Poplar River First Nation

Community-Based Monitoring Project in Poplar River First Nation

December 20, 2021

By Ray Rabliauskas | Photos: Jesse Belle

This past summer our Lands Guardian Program started a Community-Based Monitoring Project. We are collecting data using drones to monitor Lake Winnipeg algal blooms and shoreline erosion as well as testing water quality in the Poplar River that may affect fishing harvests and access to fishing grounds within Poplar River Traditional Territory.

Poplar River First Nation is moving towards becoming self-reliant with monitoring lands and waters by combining both scientific methods with what is already known—Elders’ Traditional Knowledge. We understand the importance of having the best information available so we can make good decisions in regards to our lands. Poplar River First Nation also understands the importance of having our own people with skills and equipment to do this work ourselves.

The Monitoring Program will provide learning opportunities for youth from our Elders and scientists so they can continue and expand the scope of this work for years to come.

(left to right) Brad Bushie with Dennis Bittern and Norway Rabliauskas of the Poplar River First Nation Lands Guardian program.

We have hired Brad Bushie as part of our Community Based Monitoring Project.

“My name is Brad Bushie. I am from Poplar River and I am 24 years old. I have been working on and off for several years with our Lands Guardian Program. I have been hired full time to work with our drone to monitor the effects of climate change. I have received my certification as a Drone Pilot with a limited licence. This means I can operate our drone in uncontrolled airspace. I have almost completed training and studying to receive my Advanced Drone Pilot Licence, which will allow me to fly the drone anywhere in Canada. I love this work. It’s good to work with our Elders and the drone is a very cool instrument; it’s like a live video game.”
Brad Bushie, Poplar River First Nation

(left to right) Tom Sutton of North/South Consultants trains Brad Bushie to use the drone.

Land Management Plans: Protecting Pimachiowin Aki

June 13, 2021

Frank Duck sits in canoe with a paddle and gun in hand.

Twenty years ago, First Nation communities of Pimachiowin Aki formed a partnership to support each other in protecting ancestral lands. The vision and commitment are set out in the Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship: A Cooperative Relationship Accord (the Accord). The Accord recognizes formal protected area planning processes led by Anishinaabeg, which became the foundation of the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site. Elders provided the vision for the plans, based on traditional harvesting areas of Anishinaabe families associated with customary stewardship and governance.

Today there are six community-led plans in Pimachiowin Aki that govern land use and decision-making and guide the work of the Guardians. These are the first plans of their kind to be completed in Manitoba, and the third in Ontario.

Community Review: Poplar River First Nation Land Management Plan

Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan – Poplar River First Nation

Developed out of respect for “our ancestors who loved and cherished this land and cared for it for centuries to ensure all future generations would have life” and to “keep the land in its natural beauty as it was created”, the plan provides for the protection of the entire 8,620 square-kilometre Poplar River First Nation traditional territory.

Planning Meeting: Bloodvein River First Nation

Pimitotah – To Care for Our Land (Bloodvein First Nation)

This plan is dedicated to the Bloodvein River Elders “for sharing their knowledge of the land and resources within our traditional area, and for their help and guidance”. Protection and management of the 3,916 square kilometre traditional territory is guided by a commitment “to look after and take care of the habitat and living things that use this land. To have water that is safe for all living things. To have land that has not been disturbed by industrial development. To smell the fresh air that is free from pollutants. Protection means we will ensure that if economic development takes place, it will be respectful of the land and all life that exists on the land.”

Open House: Little Grand Rapids First Nation

Ni-Kes Lands Management Plan – Little Grand Rapids First Nation (Manitoba)

Little Grand Rapids First Nation Community-Based Land Use Plan (Ontario)

With ancestral lands in both provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, the Little Grand Rapids First Nation completed two land management plans. The plans are “dedicated to the memory of Ni-Kes (Frank Duck), an esteemed Elder, whose knowledge and way of life continue to be an inspiration to the Little Grand Rapids Anishinaabeg”. The plans provide for the protection and management of lands and waters, continued traditional use, and support community-led sustainable economic development opportunities in the 6,612 square-kilometre Little Grand Rapids First Nation traditional territory.

Naamiwan: The Land of Fair Wind Lands Management Plan – Pauingassi First Nation (Manitoba)

Pauingassi First Nation Community Based Land-Use Plan (Ontario)

Pauingassi First Nation has ancestral lands in both provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, and two land management plans. The plans are “dedicated to the memory of Naamiwan (Fair Wind), a renowned medicine man and healer, whose dream, drum and the ceremonies he conducted illustrate the important role of traditional Anishinaabe knowledge, practices and beliefs in land management and protection to this day.”

The plans provide legal protection of lands and waters while supporting potential sustainable economic development opportunities. In finding this balance, the Pauingassi land management plans are contributing to a stronger future for the community. The combined Pauingassi First Nation traditional territory is 4,525 square kilometres in area.

The Pimachiowin Aki Management Plan

The Pimachiowin Aki Corporation participates in implementation of the community-led plans to ensure the area’s Outstanding Universal Value continues to be protected. A Pimachiowin Aki Management Plan was developed by the partners as a unifying document, integrating customary governance and legal prescriptions across the site. This site-level management plan draws its primary direction from the First Nations’ Accord to protect and care for Pimachiowin Aki as a sacred duty and trust to future generations.

Feature photo: Ni-Kes (Frank Duck), Little Grand Rapids First Nation

12 Named Places to Discover in Poplar River First Nation

September 21, 2020

Poplar River First Nation recently completed a Traditional Place Names map, which gives meaning to 149 places. The named places include rivers, lakes, creeks, rapids, points, and islands.

For several years, Elders in Poplar River have been sharing their knowledge to make this map possible. For instance, the Elders have walked the land with us and showed us places and things that are known only because Elders have been there and shared their knowledge. The Elders’ stories and memories are now printed on a huge, colourful map that will hang in community spaces and guide our journeys. The map is almost five feet wide!

When traveling the land, Anishinaabeg tell stories about the named places we encounter along the way. When we learn the names of places, we gain an intimate knowledge of the land. We need this knowledge for survival. Some places are named after plants or wildlife found in the area. Some names warn of dangers. Many reflect the histories of people who have traveled through and made use of the land.

Named Places to Visit in Poplar River First Nation

Here are a dozen named places to visit using the Poplar River First Nation map:

Nikaminikwaywining (The creek where geese drink)
Pinanaywipowitik (Rapids where people can rest sore legs)
Moozichisking (Big rock shaped like a moose’s rump)
Wapiskapik (The rock island that was painted white so it could be seen)
Kakinoosaysikak (Place where there are lots of minnows)
Weeskwoywisaguygan (Marchand Lake—shaped like a balloon)
Moondeewiminitik (Island named after the late Elder Mooni)
Kaminotinak (Beautiful high ground along the Franklin River where small trees grow)
Nayonanashing (Place to stop for lunch)
Wapeegoozhesse’opimatagaywining (Where a mouse swam across the river)
Paagitinigewening (Tobacco offering rock)
Kakpikichiwung (Water falls over a rock cliff)

Preserving Cultural Heritage

All 149 places on the Poplar River First Nation Place Names map are now officially recognized in provincial and national geographical names databases. In addition to helping us navigate the land and waters, the map preserves our cultural heritage. In other words, the map preserves Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), history, teachings and beliefs.

Listening to and talking about our place names is like reading a book…these named places ensure that the stories will carry on. When my father was describing where he had been, he would say, kee’yapay namaytoowag, which means he could still feel the presence of people who had been there before. The stories of our ancestors are connected to those places and to us by the place names.

– Sophia Rabliauskas

Meegwetch to the Poplar River First Nation Elders for their generosity, time, and patience in documenting the personal and collective histories of the people who have travelled through, observed and lived on Poplar River First Nation ancestral land, Asatiwisipe Aki.

Do you want to view the full Poplar River First Nation Place Names map on our website? Click on this link and scroll down toward the bottom of the page.

More Place Name Maps for Pimachiowin Aki

Pimachiowin Aki Corporation is working to protect cultural heritage for future generations in all four First Nation communities in Pimachiowin Aki. Cultural heritage expresses who we are and how we live. It consists of everything that we value and share through generations. Cultural heritage includes place names. It also includes travel routes, cabins, songs and traditional knowledge.

We are crossing land and water to inventory Pimachiowin Aki’s cultural sites. For example, we are documenting named places, pictographs, Thunderbird nests, cabins, campsites, and ceremonial sites. Bloodvein River First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation and Little Grand Rapids First Nation are each collecting this information to make their own place names maps.

This summer, eight young adults had a one-of-a-kind experience using the Poplar River First Nation Traditional Place Names map. Read about it here:
13 Rapids with a Traditional Place Names Map in Hand

The Land that Gives Life to Birds

March 19, 2020

An Interview with Dr. Jeff Wells

Birds around the world are in trouble. North America alone has 2.9 billion fewer birds today than 50 years ago. Dr. Jeff Wells has been working with Poplar River First Nation to record bird sounds in Pimachiowin Aki using leading-edge technology—Songmeters—to record bird sounds and help identify any changes in bird populations over time. Jeff shares his concerns for the future of birds, as well as some of his favourite bird recordings.

Pimachiowin Aki is home to over 200 bird species, including up to 14 species of conservation concern. What makes the Land that Gives Life important habitat for this amazing diversity of birds?

The large, intact and healthy forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams and other habitats of Pimachiowin Aki make it an ideal place for millions of birds to thrive as well as mammals, fish, insects, trees and other plants, and many other living things.

As part of one of the largest intact forests left on the planet and one of very few large intact forests in the southerly reaches of the Boreal biome, Pimachiowin Aki is crucial as a refuge for the species inhabiting it today to be able to have healthy populations that are more resilient to climate change impacts.

The Songmeter project brings together Indigenous science and Western science. Tell us about your work with Poplar River First Nation.

We started the project in 2016 as a way to begin gathering more information on the birds on Poplar River First Nation lands within Pimachiowin Aki and to test a new tool (Songmeter) that could be deployed by people on the ground in the community who had the best idea for where it would be useful to know more.

Norway Rabliauskas (now a Poplar River First Nation Guardian) took the lead and has since done the work of maintaining the Songmeters, making sure they are working properly and are programmed to record at the times we wanted, and placing them out on the land.

The project uses Songmeters under the direction of Indigenous stewardship to decide what areas are best suited for and most in need of further bird inventory and monitoring efforts. This collaboration opens up new avenues for understanding and learning that will provide increased ability to monitor birds and other wildlife and plants in Pimachiowin Aki.

How do Songmeters work?

Songmeters are sound recording devices in watertight, rugged containers. They can be programmed to turn on and off on a prescribed time schedule. The sounds are recorded to an SD card and the unit can be left out for months at a time. The sound recording files can then be downloaded to a computer to listen and identify the birds that can be heard singing or calling. Sophisticated software can also be used to search through the files and find sounds of particular high priority species. We usually have the units record for several hours at dawn and dusk each night when they are deployed for the summer breeding bird season.

*Norway Rabliauskas (now a Pimachiowin Aki Guardian) helps Jeff Wells determine the best places to install Songmeters in Poplar River First Nation.*

What findings concern you the most?

The three recent scientific findings that have concerned me the most are:

The number of species around the world that are in danger of extinction has reached one million
North America has 2.9 billion fewer birds today than 50 years ago
There are widespread declines of insects occurring across the globe

What findings make you most hopeful?

The findings that make me the most hopeful are:

Lands managed by Indigenous people have better biodiversity protection outcomes
Maintaining large, intact forest habitats have a large number of benefits to biodiversity and society
70% or more of the North American boreal forest is still intact and healthy and through Indigenous governments and communities it is and can continue to be maintained and stewarded

What are some of your favourite recordings?

Some of my favourite bird species recorded in the Songmeter recordings include:

A Barred Owl giving its “who-cooks-for-you” song that echoes through the woods
Several Whip-poor-wills calling back and forth at night
A Canada Warbler singing exuberantly on a May day after returning from its wintering grounds in South America
The rattling calls of a Belted Kingfisher in the rain
Early morning choruses that include the sweet whistled songs of White-throated Sparrows, Magnolia and Tennessee Warblers and Ovenbirds and in the background the piping of a Bald Eagle and the yodeling cry of a Common Loon

The sound recordings provide an opportunity to share a type of virtual experience with people from all over the world to increase their interest in and support of Pimachiowin Aki and its communities.

Experience the birds of Pimachiowin Aki:

What are some of your fondest memories out on the land in Pimachiowin Aki?

On a trip to Aikens Lake and the Bloodvein First Nation in 2011, I got the chance to see, hear, photograph, sound record and video many birds, flowers (not sound record these of course), and beautiful scenes. It was incredible to see the ancient drawings at Aikens Lake, experience a drum ceremony at the falls on the Bloodvein RIver and thrill to the amazing birdlife throughout the forests and wetlands of Pimachiowin Aki.

I have wonderful memories of watching and sound recording Bay-breasted and Blackburnian warblers in the tops of tall spruce trees, passing by a small rocky island on which were nesting Herring Gulls, hearing the loud, piping “Quick-three cheers” song from an Olive-sided Flycatcher sitting boldly upright at the top of a spindly tree in a bog, perhaps a bird just returned from its northern South American wintering grounds.

What’s next for the Songmeter project?

We were able to get a large number of recordings from four locations in 2016 from late May through early July. In 2017 we were unable to get the units out because of the fires and evacuations from the community. Norway deployed them again in 2018 and 2019.

The Songmeters collected a large amount of recordings and processing them has been a challenge. We have only summarized the 2016 field season so far, and will be releasing in a joint report with Pimachiowin Aki in 2020. In the meantime, we have found that we can use the recordings to continue to engage the broader public to become aware of Pimachiowin Aki and its importance to birds by sharing short, lively segments of recordings of different birds through social media channels.

Have you used Songmeters in other areas, too?

Yes, in the Northwest Territories with the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation to monitor birds on their Thaidene Nene IPCA. We deployed another version of this technology in the community of Deline on Great Bear Lake, also in the Northwest Territories. We have provided Songmeters to the Waswanipi First Nation within the Cree Nation in Quebec as well. The Moose Cree First Nation in Ontario has deployed these devices through their own project but has allowed us to use their recordings as they work to protect one of their most important watersheds, the North French River watershed.

Dr. Jeff Wells is a scientist, conservationist and author. He is the Vice President of Boreal Conservation for the National Audubon Society, and a supporter of Pimachiowin Aki.