Haugh, Executive Director of Pimachiowin Aki. 

Learn more about the digital maps and how they’re created.

The challenges of mapping

It takes thousands of photos, drone and satellite imagery, and physical samples to create the maps. In the development stages, the mapping team faced multiple challenges getting what they need. Wildfires had swept through the land in 2021, accompanied by COVID-19 restrictions and a months-long drought, which made floatplane and boat travel nearly impossible.

Drones were prohibited from flying due to NAV Canada restrictions to avoid conflicts with firefighting aircraft.

These challenges postponed ECOSTEM’s image collection process to this year, when they were able to continue their fieldwork.

Though easier on their team, 2022 presented its own hurdles. For starters, massive snowfall led to record-breaking high water levels throughout Manitoba.

In addition, “drones have been grounded more than expected due to rain and high winds,” reports ECOSTEM’s Dr. James Ehnes. Despite this, the team was able to complete all of the planned fieldwork.

At times, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians couldn’t do groundwork because roads were covered with water and rapids were so strong that some areas were too dangerous to visit.

If weather concerns weren’t enough to stand in the way of the project, Transport Canada established new restrictions for transporting lithium-ion batteries on commercial flights.

“We now have to discharge the battery, get a third party to certify that they’re discharged, and ship them separately on a cargo flight,” says James. “This process has not only added time prior to getting in the field; it then takes the rest of the day to recharge the batteries.

A team effort

Miigwech to Guardian Colin Owens of Pauingassi First Nation, who travelled great distances by boat to capture images and was very helpful in transporting the crew and gear around the community each day and shipping generators to Winnipeg. 

8. Happy Birthday to World Heritage!

2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which Canada joined in 1976, becoming a part of an international movement to safeguard the world’s cultural treasures.

“The purpose of the World Heritage Convention is to identify, protect, and preserve cultural and natural places across the world that are deemed to have Outstanding Universal Value, and should therefore be protected and recognized internationally for current and future generations,” says Rebecca Kennedy, Manager of International Affairs for Parks Canada.

“Canada is blessed with a diversity of natural and cultural heritage from coast to coast to coast, including 20 sites that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List,” she adds.

There was no better time than 2022 for Canadians to learn about these 20 incredible places. Many of Canada’s World Heritage Sites, including Pimachiowin Aki, offered special in-person and virtual activities to highlight this landmark year.

Take a cross-Canada video tour to celebrate the shared heritage of humankind:

Return of Anishinaabe Artefacts

The ceremonial objects in the Pauingassi collection were photographed in use in 1932 by American anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell. In 1970, they were gathered up by another anthropologist, Dr. Jack Steinbring of the University of Winnipeg, who placed them in the University’s Anthropology Lab and promised to keep them safe.

(The late) Omishoosh said that objects in the Pauingassi collection should not be asked to do their former work—they should be used for teaching.

When it was discovered that artefacts were missing from Pauingassi, my husband, (the late) Nelson Owen spoke with his grandfather (the late) Omishoosh on a number of occasions and felt there was a great need to protect and recover what had been taken. We contacted the newspaper that ran the article about the disappearance of the artefacts and they put us in touch with Dr. Jennifer Brown and Dr. Maureen Matthews. Then we began our quest to retrieve the artefacts and get them under community control.

Nelson consulted with the heads of all 25 families in Pauingassi and with their agreement, requested that the collection be repatriated to the community with our family as guardians, not owners. It took many years to complete the repatriation after our initial request in 1998. The collection is now cared for at Manitoba Museum and we are confident that the artefacts are in a safe place, although a number are still missing. On this journey of recovery, we have taken up the mantle of guardians so that our children and all children of Pauingassi will have a chance to learn from these storied objects and understand the role they played as Omishoosh wished.

The artefacts range in age from 50-200 years old. They are unique and unusual in design and reveal important ideas about Anishinaabe culture. If I were to show the collection to someone and point out the two pieces that speak to me, it would be Omishoosh’s embroidered apishtaagan (chest protector) and the wawezhi’on (dance cape) that belonged to Koowin.

Dr. Matthews, Joshua, and I are planning to develop an exhibit with the existing artefacts as well as search for and bring home to the collection any pieces that were moved from Manitoba.

The most significant pieces I would say are the drums. They carry a great deal of knowledge and are highly respected for their role in the ceremonies of the people of Pauingassi First Nation. Fortunately, we have pictures of the owners, stories about their use, and the artefacts themselves, which is rare.

—Elaine and Joshua Owen, Guardians

21 Artefacts, Explained

Pauingassi First Nation is proud of its collection of over 200 artefacts, which is cared for by Manitoba Museum in its Sacred Storage area and viewed only on rare and special occasions.

Dr. Maureen Mathews worked with Elders in the community to understand the history of the artefacts and their relationship to each other. As Curator of Cultural Anthropology at the museum, she works with community Guardians to ensure the artefacts’ safe-keeping.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, we asked special permission to share photographs of 21 artefacts. Some artefacts were used in two important ceremonies:

  • Waabano, an Anishinaabe social dance in the Pauingassi area
  • Boodaade, a dream dance which originated in Pauingassi
Waabanoowigamig, the ceremonial lodge in Pauingassi where Waabano ceremonies took place.
Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection
Naamiwan (Fair Wind) was a famous Ogichidaa, a widely respected healer and leader of ceremonies in Pauingassi.
Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

1. Naamiwan’s water drum

2. Naamiwan’s dewe’iganaatig (drumstick)

3. Naamiwan’s mitigwakik (metal rattle)

These powerful objects are Naamiwan’s personal water drum, drumstick, and metal rattle. He used this drum in his Midewiwin practice and played it during sweat lodges and Waabano ceremonies. Naamiwan was assisted in his practice by the drum and drumstick who also called upon his small drum-shaped rattles (below) for healing. As wiikaanag (ritual brothers) these ceremonial objects once helped save the life of Naamiwan’s grandson Omishoosh Owen.

Naamiwan sits in front of his waabanowigamig with his wife Koowin Owen. You can see his water drum, drumstick and metal rattle. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

4. Naamiwan’s zhiishiigwanag (rattles)

Naamiwan used these rattles—one with a sucking tube and another with ribbon—to invoke a state of being called gwiingwa’age (a wolverine). He tapped the rattle on his chest while singing, and in the persona of a wolverine, was sometimes able to travel to the land of the dead to bring people back.

5. Naamiwan’s Boodaade (dream drum)

Naamiwan’s Boodaade (dream drum), 1932, with Naamiwan’s three nephews at Poplar Hill, Ontario. The drum, built in about 1915, was still in use in the 1940s. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

This drum was named Gibaabaanaan and a brother drum made some years later was called Gaa-gizhewaadizid (the Gracious One). At a site near present-day Pauingassi First Nation, renowned medicine man Naamiwan (Fairwind) had a dream to make Gibaabaanaan, the drum that you see here. This healing drum cured many people. The drum was also used to communicate with the dead and guide souls safely along the flower-lined path to the land of the dead—the land of summer birds.  

6. Boodaade baagaamaaganan (drumsticks)

Angus Owen. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

These drumsticks are made specifically for use with the Boodaade drum and are shaped to reflect the Anishinaaabe war club, hence the alternated name, bekwaag dewe’iganaatig.

The drumstick in the middle belonged to Naamiwan’s eldest son Angus Owen who was leading ceremonies in Pauingassi by the 1940s. Omishoosh remembers being present when Angus Owen made this drumstick.

Ogichidaag (warriors) and Ogichidaakweg (grand warrior women) who conducted Waabano, Boodade, and other ceremonies in Pauingassi.
Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

7. Wawezhi’onan (dance capes)

Circular red plaid dance cape with red wing blackbird wings and tinklers
Wawezhi’on worn by Naamiwan’s wife Koowin Owen, leader of the Ogichidaakweg in 1933.

Ogichidaakweg (grand warrior women) wore dance capes in the Boodade ceremony. The capes were part of Naamiwan’s dream and made by women in the community who participated in the ceremony. In this ceremony, Ogichidaakweg led the dance, coming first into the Boodaadewigamig (round ceremonial lodge).   

One of two Boodaadewigamig lodges where Naamiwan’s Boodade ceremonies took place. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

8. Gijipizon (belt)

The bandolier-style belt with gaanda’igwaasonag (thimbles) tinkled as Oshkaabewisag (apprentices) danced in Waabano and Boodade ceremonies. This piece has beautiful silk button-hole stitch embroidery.

9. Apishtaagan (chest protector)

Worn under the shirt as a chest protector, this piece is part of the regalia Omishoosh wore in ceremonies. The embroidered design inside the circle is called Gaagige Anang (the Forever Star). It is a representation of the Star spirit, the one who visits you in dreams.

Oshkaabewisag (apprentices) and Oshkaabewisikweg (women apprentices) who assisted with the Waabano, Boodade, and other ceremonies in Pauingassi. 1933. You can see two men wearing the gijipizon (bandolier-style belt) and a woman with the Gaagige Anang (Forever Star) embroidered on her dance cape. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

10. Zhiishiigwanag (rattles)

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These rattles were used in Boodade ceremonies. You can see them in the hands of apprentices in the photo above.

11. Odaminowinan (counting sticks)

These are used for scoring in the moccasin game makizinataagewin, a lively gambling game played by both Anishinaabe and Cree.

12. Odaminwaagan/Nabawaaganag (cup and pin game)

This hand-eye coordination game is made of hide, a piece of stiff metal wire and ankle bones of a caribou. The player swings the bones and leather tail and scores points when they catch particular bones or put the wire through holes in the leather tail. The game is played by children and adults. It is usually played only in winter. The game seen here was made by Miskwaa’o Owen for Omishoosh when he was a child in the 1920s or 30s.

13. Aagimag (snowshoes)

Anishinaabeg used snowshoes in winter to travel to hunting grounds and around traplines.  They carved and bent poplar or birch to make the frames. These snowshoes were made by Sugashki Strang of Pauingassi for his own use in the 1960s.

14. Aagim zhaaboniganan (snowshoe needles)

Anishinaabeg laced shoeshoes with rawhide using snowshoe needles. The top snowshoe needle was made by James Owen.

15. Netting shuttles  

These netting shuttles for making fishnets are made of poplar or birch and finely carved. Fish nets were made out of twisted fibre made with nettles or other fibrous plants. The size of the shuttle sets the size of the net. Anishinaabeg made fine-mesh seine nets, which were used in spring at a weir to scoop fish out of the river. In fall, they made gill nets, which catch fish in deeper water at the mouths of rivers as the fish prepare to spawn just before freeze-up. The smallest shuttles are about seven centimetres high and the biggest are about 30 centimetres high.

The netting shuttle on the left was made by Fred Owen in the 1950s.

16. Waaboose saykun (rabbit fur blanket)

This rabbit fur blanket is made up of about 300 rabbit pelts. It is about the size of an adult sleeping bag and incredibly warm. It is made using a netting technique on a portable loom. This blanket was made by Augusta Owen in the 1960s.

Zhoowaab Keeper in 1932, making a rabbit fur blanket on a loom. Blankets and garments, especially for children, were made using this technique. Photo: A-160, American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

17. Gwaaba’igan(ag) (ice scoop or dipper)

When you collect water in winter from a hole in the ice, this scoop is used to move pieces of ice out of the way so that your bucket will have water and not ice in it.

18. Spoon (emikwan)

This hand-carved spoon is large, bigger than salad servers, and was used to stir and serve soup and stew. It may also have had a ceremonial role. Spoons tend to be owned and used exclusively by one person. The same is true of drinking cups.

19. Mikingan(an) (hide scrapers)

Moose hide scrapers are used to remove flesh and hair from moose hide. The ones on the left have a metal blade and the ones on the right are made of a sharpened moose or caribou shin bones.

Mikingan made by Jamie Crow (left) and St. John Owen.

20. Dikinaagan (cradle board)

Cradle boards were made by the family for the baby. The father usually made the wooden backboard and frame for the bumper and the mother made and decorated the mossbag into which the child was laced. Women in Pauingassi favour bright plaids for these mossbags and sometimes they are elaborately embroidered. The dikinaagan pictured here was made by William Baptiste in 1958.

Maadoz, (William Owen, grandson of Naamiwan), wife Aanang and their baby in a dikinaagan with a small drum and drumstick, 1933. Photo: American Philosophical Society, Hallowell Collection

21. Minjikaawanag (gauntlets)

These are children’s gauntlet mittens with beautiful beading. They are made of smoked, brain-tanned moosehide by Mary Crow of Pauingassi in 1970. 

How 4 Wildlife Species React to Forest Fires in Pimachiowin Aki

Last summer over 130 fires roared across Manitoba, causing as many as 1,000 people living in Pimachiowin Aki to evacuate to Winnipeg. While fires can negatively impact people living in the area, some wildlife species thrive.

Forest fires are an inevitable part of the boreal forest life cycle. They  are as crucial to forests as sun and rain.

As the upper canopy of trees burns, the forest floor receives more sunlight and water, allowing different species of trees, plants, insects, and wildlife to settle in.

While some species adapt to changing landscapes, others struggle. We look at four species in Pimachiowin Aki and their responses to increased fire frequency and intensity:

1. Wolverine

Photo: Bruce Bremner

Wolverines are an elusive species and largest member of the weasel family. They travel long distances (especially males) and live in small packs far from civilization. They’re carnivores and scavengers, relying on other animals for food. They are ferocious predators and prey mostly on small mammals like rabbits. They also eat carcasses of large animals like boreal woodland caribou when other food is scarce.

“They eat whatever they can find,” says Guardian Dennis Keeper, Little Grand Rapids First Nation. “They eat snowshoe hare, so they’re found where the highest population of rabbits are.”

Photo: Hidehiro Otake
Photo: Hidehiro Otake
In Pimachiowin Aki, wolverines count on wolves to kill boreal woodland caribou, which they scavenge when the coast is  clear.

What happens to wolverines after a forest fire?

When a fire rips through a forest, it burns food sources for many species, including boreal woodland caribou. Without lichen, caribou move on in search of this favoured food source. Wolves follow closely behind, leaving wolverines to hunt for themselves.

Despite their ability to travel long distances and lack of dependence on a particular habitat, wolverines struggle when their livable territory burns. Forest fires force wolverines closer together, increasing competition for food and territory. These tough animals are incredibly territorial and turn on each other. They fight over territory, food, and females.

In Ontario disturbances could pit the few hundred wolverines against one another. They really beat each other up.

Wildfire researcher Matt Scrafford discusses negative effects of wildfire on wolverines in a 2021 CBC interview

2. Snowshoe Hare

When wildfire burns through the boreal forest, it allows plants on the forest floor to reach sunlight and grow, providing ample opportunities for hares to hide and raise their young in shrubs and undergrowth. Their numbers are known to exponentially rise in a younger forest. In fact, snowshoe hares fare better when living away from mature forests. As maturing jack pine leaves become harder to reach, hare populations decline.

Hares eat smoked leaves in nogoomekay akisakeytek (newly burned areas).

Guardian Dennis Keeper stayed in Little Grand Rapids First Nation to monitor last year’s wildfires. He has been documenting hare populations in Little Grand Rapids First Nation and reports that hare populations are abundant.

Hares usually spend daylight hours sheltered under bush, stumps, or logs and become more active after sundown. Even when sleeping or grooming, they remain alert for predators like marten, lynx and fisher, which travel from old growth denning sites to burned areas to hunt hares.

“Many wildlife species eat hare,” Dennis says. The wildfire that burned through Little Grand Rapids in 2018 has already regrown with shrubs, ideal for snowshoe hare to live and raise their young. Predators will follow. “There’s always predators right behind them, like lynx.”

3. Lynx

Photo: Hidehiro Otake

Canadian lynx prefer habitats with old-growth trees and little to no brush on the forest floor. However, they live in places with new growth—like a fresh forest after a fire—if it has abundant food.

“You won’t see lynx because they are shy and elusive,” says Guardian Dennis Keeper, who grew up in Pimachiowin Aki and is an avid hunter and trapper. Though Dennis has seen “only a few” lynx in his life, he knows they’re around. “I see their tracks,” he says. Plus—where there’s hare, there’s lynx.

Abundant hares attract lynx to regenerating forests—snowshoe hare is the lynx’s main source of food. The more hares in an area, the more lynx that arrive to eat them. This is called the hare-lynx cycle.

The hare-lynx cycle is part of forest regrowth, but it doesn’t last forever. The more hares lynx eat, the fewer hares there are left to feed on. Plus, as new forest grows taller, twigs, buds and needles are out of hares’ reach. Now, both lynx and hares have less food. As hare populations dwindle, lynx populations also decline. 

The hare-lynx cycle lasts 8-11 years.

4. Black Fire Beetle

Wildfires don’t destroy everything. In fact, they are source of life for black fire beetles, which fly to forest fires in great numbers and mate while fires still burn.

The black fire can detect heat from forest fires burning between 50 and perhaps as far as 130 miles away.

academic.oup.com

Jordan Bannerman, Instructor II, Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba explains, black fire beetles have infrared sensors on their thorax that allow them to detect heat emanating from fires (Reference).  “Heat produced from even a small fire is sufficient to attract them,” he adds. “They can also detect certain chemicals emitted from burning wood that are present in smoke.”

Females deposit eggs under the bark of dead and dying coniferous trees, leaving larvae to safely develop and hatch with few predators around. “Egg laying has sometimes been observed in trees that are still smouldering,” says Jordan.

He says that “a dying tree will also have weaker defences and be more or less free from competitors, which provides the black fire beetle with a big advantage.”

Most predators leave burned areas, but black-backed woodpeckers stick around to feast on the black fire beetle’s wood-eating larvae and other wood-boring insects, which thrive on burned boreal trees.

Do black fire beetles help or harm boreal forests ?

Jordan says, “these beetles are beneficial in that they are important primary decomposers that play a role in forest regeneration.” Black fire beetles start the decomposition process early, setting the stage for other insects to further break down the dead matter and release nutrients into the soil.

infographic denting 100 years of resources following a wildfire

Did you know that blueberries come after fire and feed a lot of animals?
Wildfire sets a lot in motion in the boreal forest. Take a look at this 100 year-cycle:

https://pimaki.ca/the-land-that-gives-life/wildfire/

Pimachiowin Aki is the largest protected area in the boreal shield ecosystems of North America. It is 2,904,000 hectares of natural habitat for plants to thrive and wildlife to eat, shelter, and raise their young.

6 Boreal Trees to Identify and Respect This Summer

Pimachiowin Aki is part of the largest stretch of protected boreal forest—home to millions of trees and over a thousand plant species that provide vast amounts of oxygen.

The boreal forest is vital to survival, explains Brad Epp, Manitoba Forestry and Peatlands. “It provides clean air and water to everyone, habitat to wildlife and countless species, significant areas of spiritual and cultural importance, and places for all of us to recreate.” It also supplies renewal resources that sustain families and communities, he adds.

70% of Indigenous communities in Canada are located in forested regions. The boreal forest is culturally and economically significant to Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.

NRCANS – 8 facts about Canada’s boreal forest
Catkins are long, slim clusters of tiny flowers.

How to identify boreal trees

Here are six important boreal trees to spot across Canada this summer. Take time to honour them in your own way as you walk, cycle or paddle by!

1. Maanazaadii (Balsam Poplar)

Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D./Global Photo Archive/Wikimedia Commons

Form: Medium-sized deciduous tree with a long cylindrical trunk and narrow, open crown of stout limbs

Bark: Smooth, becoming furrowed into thick ridges, whitish to greyish brown

Leaves: Oval shaped with a long tip and yellowish metallic luster on underside

Flowers: Long, drooping catkins occur before tree has leaves

Fruit: Seeds hang on catkins when tree has leaves

Maanazaadi is used for smoking meat and fish, curing hides, medicine (bark), snares, food for beaver and snowshoe hare.

2. Wiigwaasaatig (Birch)

Photo: Hidehiro Otake

Form: Small to medium-sized deciduous tree with ascending, spreading branches. In winter, reddish-brown branches contrast against the white trunk of mature trees

Bark: Thin, smooth, white; peels off in papery layers

Leaves: Alternate, triangular or oval with jagged edges

Flowers: Catkins hang from branches in April-May

Fruit: Dry, two-winged nut in drooping catkins  

Photo: Melba Green

Wiigwaasaatig is used for kindling, sap, and snowshoes; its bark is used for baskets, canoes, horns for calling moose, and coverings for wigwams.

3. Zesegaandag (Black Spruce)

Form: Dense evergreen tree with a cluster of branches forming a club shape at the top; lower branches droop, tips of lowest branches are upturned

Bark: Thin, dark, greyish-brown scales; inner bark is greenish tinged

Leaves: Stiff, sharp, four-sided, bluish-green needles arranged around the entire branch

Flowers: Dark red or purple, oval, cone-shaped flowers point upright in May

Fruit: Egg-shaped cones with thin, brown scales usually remain on the tree for more than one year; may have a cluster of cones near the top 

Zesegaandag is used for firewood and medicine.

4. Okikaandag (Jack Pine)

Photo: Hidehiro Otake

Form: Medium-sized evergreen tree with a narrow, open crown; crown is rather small in dense stands but becomes bushy and extends near the ground in open areas

Bark: Brownish with thin, loose scales in irregular shapes

Leaves: Sharp needles in pairs of two form a V-shape

Flowers: Yellow or purple, elongated flowers form in clusters near the tips of twigs in May

Fruit: Brown cones occur in pairs; horn shaped with curled tip

Okikaandag is used for firewood and tipi poles.

6. Mashkiigwaatig (Tamarack)

Photo: Kevin Casper

Form: Small tree with an open, light green crown   

Leaves: Soft, flexible, pale green needles in summer turn yellow and drop off in autumn  

Flowers: Single yellow or red, small, semi-circular flowers occur when tree has needles

Fruit: Small, upright, egg-shaped, brownish cone, composed of about 20 rounded, thin scales

Mashkiigwaatig (Tamarack) is the only deciduous conifer that loses its needles in fall.

Mashkiigwaatig is used for firewood and building cabins.

7. Azaadii (Poplar/Trembling Aspen)

Photo: Halogenated, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Form: Medium to tall deciduous tree with a slender trunk and moderately stout, ascending branches that form an open, round-topped crown; no branch in the lower part

Bark: Smooth, waxy-looking, greenish white bark that does not peel; becomes rough as tree matures

Leaves: Egg-shaped to circular leaves with numerous fine teeth; deep green on top and paler below

Flowers: Drooping hairy catkins appear before leaves

Fruit: Tiny capsules covered with cottony down appear in catkins when the tree has leaves

Moose strip Azaadii (Poplar/Trembling Aspen) bark for food, leaving vertical scars on the trunk.

Azaadii is an important source of food, medicine, and fire wood; in spring inner bark can be eaten; outer bark can be scraped off to get the white sweet-tasting bark inside

Ask an expert—7 questions about the boreal 

Brad Epp is a Forester with Manitoba’s Forestry and Peatlands Branch and President of the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF-IFC). We asked him seven questions about boreal forest.

The boreal forest is made up mostly of trees that are relatively young. It is regularly affected by forest fire and insects, and continually renews itself through these and other natural disturbances.

1. How do the trees we’ve profiled contribute to boreal shield ecosystems?

The boreal forest contains many types of ecosystems, and each contributes differently in different areas such as dry-lowland areas vs. upland well-drained areas. You will often find Black Spruce and Tamarack bringing forest cover to very wet areas where another tree can’t grow. Each tree prefers a different amount of sun and shade, so they thrive in different times of a forest life. For example, Trembling Aspen is a shade-intolerant species, so it is the first to grow up after a fire or disturbance. Underneath the aspen, small spruce seedlings slowly grow in the shade until they are old enough to break through the canopy.

2. Is Canada’s boreal forest in danger?

Fortunately, the boreal is a huge, resilient ecosystem so ‘danger’ is a strong word. However, local areas will be challenged by climate change. As climate changes, some southern areas may see fewer trees and more grasslands while in northern areas the forest may expand. Manitoba Forestry and Peatlands Branch has completed several Vulnerability Assessments. That research suggests that some tree species will be harder to grow in areas where they have always grown. Therefore, research continues on finding native tree species that can be planted that will adapt to a new climate.

3. What are the biggest threats to Canada’s boreal forest?

Climate change is likely the largest threat, as we don’t know precisely what the future will look like and how forests will respond. We expect more frequent and more damaging forest fires. There may be more damage from insects and disease, especially from invasive species. In addition, some wildlife habitat will change due our climate, threatening local populations. Therefore, we must all work together to find ways to manage these effects on our forests.

4.How does wildfire positively affect the boreal forest?

Boreal forest and wildfire go hand-in-hand. New forests are born out of forest fires. Fires release nutrients and seeds from soil. They provide new habitat and food sources for species that thrive in open environments. Then after 100 or more years of growth, the boreal forest begins to ready itself for the next fire.

5. We know that the black fire beetle thrives in burned boreal forest and is a food source for birds. What other insects live in the boreal forest in Pimachiowin Aki and how do they impact it?

Insects important to the boreal include spruce and pine budworm and pine beetles. These species develop in harmony with boreal trees and their populations are cyclical in nature. Currently on the east side of Manitoba, the jack pine budworm has been increasing and its impact can be seen in mid summer (many red needles). Although the budworm feed on the needles causing the trees stress, most trees survive. However, as the forest ages, the insects and diseases increase, eventually causing enough trees to die and build up the fuel load, readying it for fire, and starting the cycle again. The greatest threat however is from invasive insects that are not in balance with boreal species. One example is the destructive emerald ash borer, which has killed millions of ash trees across North America. Another is the Spongy moth, which feeds on most boreal tree species. These insects are at our borders in Ontario and the US.

To learn more please visit: gov.mb.ca/stopthespread/fis/eab/stop-spread.

6. What role does boreal forest play in slowing effects of climate change?

The boreal has a significant role in regulating our climate. It can act as a sink for storing billions of tons of carbon above and below the soil. However, the forest is always growing and changing. Since the boreal forest is driven by forest fires, it is not as simple as sitting back and hoping it never burns. Managing our forests requires teams of forest practitioners working with local peoples and governments so that we can maximize the impact on climate change.

7. What interesting fast facts about boreal forest surprise people?

Worldwide, the boreal zone covers:

  • 1.9 billion hectares
  • 14% of Earth’s land
  • 33% of Earth’s forested area

Canada has:

  • 28% of the world’s boreal zone (that’s 552 million hectares)
  • 75% of its forests and woodlands are in the boreal zone (307 million hectares in total)

3.7 million people live in the boreal zone, mostly in remote and rural communities.

Sources:

NRCANS – 8 facts about Canada’s boreal forest 

Free Field Guide to the Trees of Manitoba, published by Manitoba Forestry and Peatlands Branch. View online or contact the Manitoba Forestry and Peatlands Branch for copies: gov.mb.ca/forest/pubs/forest_lands/field_guide.pdf 

What to Do if You Spot Algae This Summer

Water is sacred. It is the source of life and should be respected and protected. Waterways are like the arteries of Mother Earth and flow along, receiving and depositing nourishment for all plants and animals.

Pauingassi Lands Management Plan

Pimachiowin Aki is known for its pristine waters. Rivers, streams, lakes, waterfalls, and rapids flow gracefully through the World Heritage site while sustaining the ecosystem and the Anishinaabe way of life.  

Water is life—a food provider, wildlife habitat, a hydration source, and travel route. Its health is crucial.

Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green spotted algae in Pimachiowin Aki in 2021 and wants everyone to help keep an eye out for this potential hazard this summer.

“I saw it right behind my house at the water’s edge in the Bloodvein River,” she says. She immediately took a picture. “I mentioned it to someone here and they suggested I take a sample. However, when I went back the algae was no longer there.“

Melba also saw what looked like harmless green weeds further up river and later wondered if this, too, was algae. Richard Farthing-Nichol, Project Manager at Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources says “while algae is a natural part of the Bloodvein River ecosystem, excessive algae could be a problem and is something to watch out for.” Algal blooms are more common in the south end of the Lake Winnipeg, but can happen anywhere, he says.

Pimachiowin Aki’s waterways (seen here) flow into Lake Winnipeg.  The health of Lake Winnipeg is being threatened by algal blooms.

Algae refers to a wide range of simple plants that can grow in any body of water. You will typically notice algae as small green particles in water. It is normal for a lake to have some algae, but too many nutrients in water can lead to an overgrowth of algae, which then forms algal blooms. Algal blooms are generally unpleasant and can even be toxic depending on the type.

Why algae can be dangerous

Algae is a natural part of the environment.  It can be found in any body of water. Richard explains that algae provide food for small water organisms and supplies much of the oxygen we breathe. But too much algae can be a problem, he cautions.

“Some types of blue-green algae found in algal blooms can be toxic to humans and animals. Also, when algae die, they decompose and use up oxygen that other organisms need to survive. This can impact entire food chains and lead to fish die-offs,” he says.

Melba recalls an encounter with a fisherman in Bloodvein River First Nation two years ago. “He was concerned about fishing in the lake because the water was “sticky.” She has heard this same description from others. “An Elder said that when you pull your hand out of the lake, your hand is sticky. When people pull their fishing nets from the water the sticky stuff is on their nets.”

Photo: Hidehiro Otake

Certain algae hurt the environment and economy by:

  • Producing toxins that can kill or sicken people and animals
  • Creating “dead zones” in water—areas lacking oxygen that become uninhabitable for marine life
  • Raising costs for drinking water as drinkable water becomes more scarce
  • Impacting industries that require clean water

These hazards show why it’s crucial to identify toxic algae if we plan to keep the environment and economy healthy and thriving.

How to spot toxic algae

Not all algae are toxic. The kind to watch out for is blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. The physical appearance of blue-green algae varies, which makes it difficult to identify. Richard explains, “Algal blooms are generally green and often form floating clumps or scums, sometimes making the water look like thick pea soup or paint. They also emit a strong, unpleasant odour. A laboratory analysis is the only way to tell if an algal bloom is toxic. “It is best to exercise caution and treat all algal blooms as if they contain toxins,” Richard warns.

Melba reports that she has been “in and out from the Bloodvein River and has not spotted algae yet this year. If she sees it again, she will “carefully take a sample and give it to the nursing station, which will send it to water sampling experts.”

Algae can be found in wide range of habitats beyond lakes and rivers, including in soil, growing on rocks and snow, and in plants such as lichens.

“When young ones and teenagers see wildlife or something unusual on the water or land, they come and tell me. I plan to learn more about algae and make a presentation to the school so they know what to look for,” says Melba.

Richard explains how algae affects communities, including places like Pimachiowin Aki, where fishing is a livelihood:

“Algal blooms, and especially toxic blue-green algae, can negatively impact communities in many ways. Algal blooms can make beaches unpleasant and unsafe for swimming, clog water intake pipes and fishing nets, and reduce the amount of fish available for harvesting.”

Please act as the eyes and ears of the land and waters, and report all sightings of algae to prevent the problem from growing.

What to do if you spot algae this summer

In Manitoba

Report algal blooms to the province at the following website: https://forms.gov.mb.ca/algal_report/index.html

In Pimachiowin Aki

The protocol for reporting toxic algae in Pimachiowin Aki is the same as the protocol for reporting pollution, littering, accidents, forest fires, and other threats to the land:

  1. Take a photo or video
  2. Write down details (such as where you are located and what you see, including the algae’s size, shape and colour)
  3. Call the nearest administrative office:
Bloodvein River First Nation204.395.2148
Little Grand Rapids First Nation204.397.2264
Pauingassi First Nation204.397.2371
Poplar River First Nation204.224.2267
Manitoba Department of Agriculture and Resource Developmenttoll-free 1.800.282.8069
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestrytoll-free 1.877.847.7667

Inform as many people as possible
Tell everyone you know about the dangers of harmful algal blooms. There’s no such thing as too much help for a problem like this. Spread the word for the health of Pimachiowin Aki’s waters and the protection of the Anishinaabe way of life.

Q&A with Richard

1. What causes algae?
Algae, like all plants, need sunlight and nutrients, primarily phosphorous and nitrogen, to grow. Phosphorous and nitrogen are found naturally in the environment, but humans also use phosphorous in fertilizers that we apply to our gardens and farmland. Phosphorous is also found in wastewater. When too much phosphorous gets into the water by, for example, fertilizer running off farmland into nearby streams, algae can grow rapidly and create algal blooms. Algal blooms are most likely to occur in hot weather with little or no wind. 

2. Is it safe to go into the water and swim if I spot algae?
You should avoid swimming in water with algal blooms.

3. Does boiling water remove toxins from algae-contaminated water?
No, the toxins cannot be destroyed by boiling the water.

4. Is it safe to eat fish or wildlife if the water in my community is affected?
It should generally be safe, but you should take some precautions. Because algal toxins can accumulate in fish, you should avoid eating the internal organs, like the liver and kidneys, of fish caught in water experiencing an algal bloom. You should also pay close attention to the condition of the fish—if it appears unhealthy, do not eat it.

5. Pimachiowin Aki is part of the largest stretch of intact boreal forest on earth. How does the boreal forest purify water?
Nature is extremely good at looking after itself if given the opportunity. The roots of trees and other plants can absorb excess nutrients and other toxins from water and soil, which helps purify the water. Some aquatic plants like cattails are particularly good at removing nutrients such as phosphorous from the water. This is one of the many reasons that healthy wetlands are so important. The boreal forest is full of wetlands that are helping purify the air, water, and fight climate change, not to mention providing food and medicines for people and habitat for other creatures.

6. What actions can I take in my everyday life to be part of the solution?
Reducing the amount of phosphorous that you use is the best thing you can do in your everyday life to be part of the solution. You can do that by not fertilizing your yard (or by using phosphorous-free fertilizer), using cleaning products (such as dish soap and detergent) that are phosphorous-free, and not disposing of pharmaceuticals, food, or chemicals down the drain.

For a list of actions you can take to protect water and ensure we have fresh water for generations to come, visit: https://www.lakefriendly.ca/.