Wildfire

A Year of Connections for Pimachiowin Aki

December 14, 2022

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.

A Little Paper Creates a Big Problem

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

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.”

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:

How 4 Wildlife Species React to Forest Fires in Pimachiowin Aki

June 27, 2022

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

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.”

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

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.

New Eye in the Sky

December 20, 2021

Birds have always been an eye in the sky above Pimachiowin Aki. Now, thanks to drones provided by environmental consulting and research firm ECOSTEM, Pimachiowin Aki Corp. has an eye up there too.

We are working with ECOSTEM to map land and water habitats in Pimachiowin Aki as well as tangible cultural features found mainly along major rivers in the area. At 29,000 square kilometers, Pimachiowin Aki is simply too large to ‘see’ from the ground. Each drone, and its pilot are giving us a close-up look at areas we want to know more about.

“The project will enhance our understanding of Pimachiowin Aki and provide a baseline for monitoring,” says Pimachiowin Aki’s Executive Director. “Our monitoring program is part of how we fulfill our responsibilities as a UNESCO World Heritage site,” she adds.

Working with ECOSTEM will also allow us to bring all data we have ever collected into one place—a digital map of Pimachiowin Aki. People will be able to search the map for answers to questions like: Where do lake sturgeon spawn? What areas have been affected by wildfire? Where are the best places to find blueberries?

*Drones are used to help map wildfire history, ecosystem health, and effects of climate change*.

What exactly are we mapping?

Habitat Mapping	Cultural Feature Mapping
Land habitats such as forests and grasslands, wildlife habitats such as caribou calving areas	Archaeological sites such as places where stone was collected to make tools
Water habitats such as rivers, wild rice, and wildlife habitat such as lake sturgeon spawning areas	Harvesting sites such as hunting and fishing areas, traplines, and berry and medicine plant gathering areas
Parts that form each habitat such as plants, soil and rock	Cultural sites such as cabins, campsites and petroforms

Collecting Data from Soil to Sky

ECOSTEM collects vegetation, soil, and environmental data from plots

Mapping is like taking inventory—in this case, identifying the location, number and kinds of habitats and cultural features in Pimachiowin Aki. ECOSTEM is taking inventory by going out on the land and water to collect samples and take photos and notes. The drones are capturing photos and video.

ECOSTEM Senior Ecologist Dr. James Ehnes says that the ECOSTEM drones collected “about 9,000 photos and 37 minutes of video” of Pimachiowin Aki this fall. “We had planned to capture considerably more photos and video but were unable to do so due to Covid restrictions, wildfire-related travel bans, loss of logistical support in communities that were evacuated, and extremely low water levels on rivers.”

Once we have our complete ‘inventory,’ Pimachiowin Aki can track changes over time. This is where monitoring comes in.

Monitoring is like giving Pimachiowin Aki a regular checkup—we will compare new information with our original inventory to keep watch on Pimachiowin Aki’s natural and cultural health. This will help us make sense of any changes and predict and prepare for any threats.

*Flying the drone from an island in Bloodvein River.*

Project Q&A

We gained insights on the project through an interview with Dr. James Ehnes of ECOSTEM:

Your work with Pimachiowin Aki began in 2011 when you completed an ecosystem analysis to show how the area met UNESCO World Heritage criteria for outstanding universal value. What is different about the work you are doing today?

The ‘feeling’ has changed from conducting an academic exercise to having the opportunity to serve Pimachiowin Aki, its partner communities and local people. The work that we are now doing is focused on providing data, information, maps and other things that will support the continuation of Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan.

Pimachiowin Aki Guardians are the eyes and ears of Pimachiowin Aki. How does this project enhance their work?

Guardians can only cover a small area each year. The project immensely expands the area where information is obtained and can prioritize areas that we should go to get more information.

How are Pimachiowin Aki Guardians and Elders involved?

Land use information from Guardians and Elders is extremely important for cultural and natural features mapping, such as where are the best places to go to find certain plants and animals, where are notable culture features and sites located (e.g., petroforms, meeting areas, hunting areas, wild rice plantings, controlled burns, spiritually significant areas). We hope that the information that is passed on will contribute to maintaining the memories of the people and communities.

One of two drones that ECOSTEM is using to collect photos and video in Pimachiowin Aki.

What will data you collect tell us about Pimachiowin Aki now and over time?

Most fundamentally, it will tell us what vegetation, wetlands, landforms, waterways, etc. occur within Pimachiowin Aki at a much higher level of accuracy and detail than is available now. It will also:

Show a local person new places where they could to go to find things that they want to gather or hunt
Identify important habitats for species of high interest such as caribou, moose, and sturgeon
Aid in making reliable predictions about species that are important to local people or conservation
Contribute to safeguarding and recovering species of conservation concern within Pimachiowin Aki. Examples: data may result in expanded woodland caribou research and opportunities to research lake sturgeon
Detect and monitor the spread of invasive species
Show people how their traplines have been affected by wildfire
Identify areas that were burned more severely than usually happens—vegetation recovery may be limited, and it could be evidence that important, adverse climate change effects are happening in Pimachiowin Aki
Help us study how Pimachiowin Aki is responding to climate change
Show us areas that store the most carbon, areas that are most susceptible to releasing greenhouse gases as the climate warms, and the best places to do climate research
Inform us if climate change is making fire effects worse, which has future consequences for what will be found on the land and in the water
Contribute to fulfilling UNESCO World Heritage monitoring requirements

How exactly do you collect information for the maps?

We collect information in two ways. We get information for the entire site from satellite imagery and information that has been created by others (e.g., elevations). We go out on the land and water in Pimachiowin Aki and take photos and notes. Sometimes we do this from planes and other times while boating or walking. While on the land, we collect plot samples and use drones to collect photos and video.

Flying the drone where the east side road meets Bloodvein River.

What is plot sampling and how is it done?

We collect habitat data in plots, sometimes with a community member and sometimes on our own. For our work so far, this has been a 40 by 40 metre square plot. Within this plot, staff collect plant, vegetation, soils and environmental data. A botanist collects plant and vegetation data by walking through the plot and recording what they see. A soil specialist collects soil data by first digging a narrow hole about 50 cm deep, then using an auger to go down to about 100 cm and pull up material that is examined and used to describe soil conditions.

We try to leave no trace that we were there. When we’re done, we fill the hole and replace the surface ‘divot’ that was carefully removed before digging the hole.

Why has the drone collected more photos than videos?

We focused on photos because we expected that they would be more useful for creating the habitat map for the entire site. An advantage of photos is that they can be ‘stitched’ together to create an image that shows a much larger area. The stitched image from the drone is more magnified than Google Earth. We may lean more towards video when documenting cultural features along waterways or habitats for species that are especially important to local people.

How does monitoring a habitat make it possible to reliably monitor a species?

A species’ habitat is the most important thing that determines how many individuals of that species can exist within Pimachiowin Aki, and where they are likely to be found.

Using moose as an example, areas that have burned in the past five to 15 years tend to provide considerably more moose food per hectare than other areas. If the proportion of Pimachiowin Aki area that has burned in the past five to 15 years goes up, the number of moose can also increase.

Using sturgeon as an example, this species has very specialized conditions for spawning. By mapping spawning conditions, we can identify areas that should not be disturbed by human activities. We can also use the mapping to identify locations that are good candidates for restoring suitable sturgeon spawning conditions.

See our infographic to learn more about how forest fires affect moose

Learn how to identify and protect lake sturgeon

How close do the drones get to wildlife and people?

Manitoba wildlife regulations prohibit harassing wildlife, so we maintain the distance needed to avoid that, which varies with species and individuals. If we saw behaviours indicating an animal was being disturbed, we would quickly move further away. Our drones are very quiet and with the cameras we use, we don’t need to get close to an animal to see it in high detail.

We don’t intentionally get close enough to identify a person unless they have provided their consent.

What excites you most about the project?

I’m very excited by the amount of detail that can be obtained with a drone. We can create 3D images of an area, which will be very impressive for things such as depicting cultural or natural features on waterways.

When will the map be complete and where can I find it?

The map should be complete in 2023, following another field season in 2022. ECOSTEM holds the data and information for the map in trust for the Pimachiowin Aki communities. Because the map and derived products contain confidential information that belongs to the communities, they may only be used with the express and prior permission of the communities.

Photos: ECOSTEM

How Wildfires Have Affected Pimachiowin Aki

September 28, 2021

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This past summer as hundreds of wildfires roared across Manitoba and Ontario, more than 1,000 people from Pimachiowin Aki and nearby First Nations evacuated to Winnipeg. Few people stayed behind. We talked with two of them—Pimachiowin Aki Guardians Dennis Keeper and Melba Green—about their experiences and the impacts of fire on the Land that Gives Life.

We were completely surrounded by fire. You couldn’t even see 10 feet because of the smoke.
Pimachiowin Guardian Dennis Keeper, Little Grand First Nation

Five First Nations in the Pimachiowin Aki area—Pauingassi First Nation, Little Grand Rapids First Nation, Bloodvein River First Nation, Berens River First Nation and Red Sucker Lake First Nation—were affected by heavy smoke from forest fires burning near their communities.

By July, close to 130 wildfires were burning in Manitoba. Most had been started by natural causes like lightning. Travel and fire bans were issued. Severe drought made fires difficult to fight.

An hour to pack and leave

“We had dry lightning (lightning without rain) a couple of days before evacuations,” said Little Grand Rapids First Nation Guardian Dennis Keeper. “We were completely surrounded by fire. You couldn’t even see 10 feet because of the smoke.” Dennis’ wife had an hour to pack a bag and leave, but Dennis stayed behind along with a handful of others, including two Elders.

Little Grand Rapids has been without power for months, reported Dennis. Thousands of dollars of food spoiled in evacuated homes and stores. Like everyone who stayed put in his community, Dennis has been eating fish and whatever he has in his pantry. The First Nation sends in food hampers about every three weeks.

Food spoiled, hydro poles burned

Each household was given a generator when the fire took out hydro poles, said Dennis. He maintains the generators for Elders and the local water treatment plant. “I fuel up the generators twice a day and do maintenance for them about every 50 hours,” he said.

Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green said that her community fared somewhat better. Residents returned home in late August while evacuees from Little Grand Rapids First Nation remain in Winnipeg.

Quiet and dark

Along with Melba, about 60 people stayed in Bloodvein River First Nation. Each household was given a generator. Without vehicles or heavy equipment working, Melba said it was “quiet and dark.”

To deal with smoke in Bloodvein River First Nation, residents covered their windows with tarps or plastic. “We closed off vents in our homes so that smoke wouldn’t enter, and hung blankets in front of doors,” Melba explained.

In Bloodvein River First Nation, fire burned eastward toward traplines 4 and 5, she said. “They had it under control in early August but there was still smoke for weeks.”

Bloodvein River experienced a fire in the 1980s that was closer to the community but this [2021] was worse,” Melba said. “Because of the dry ground and trees, it was out of control.”

But nature is bouncing back in Melba’s community. In August, rains finally came. Leaves started to green and plants began to bloom again, she said.

“The fire grew into a monster in just a few days.”
Pimachiowin Guardian Dennis Keeper, Little Grand First Nation

Ashes falling everywhere

“The fire grew into a monster in just a few days,” reported Dennis. He said that as fires peaked, rivers near Little Grand Rapids First Nation were completely grey from ash. The community’s 120 water tanks are also ash-filled, and need to be drained and cleaned.

“Most of my trapline burned,” said Dennis. “Boats and motors were lost. My cabin was saved—the firefighters put a sprinkler around it. They tried to save other cabins, but the fire was too huge.

“Even the muskeg burned,” he noted. “It doesn’t usually burn but this time it burned.”

Little Grand Rapids First Nation is still without power, said Dennis. October 31 is the possible restoration date.

Difficulties of hotel life

Melba said she was “glad when everybody returned to Bloodvein.” While in Winnipeg, her fellow community members worried about their homes. They also grew tired of being cooped up in hotel rooms. “They became homesick. The little ones wanted to come home.”

Evacuated community members from Little Grand Rapids First Nation remain in hotels in Winnipeg. Dennis said that while they’re happy to be safe, they are anxious to return home. “Quite a few people have passed away,” he said. People find it hard to be away from life on the land. They miss traditional food.

The return date for evacuees is unknown.

“I counted 18 bears roaming around.”
Pimachiowin Guardian Dennis Keeper, Little Grand First Nation

Effects on wildlife

This year, a dry summer made food like wild berries scarce. Across Pimachiowin Aki, in the boreal forest, wildlife had difficulty finding food. After wildfires burned much of the limited vegetation available, wildlife began entering communities.

Bears in Bloodvein River First Nation (Photo: Melba Green)

Dennis experienced one bear trying to break into his home while he ate fish one day. “I counted 18 bears one day roaming around the community,” he said. Black bears are breaking into empty homes looking for food. The Northern Store was ransacked by hungry animals as well. The conditions are unusual. “We have a big pack of wolves here right now, possibly preying on bears,” Dennis said.

But amid the struggles are signs of normal life. During the time that Bloodvein River First Nation was evacuated, Melba saw a family of otters playing on rocks by the river. She also witnessed a young moose swimming across the Bloodvein River.

100 years of resources following a wildfire

In Pimachiowin Aki, survival depends on knowing where to find resources for harvesting throughout the year. Traditional knowledge about wildfire has been passed down through generations—wildfire has a significant effect on which type of plants grow in the area and which wildlife species thrive or relocate in search of food and cover. The infographic below demonstrates traditional knowledge of how wildfire changes vegetation, which in turn affects the movement of wildlife, including moose, marten and hare.

Did you know?

Fire changes how we hunt
Trapping and hunting sites have shifted over time in Pimachiowin Aki in response to the movement of animals and changes in habitat following a wildfire. When desired animals become scarce in one area, people join friends and relatives in other areas where those animals are abundant. This gives animals and their habitats time to recover. When populations are healthy again, people can return to harvest.

Some trees are fire resistant
Trees in fire-prone areas develop thicker bark, in part, because thick bark does not catch fire or burn easily. It also protects the inside of the trunk, the living tissues that transport water and nutrients, from heat damage.

“Fire doesn’t go into old fire areas for 10 to 15 years,” Dennis explained. “Certain trees like willows and some poplars are fireproof and don’t burn.”

Some trees need fire
Jack pine grow where soil is sandy and has serotinous cones (protected by a waxy coating) that require the heat of fire to release their seeds. Fire also produces favourable conditions for the seeds of these pines to germinate.

“For jack pine to germinate they need fire to open the seed, said Dennis. “That’s how forests regenerate.”

Blueberries flourish after a fire
Blueberries flourish on thin, mineral soil. Blueberry patches can be found three to ten years after a fire. Some Elders say they have traveled half a day by foot from camp sites to harvest berries at prime collecting areas that had burned several years earlier.

By the numbers

Wildfires 2021
At the end of August, the province of Manitoba reported that there were 105 active fires still burning across the province, with 441 fires to date. They also reported that four large fires in western Manitoba, north of Flin Flon and Snow Lake, continued to burn.

During this unprecedented fire season, Manitoba firefighters received out of province assistance from across Canada as well as internationally, including aircraft, equipment and personnel from the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Parks Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, the State of Michigan, and as far away of South Africa.

As of August 18, 3.9 million hectares of land in Canada were affected by wildfires this summer, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Feature photo: Melba Green

Follow us for more information on Pimachiowin Aki:

Sources
https://www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/index.html
https://www.gov.mb.ca/cgi-bin/fire/show_current.pl?location=Fire-Update
https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/wildfires-disproportionately-threatening-first-nations-and-worst-could-be-yet-to-come-study-finds-1.5544760

What Birds in Pimachiowin Aki Can Tell Us

March 15, 2021

Pimachiowin Aki is the largest protected area in the North American boreal shield. It is home to millions of trees, pristine waters, and over a thousand plant and animal species—making it a paradise for songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl.

The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Manitoba and Pimachiowin Aki Guardians are working together to observe birds and discover what they can tell us about the health of the land.

During our first virtual meeting in 2020, these people shared their thoughts:

Melba Green, Guardian, Bloodvein River First Nation
Dennis Keeper, Guardian, Little Grand Rapids First Nation
Dr. Nicola Koper, Professor, NRI
Chris De Ruyck, PhD Student, NRI
Alison Haugh, Executive Director, Pimachiowin Aki

(from left) Chris De Ruyck, Melba Green, Dennis Keeper, Dr. Nicola Koper

What do you hope to learn from this project?

Melba: My hope is for us to understand birds’ ways of living and the messages that they bring about weather and climate. If we see birds dying there is a problem.

Nicola: I am particularly interested in how lands managed by First Nation communities contribute to the conservation of birds. How are the birds we find in Pimachiowin Aki different or similar to birds outside the World Heritage site?

Chris: Bird species you find on the land can also tell you things about the land. Our goal is to examine how birds in Pimachiowin Aki are protected in comparison to places where the land has been altered. If species are present in Pimachiowin Aki but missing in other areas, it might point to a specific problem.

Nicola: I think that western science has a lot to learn from the stewardship of Pimachiowin Aki First Nations. By comparing birds in Pimachiowin Aki with how well birds are doing outside of Pimachiowin Aki, we hope the project will help make western-contemporary society better stewards of the land.

What do you mean by conserving birds?

Nicola: Birds can be harvested and populations can still be conserved at the same time. When I talk about conserving birds, I mean trying to protect ecosystems to protect birds that live there. We want to make sure bird populations are high across large areas, including Pimachiowin Aki and other regions, and are not declining.

What is the state of birds today?

Nicola: In most parts of North America, many, many species have declined over the last four to five decades. We don’t know a lot about birds in Pimachiowin Aki yet, but we think that Pimachiowin Aki may be a refuge where bird populations can be successful because the habitat is being protected. There’s a lot of habitat and food, and less noise and disturbance. The land is kept well, and people living on the land have a good relationship with it.

What can we learn from this project?

Melba: One of the rules of being Anishinaabe is to respect every living thing on Mother Earth. That’s why we wanted to create the Bloodvein River First Nation land use plan—it says all living species and their habitats will be protected.

Nicola: I like the idea of documenting the outcome of that respectful interaction with the land. Our hope is that we’ll be able to see how populations are changing over time, compare this to other areas, and show how important it is that birds have the habitat that Pimachiowin Aki is providing.

Why did Pimachiowin Aki choose to collaborate with NRI?

Alison: The project helps Pimachiowin Aki meet the monitoring and reporting requirements of being on the World Heritage List. We must show that we are taking active measures to protect the site’s natural and cultural values. This is just one of the many community initiatives that help keep the land.

Melba: This is a very interesting project and it is another way of being a Guardian. Observing birds is another way for me to learn. I can learn from [NRI]. Birds are fascinating. It’s teaching me something else rather than just the four-legged animals.

Why did NRI choose to collaborate with Pimachiowin Aki Guardians?

Nicola: We know different things—Guardians have knowledge of the area and how birds are using the land while NRI can provide information on how to identify birds and the locations they are likely to be found in. We’re bringing together our knowledge with the knowledge of the community. It wouldn’t work if it were just western scientists coming in.

Why study birds to learn about climate change?

Chris: We focus on birds because there are over 200 bird species in the boreal. We can gather information on many species at the same time, which makes it an efficient way to obtain information about ecosystems.

In addition, we know a lot about birds. Indigenous communities like Pimachiowin Aki have been passing down traditional knowledge about birds for generations. Plus, birds have been studied a lot by western science. This gives us a strong starting point—we know how to identify birds and we know how they typically behave. If their behaviour changes, we can link it to how healthy the boreal ecosystem is.

What kinds of things will Pimachiowin Aki Guardians be watching for?

Nicola: If you see multiple species arriving earlier than normal, that is one indicator that could help us understand if there are changes over time. Also, looking for new species or species that are more abundant than in other years.

Dennis: We’ve started to see new ducks that are black and look like the bufflehead. They’re all black except for a white mark on their bills.

Nicola: Possibly American coots—this is an example of a species that would be interesting to monitor because the community is noticing it and you haven’t expected to see it before.

Chris: New species showing up, and also species that are conspicuous by absence. Ones that disappear are equally important. Even seeing birds that are switching a food source and eating new things could be indicative of climate change.

Nicola: Fire can also change where species are found.

Melba: After a fire, you don’t see wildlife until the land restores itself. The birds will fly by and look around but they won’t go near a place when it’s burned. Once there is grass then you see them come back.

Nicola: Eventually, we want to go to Pimachiowin Aki, meet in person, explore the landscape together and decide what bird species to monitor. Initially, we’ll try to monitor all the species we can, but we will probably end up focusing on 20-40 species that are abundant, and that people see regularly.

Black-backed Woodpecker (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Chris: We can also choose species that use different habitats and live in Pimachiowin Aki during different seasons, like summer and winter. Also, species that other animals in the boreal forest depend on, like woodpeckers, which have an effect on the forest. They help control western pine beetles by eating them, and they create cavities in trees, creating homes for insects, flying squirrels, owls and other birds. Even mice have been found in cavities created by woodpeckers.

Melba: There are lots of red-headed woodpeckers in Bloodvein. I have a book here on North American birds, which I take with me when I’m on the land. There are lots of birds! An Elder said that birds are coming back that haven’t been seen in a long time.

Nicola: I love hearing these stories and I hope to have more of these conversations with you.

Dennis: We have golden eagles. They have a nest here that they go back to every year. They look bigger than the bald eagle. On my trapline, where I hunt ducks, there are seven different pairs there. When I first started hunting, there were no eagles there. They anticipate us going there to hunt and they go there to clean up.

We are also seeing some kind of doves.

Is it bad to see exotic bird species in Pimachiowin Aki?

Nicola: It’s not a bad thing if exotic species are not highly abundant, but if they are abundant there’s always a risk that new species will push out native species. In places where there are a lot of house sparrows, there are often fewer chickadees and nuthatches.

How does this relate to climate change?

Nicola: Some birds probably thrive in Pimachiowin Aki because they are tough and able to tolerate cold winters. As weather conditions become milder, new species are also able to live in northern areas like Pimachiowin Aki. There is probably room in Pimachiowin Aki for more birds, but as new birds move in they might push the native birds out, away from a great food source. Populations are declining everywhere, so if birds get pushed out and end up losing refuges like Pimachiowin Aki, they will have even more problems.

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Feature Photo: Pine Grosbeak (Christian Artuso)

How Bird Populations are Changing in Pimachiowin Aki

March 15, 2021

Dr. Nicola Koper, Natural Resources Institute

Selections from telephone interviews and conversations between Pimachiowin Aki Guardians Melba Green (Bloodvein River First Nation) and Dennis Keeper (Little Grand Rapids First Nation), and Dr. Nicola Koper, Professor, and PhD Student Chris De Ruyck of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI).

What birds are you seeing in Bloodvein River and Little Grand Rapids?

Melba: We see a lot of blue jays here in Bloodvein. A lot of people are feeding birds and blue jays come around.

Dennis: We rarely see blue jays. Or ptarmigan. But in the last couple of years, the ptarmigan are coming in huge flocks—200 or more! It used to be 10-20 in a group. We have had them covering this whole area. People are asking if you could eat them. People harvested them and saw that they were carrying some kind of bugs.

Nicola: That is really cool. We’ve had records of a few flocks near Winnipeg. They are not supposed to be here, so far out of their range. If we have species moving out of their natural range, they might be exposed to parasites that they are not tolerant of. If you have a species that evolved in the north, they might not be resistant to parasites in the south. It might be possible that ptarmigan are having problems in Pimachiowin Aki because it’s an area where they are not supposed to be. We could work with a parasitologist on those kinds of things—study where birds are and what health they are experiencing.

Dennis: Last year, the geese went back really early, around the last week of August. It’s usually the middle of September when you start to see the real migration. I don’t think they even nest around here anymore. I found a few eggs. And I didn’t see any snow geese pass by this way this year.

Nicola: I hope we can learn more about that through the type of monitoring we are talking about here. I’m interested in the common nighthawk and Canada warbler because they are species at risk. I’m also interested in exotic species like the house sparrow and European starling, which are starting to move further north because of climate change. It would be interesting to know if they have higher or lower populations in Pimachiowin Aki than in areas that are more influenced by western society.

Common Nighthawk (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Dennis: I’m concerned about the Canada jay. They store their food in black spruce. With the warming, their food goes bad and they abandon their nests. We used to see them everywhere. In the last four years, I have only seen one. It was by itself. Usually, we see them in groups.

Whiskey Jack/Canada Jay (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Nicola: I also think that I have not seen as many [Canada jays] in the last couple of years. This is one of the species that we would be able to monitor. By being on the land, there is so much opportunity for you to make these observations.

Dennis: I’ve also been trying to find out about this one type of bird I’ve been observing for years. It’s dark in colour but when I get closer it’s greenish in colour and has a yellow banana nose. It’s nesting in buildings like the water treatment plant.

Nicola: Maybe the European starling. Look for little specks on them. They are black with iridescent green and purple.

Dennis: Short tail?

Nicola: Yes! The observation you made is really interesting because the European starling is a species that is very closely tied with humans. The fact that you might have them nesting there in buildings, tied with human structures, could mean that it’s what you’re seeing.

Chris: European starlings are not native to North America but I think they helped us out with the canker worms [last summer]. Birds love those outbreaks. Even if adults don’t eat the worms, they feed them to their young.

Nicola: Most species, even if they eat seeds, don’t feed seeds to their young. They feed them insects because insects have more protein than any plant matter would. That’s one of the reasons we don’t want to lose birds—because they perform roles that are good for wildlife and people.

Dennis: This year, I saw an eagle in January. It was a warm day. We usually see spring birds in March—known as the eagle moon month because eagles return to Pimachiowin Aki in March. They come before the geese. They wait for them to bunch up, then they attack them at a certain time of the day.

Chris: It will be really interesting to hear how birds this year are different from next year.

Melba: I can’t wait! I’ll take my camera with me out on the land, and take lots of pictures.

Chris: It can be hard to get a good picture. When you get your camera on them, there’s an idea that the birds might think it’s a large eyeball staring at them, like an owl or something, and they might not like it very much.

Melba: I know birds don’t like you bothering them. You have to stand around for quite a while until they come back.

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