Cpaws Manitoba Updates

Efforts to help Lake Winnipeg get B.C. partner

cpawsmb — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:09:45 +0000

Kevin Rollason

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

A GRASSROOTS group working to help Lake Winnipeg is hoping that what worked in the Columbia River watershed will aid our ailing lake.

Bruce Smith of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation said that's why the local foundation has joined forces with B.C.-based Wildsight, to create the Living Lakes Network Canada.

"They have a good track record with the Columbia River and they are 15 years old and we're five," Smith said on Monday after a press conference announcing a two-day summit dealing with Lake Winnipeg.

The two day conference, starting today, is pulling together government officials, business leaders, academics and students.

Heather Leschied, program director of Wildsight, said the idea to create a national group came when they started giving advice to the Lake Winnipeg Foundation. Wildsight has been working for years to reduce nutrients in the Columbia River watershed. She said one of the first priorities of the new national group is helping Lake Winnipeg.

In recent years the lake's shoreline has been covered with thick blooms of blue-green algae and large portions of the lake have been covered with the algae. The algae is caused by nutrients in the lake such as phosphorous and nitrogen.

Bob Sandford, chairman of the Canadian Partnership Initiative in support of United Nations "Water for Life" Decade and a member of the RBC Blue Water Project's advisory panel, said a national organization is coming together at the right time for Lake Winnipeg.

"We can learn a great deal from other's mistakes," Sandford said.

Leschied said the first thing done to help the Columbia River watershed was to survey its fish habitat, marshland and shorelines.

As well, she said Wildsight built a community-supported system of water stewardship along the river's headwaters region.

Meanwhile, while the conference itself is closed, the public is invited to a public forum and panel discussion tonight at 7 p.m. at the IMAX Theatre in Portage Place.

The panel, moderated by former Premier Gary Filmon, includes Hank Venema of the International Institute of Sustainable Development, and retired federal scientist Ray Hesslein.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 30, 2010 A7

On a deadly trail

cpawsmb — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:13:12 +0000

Caribou are disappearing at an alarming rate. But some think they know how to save them.

Tom Henheffer

Monday, 29 November 2010

For years, First Nations groups and scientists have been warning about the decline of caribou. Now, with some herds wiped out completely and others suffering declines of up to 97 per cent since the 1980s, governments and resource companies are finally taking note.

The threat to caribou was an especially hot topic last month in Winnipeg at the 13th annual North American Caribou Workshop, normally a low-key event dominated by scientists and researchers. First Nations—asked to consult based on their millennia-long relationship with the animal—made up more then half of the participants, and the workshop attracted representatives from the governments of Greenland, Russia, the Canadian Prairies and territories, and major natural resource companies including AbitibiBowater. Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada, the trade organization that represents forestry companies, says many of those in the industry are starting to plan developments around caribou.

This comes at a vital time for the species that has been labelled as threatened for the past 10 years. Climate change is literally melting their habitat, and resource development efforts continue to push north into the old-growth boreal forests and Arctic tundra that they need to survive. “As goes habitat, so goes caribou,” says James Schaefer, a biology professor at Trent University.

But new research is helping scientists understand the fragility of the animal’s life cycle, and what can be done to maintain it. Schaefer says noise from mining, forestry and other industry changes migration and interrupts breeding cycles. A herd can roam upwards of 100,000 sq. km a year and movement is easily disrupted by minor disturbances like trails and roads. But developments have the opposite effect on moose and white-tailed deer, who thrive in disturbed areas and out-compete caribou for resources.

Schaefer says the only way to save caribou is by setting aside massive tracts of land for conservation. But that doesn’t mean all industrial development has to stop. By monitoring herds in Canada, Schaefer and other scientists have discovered that up to a third of the caribou’s habitat can be encroached on by humans before population numbers start falling.

With this knowledge, companies, governments and First Nations are moving quickly. Agreements have already been signed over the location and profit-sharing of developments in Labrador and the Northwest Territories, and negotiations are under way for land use agreements in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. “Our survival has depended on caribou and now the roles have reversed,” says Schaefer. “We need to stop the piecemeal approach [to development]. It will be a change, but we can have the best of both worlds.”

New tourism grants for eastern Manitoba

cpawsmb — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:01:38 +0000

Staff Writer

Monday, 22 November 2010

Entrepreneurs looking to start or enhance tourism businesses in eastern Manitoba will be eligible for grants of up to $15,000 under a new Eastside Tourism Investment Program.

Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Flor Marcelino made the announcement Tuesday at the 2010 Travel Manitoba annual meeting, according to a news release.

"Manitoba’s eastern boreal forest offers tremendous global tourism potential," said Marcelino in the release. "We are pleased to support the First Nation-led effort to establish a world-class destination by providing assistance to entrepreneurs as they work to develop this potential in advance of a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status."

Manitoba Parks: From A(sessippi) to Z(ed Lake)

cpawsmb — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:00:22 +0000

Historic Hecla

Neil Babaluk

Monday, 22 November 2010

Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park

Fall is an interesting time of year for Manitoba's provincial parks. The busy summer season is over and the winter recreation season has yet to start up. Most parks are extremely quiet. Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park is no exception. The lack of crowds makes this a great time to visit the park.

Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park is one of the best known provincial parks in Manitoba. Located roughly 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg on Highway 8, the park is divided into four distinct regions – Hecla Island, Grindstone Peninsula, Black Island, and Deer Island. Both Deer and Black islands are uninhabited, while Grindstone Peninsula sports a large cottage community. Hecla Island is the heart of the park, both historically and recreationally.

Hecla Island, connected to the mainland by a short causeway that spans a channel of Lake Winnipeg, features a variety of recreation options year-round. Grassy Narrows Marsh is an excellent area for bird watching. Bike trails cut through the island's forest and beautiful beaches dot the shoreline. The luxurious Radisson Hecla Oasis Resort, open from May until November, features an excellent spa and golf course. During the winter, cross-country ski trails criss-cross the island.

Hecla Island is also very important historically. In 1875, the Canadian government granted a large tract of land along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg to settlers from Iceland. Hecla, or Mikley Island as it was known then, was the northern boundary of New Iceland. The first settlers arrived on Hecla a year later and a thriving fishing community sprang up on the island's eastern shore. The people of New Iceland practiced self-government until 1881, when the settlement was absorbed by Manitoba.

Residents of Hecla Island were isolated until the 1950s, when electricity and regular ferry service to the mainland were introduced. By the 1960s though, the community was in decline. The island's fishing industry was suffering and people began to leave the island. In the late 1960s, Hecla's residents approached the Manitoba government and petitioned that the island be made into a provincial park, as a way to provide jobs and economic stimulus. As a result, Hecla Island Provincial Park was established in 1969. The causeway that connects the island to the mainland was completed six years later. The park was merged with Grindstone Provincial Park in 1997.

After crossing the causeway, my travel companions and I checked out the historical sites of the park first. We stopped at historic Hecla Village, about 10 kilometres east of the park entrance. The village features six restored buildings from the early days of the island's Icelandic settlement. A church, school, community hall, and several other buildings line the lakeshore. The village provides an interesting look at life in an early 20th century fishing settlement.

A few kilometres north of Hecla Village are Gull Harbour and the Radisson Hecla Oasis Resort. The day we were there was the last day of the season for the resort. It's unfortunate that the resort no longer remains open for the winter. With no hotel open on the island, fewer people will get to experience the great cross-country skiing that's available in the park.

The rest of Gull Harbour has already been shut down for the season. The iconic lighthouse stands watch over an empty marina, as all the boats have been pulled out for the winter. Gull Harbour wasn't completely deserted though. With very few people around, the deer have taken over. We ran into them wherever we went. Several does ambled through a playground and a large buck leisurely strolled through the campground. Even though I saw dozens of deer during my summer journeys and had several close encounters with deer and my car, at Hecla it was still nice to get up close and personal with them.

Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park was quiet the day we were there, but that made for a great experience. Now that fall is over and winter has descended on us, the winter season is starting up for many of Manitoba's provincial parks. I'll be checking out what winter activities Birds Hill, Whiteshell, and Asessippi provincial parks have to offer in the weeks ahead.

Woodland Caribou: A Canadian Idol

cpawsmb — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:58:32 +0000

Can we reverse their decline?

Ron Thiessen

Monday, 22 November 2010

If you are Canadian, chances are you have a caribou in your pocket. Since 1937, we have celebrated the woodland caribou by featuring its image on the “tails” side of millions of Canadian quarters.

Woodland caribou are fascinating dwellers of Canada’s boreal region that boast many remarkable yet largely unknown attributes. Their hooves can spread out to the size of dinner plates, acting as paddles for swimming and snowshoes in the winter. They have hollow hairs that insulate them and keep them buoyant as they travel through often frigid waters to their island calving grounds. Caribou are also the only ungulate in which both sexes sport antlers.

Although most of us will never see a woodland caribou in the wild, due to their shy and elusive nature, the caribou is a treasured Canadian icon — nature’s very own Canadian Idol — that lives from coast to coast across our nation. However, the flip side of the coin tells a troubling story that reveals why the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is working across our nation with governments, First Nations, industry and citizens to ensure we don’t lose this majestic species and their boreal home.

Caribou in peril

Today caribou herds are in big trouble across the length and breadth of the Canadian boreal forest. In the last century, woodland caribou have lost half their Canadian range. In some parts of the country, such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. they’ve already been eliminated, due to human actions that have caused mass habitat destruction.

In Manitoba, they have disappeared from the southern boreal, including places such as Whiteshell Provincial Park. Of the 11 caribou ranges identified in a 2009 Environment Canada report, seven are classified as either “not self-sustaining” or “may not be self sustaining if further degradation occurs.”

Sadly, the woodland caribou’s decline continues as the boreal forest habitat that they rely on is being lost in ever-greater amounts. In their southern ranges industrial clear-cut logging is decimating their habitat. Throughout caribou territory, mining, hydro dams and power corridors, oil and gas mega-projects and industrial road networks are carving through intact boreal landscapes.

Barometer of boreal health

Woodland caribou are highly sensitive to human disturbance and require large tracts of unbroken boreal wilderness to find enough food and avoid predators, because of this they serve as a barometer of the health of the boreal forest. Where the caribou remain, the boreal is healthy; where they have gone, the boreal has been negatively compromised for all life that depends on it — including human life.

As the world’s largest source of fresh water, the northern lungs of the planet and a massive storehouse of carbon — which helps to slow climate change — a healthy boreal is critical for all life on Earth. Nationally, all Canadians rely on the boreal for food, supplies, medicines or a job. Boreal communities need the boreal to continue traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and gathering as well as to diversify local economies through sustainable eco and cultural tourism ventures. If we conserve the large unbroken boreal wilderness that woodland caribou need, we protect what we all require for a healthy future.

The boreal region: Canada’s vast northern wilderness

The boreal region drapes over the northern shoulders of the globe like a green veil. Canada’s boreal is the largest continuous expanse of wildlands left on Earth and it houses 25 per cent of the world's remaining original forests.

The boreal is a spectacular mosaic of forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers and bogs. It supports a diversity of tree species such as pine, spruce, poplar and birch and teems with wildlife such as lynx, black bear, moose, fox, owls, eagles and a variety of ducks and songbirds — and we all know about the eminent polar bear. Many of Manitoba’s polar bears spend the summer in the boreal region. Manitoba’s north is in the heart of the world’s largest section of intact forest.

Half or more

For a fragile ecosystem like the boreal to keep doing its important job every thread within its fabric must remain strong. Conservation science tells us that we must protect the majority of it in an intact state if we wish to maintain its integral role in Earth’s life support systems.

In a 2007 letter sent to all Canadian governments, 1,500 highly respected scientists from more than 50 countries around the world recommended preserving at least half of Canada's boreal forest in protected areas while allowing only carefully managed development on the rest. This is the absolute minimum protection required to ensure the boreal remains fully functioning so it can continue to provide ecological services such as clean water and oxygen production.

Industrial activities and their associated road networks that blaze forward, without adequately considering boreal habitat, are the primary causes of degraded boreal forest regions that can no longer support caribou. Although efforts to save woodland caribou and the boreal are growing quickly, the standard approach by governments and industry is still to build first, then think about the environment later. Sadly, initiatives designed to repair caribou habitat are failing as we cannot recreate what nature has taken billions of years to build. Protecting large unaltered areas of the caribou’s boreal home is the only safe bet.

With only about six per cent of Canada’s boreal forest permanently safeguarded from industrial developments, we need to act fast in protecting the lion’s share of it so it remains a wellspring of biodiversity and continues to help slow climate change and provide a home for caribou and all its wildlife. As a step in getting there, an immediate halt to logging, road-building and other developments is needed in intact caribou habitat until the government is able to demonstrate that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure long-term caribou survival.

Manitoba’s opportunity: A healthy future for people and caribou

In Manitoba, the good news is that our cup is half full as we still have a wealth of woodland caribou and unbroken boreal wilderness. To ensure it remains that way we need to move quickly in permanently securing most of our boreal region from rapidly encroaching industrial activities. To ensure a healthy boreal, it’s paramount to change the status quo so that conservation and community planning is complete before any further industrial expansion.

The first step is for the Manitoba government to announce a commitment to permanently protecting the majority of our remaining wild boreal region. Determining the areas where industrial developments will be prohibited, and where they will be allowed, must be accomplished through an inclusive process that seeks input from all Manitobans and in-depth consultation and full support of boreal First Nation communities. To get it right, it’s critical that we utilize the best available science and Indigenous knowledge.

Keeping our boreal region healthy will bring woodland caribou, all Manitobans and the Earth a large step closer to a bright and sustainable future. Together, we can create a Manitoba that we can all be proud to pass on to future generations.

Ron Thiessen is the executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) – Manitoba chapter.

Big new Manitoba parks announced

cpawsmb — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:38:35 +0000

December 1, 2010

Today, the Manitoba government announced 2 new parks with a combined size larger than Prince Edward Island.

CPAWS commends the involved First Nations and the Manitoba government for their efforts to protect these precious Boreal lands and waters.

In May 2010, CPAWS showcased the Colvin and Nueltin Lake areas as important conservation opportunities and asked Manitobans to voice their support for park protection. Citizens responded by sending their comments to the government in support of establishing the new parks.

“For those of us working toward large-scale protection of Manitoba’s Boreal Region, and for all Manitobans, this is a tremendous victory,” said Ron Thiessen, Executive Director of the CPAWS Manitoba chapter. “The new parks are great step toward realizing protection of at least half of Manitoba’s Boreal Wilderness Region, the minimum amount required to ensure it remains a fully functioning part of Earth’s life’s support system.”

The Boreal Region is Earth's largest source of fresh water and the northern lungs of the planet.

About the upcoming parks

The Colvin and Nueltin Lake provincial parks are…

part of Manitoba's Boreal Region;
home to caribou, moose, black bears, wolverines, otters, mink, and migratory birds like loons, eagles, and plovers;
amazing carbon banks – the huge amounts of carbon stored in their soils helps slow climate change.

For more information – Ron Thiessen, 204 794 4971

The Boreal Forest Network Presents The Water of Life Benefit

cpawsmb — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:31:53 +0000

Three Days of Art, Music and Speakers

The Boreal Network

Monday, 15 November 2010

Click image for print-quality poster

November 19, 20, 21, 2010 – 91 Albert Street

For Immediate Release – November 15, 2010

The Water of Life is a three day exploration of our relationship with water through art, music and speakers.

Art on display is by James Hogaboam, paintings and photographs of Lake Winnipeg, Thomas Frick, photos from Lake Winnipeg, Hecla and more. His work was featured in last month’s Canadian Geographic and has appeared in the Globe and Main and the New York Times; Roger Rempel, aerial photos of the east side of Lake Winnipeg running up to Poplar River and taken from a float plane, in June, have never been shown publicly; soap stone carvings by Michael ManyEagles and more.

Speakers on Friday, November 19, are Lyle Lockhart and Sheila Grover of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation to present on current topics on Lake Winnipeg and the LWFs work to clean up the lake; Council of Canadians, Michael Welsh will speak on the international privatization of water and the current controversy over the Winnipeg waste water deal with Veola.

Saturday, November 20, featured speakers are the Kookums (Grandmothers) of Hollow Water First Nation and Sea Shepards, Dave Nickarz, onthe state of our oceans.

Music by Bobby Stahr and Twin will follow Saturday speakers.

The Kookums will speak, again, on Sunday at the not to be missed, $10, a.b.c. vegan brunch fundraiser, at Mondragon, 11-2pm, with speakers at 12:30. Send you kids upstairs to make eco-friendly art with BorealKids!

All events are by donation, suggested at $10+, sliding scale / Contact:borealaction@gmail.com

91 Albert Street, Mondragon - Art exhibit 3rd floor

ART Exhibit hours:

Friday, November 1, 5-10pm

Sarurday, November 20, – 1-10pm

Sunday, November 21, 11am-5pm

Events:

Friday 7:30pm Lake Winnipeg Foundation, Lyle Lockhart and Sheila Grover
Friday 8:30pm Council of Canadians, Michael Welsh
Saturday 8pm Kookums (Grandmothers) of Hollow Water First Nation – Official opening of Indigenous Sovereignty Week
Sarurday 8:30pm Sea Shepards, Dave Nickarz

Deteriorating rivers, lakes neglected, reports find

cpawsmb — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:42:21 +0000

Researchers say Ottawa's grasp of threat limited

Steve Rennie

Thursday, 11 November 2010

OTTAWA -- Canada's lakes and rivers are awash in harmful contaminants, but new documents warn the federal government's murky understanding of the problem is putting the country at risk.

Senior bureaucrats reached that conclusion in a pair of internal reports on contaminants and excess nutrients in freshwater.

The officials warned Ottawa needs to know much more about the contaminants before it can tell how dangerous they are, what happens when they mix together, or where to focus cleanup efforts.

"There are significant gaps in the understanding of contaminants in groundwater in several areas, which hinder the advancement of effective risk assessment and management activities," says one of the reports.

The reports were produced by working groups of high-ranking civil servants from several departments that the government formed two years ago to study water issues.

The Canadian Press obtained two of the groups' "draft discussion documents" under the Access to Information Act. The reports, dated December 2008, were only released last month.

One report looked at contaminants in fresh water. The other was on excess nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, that cause toxic algae blooms.

Giant floating fields of algae have taken over swaths of the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg and many other lakes across the country in recent years. The algae suck oxygen from the water and produce toxins that are harmful to fish, humans and other living things.

Run-off carrying agricultural fertilizers, waste water from sewers and industrial pollution are identified as the main sources of nutrients in Canadian fresh water.

The report warns the problem will only get worse.

More human waste will end up in the water as the population grows. More people using more water means there will be less of it to wash away excess nutrients from lakes and rivers, leading to more buildup.

The effects of climate change could also exacerbate the problem.

Heavy rainstorms could overflow sewers, dumping waste water into lakes and rivers, and wash more manure and fertilizer from farmers' fields into nearby bodies of water. Heavy rain followed by warmer and sunnier weather are the perfect conditions for algae blooms to grow.

The report suggests a national, publicly available source of information on nutrient levels in fresh water could help the government tackle algae blooms.

"Government response to reports of harmful algal blooms is being hampered due to lack of knowledge," the document says. "Especially about blooms of 'blue-green algae.' "

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 10, 2010 A16

UNESCO approval is $20-M fund's goal

cpawsmb — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:42:33 +0000

Seeks to prove value of lake's east side

Bruce Owen

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Sophia Rabliauskas says future employment for First Nations people is at stake. (Photo by WAYNE.GLOWACKI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)Five First Nations communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg hope you open your wallet to help tell the world their ancestral home is worthy of a United Nations world heritage designation.

The goal of the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project is to raise $20 million with the help of the Winnipeg Foundation.

Details of the endowment fund were released Monday and are available on the Campaign for the Land that Gives Us Life website.

Pimachiowin Aki spokeswoman Sophia Rabliauskas said the $20-million fund will help show the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that the project has a viable financial plan to take care of the land well into the future. The Manitoba government committed $10 million to the fund two years ago.

"We see this as an opportunity to create employment for our people and our communities," Rabliauskas said of the project. "Something to secure a future for our children and grandchildren."

She said the fund will be used to create heritage programs to train aboriginal people to teach First Nations culture to visitors, and to conduct scientific research into the boreal forest. Both are needed to qualify for the UNESCO designation.

Winnipeg Foundation CEO Rick Frost said the foundation will manage the fund and match gifts of nine to one; for every $9 a person or organization contributes, the foundation will give $1.

"We're hoping to see hundreds and thousands of donations," Frost said. "The whole issue is, will the community validate this vision. The aboriginal communities have worked hard to create and to preserve this heritage and create a legacy. Our challenge now I think as a broader community is to support that vision."

Ron Thiessen, executive director of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said his group supports the UNESCO bid.

"We would be more than willing to work with the province and the communities to help raise funds and to bolster this project any way we can," he said.

Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson said he believes the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project is one of the largest aboriginal-driven projects in Canada.

He said despite the ongoing political debate over the new Bipole III hydro transmission line, the people who call the area home should come first.

The NDP government decided more than four years ago not to build a line through the area, but rather build it down a longer and more expensive route on the west side of the province.

"It's very easy for other Manitobans, other Canadians, to be critical of that decision and particularly about the government that I'm a part of, but they should take a moment, take a few days and go visit the communities, talk to the elders first-hand, talk to the trappers, talk to the people that make a livelihood out of the land and they will fully understand and get a better appreciation of what the land means," he said.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

The land gives life

Pimachiowin Aki (Pim-Match-cho-win Ahh-Key) is Ojibwa for the the land that gives life.

It's also the name of the non-profit corporation of five First Nations in eastern Manitoba and northern Ontario that are working toward a UNESCO world heritage designation for an area about the size of Denmark on the east side of the province.

The First Nations are Poplar River, Bloodvein, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi and Pikangikum. The Manitoba and Ontario governments also support it.

The hope is through a designation the area could be opened up for wilderness and cultural tourism through aboriginal businesses.

The project has been ongoing for almost five years and is behind the Manitoba government's decision to build the new $2.2-billion hydro Bipole III transmission line down the west side of the province. The argument is the hydro line could jeopardize the designation.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 9, 2010 A5

Chief David Crate Receives Prairie Crocus Award

cpawsmb — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:01:29 +0000

Chief David Crate of Fisher River Cree Nation

Chief David Crate of Fisher River Cree Nation was recently awarded Nature Manitoba’s Prairie Crocus Award for his efforts to establish a Fisher Bay provincial park in the south Interlake region of Manitoba. CPAWS congratulates Chief Crate and we look forward to continuing our work with him and his community to protect the spectacular Fisher Bay area for future generations of people and wildlife.

Award Citation

Presentation of the Prairie Crocus Award to Chief David Crate, Fisher River Cree Nation

Established in 1995 by Nature Manitoba, the Prairie Crocus Award is granted to individuals

"For outstanding service in preserving a part of Manitoba in its natural state."

I would like to stress the word outstanding. This award is not handed out routinely or on a yearly basis. In fact it was last given in 2003. We are always on the lookout for individuals who have demonstrated leadership, courage and vision in protecting parts of Manitoba's great natural landscape. When the work of Chief David Crate of the Fisher River Cree Nation was brought to our attention by our guest speaker this evening, Ron Thiessen, we knew we had found our ideal candidate to receive the award.

David Crate was first elected to the Fisher River Cree Nation Council in 1985, and then elected Chief in 1989. Throughout his 21 year career, he has participated in numerous projects that have improved the community, such as the establishment of its Healing Centre, a 20 year vision and action plan for the community, and a joint venture project with the Province of Manitoba that will see the development of cottage lots in the Fisher River area.

Chief Crate's vision and influence extends way beyond the boundaries of Fisher River. He sits on a council to develop a Masters Program in Development Studies at the University of Winnipeg that is connected to 23 universities; the Environment Canada Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund public advisory committee; the Assembly of First Nations Chief’s Committee on Education; the Manitoba First Nation Information and Communications Technologies training initiative; the Manitoba First Nation Technology Council Inaugural Group; and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Executive Council.

Chief David Crate and his Council have been working to protect part of Fisher River’s traditional territory since 1999. They have partnered with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) in a quest for a 155,000 ha provincial park that would protect the natural features and cultural heritage of the area, as well as provide sustainable economic opportunities for the people of Fisher Bay. The Ochiwasahow, or Fisher Bay, provincial park as proposed would prohibit all industrial activities within its boundaries.

Unfortunately, the journey towards that provincial park is not yet concluded as, in recent weeks, the Manitoba government has once again delayed its establishment. But we are confident that with the kind of leadership exemplified by Chief David Crate, this project will ultimately succeed.

Chief David Crate is a caring, genuine, and approachable leader who understands the essential importance of securing large areas of wilderness in their natural state for the benefit of all life. Through his tireless and cooperative efforts, Chief Crate serves as a role model for First Nations and all peoples across Canada that desire achieving an ideal balance of sociological, economic, and environmental needs.

It gives me great pleasure to present the Prairie Crocus Award to Chief David Crate of the Fisher River Cree Nation.

Roger Turenne,
President, Nature Manitoba