You are browsing the archives of 2006 September.

Toqa’q (Autumn) is the beginning of the Mi’kmaq year. It is the time when salmon go back to the sea and our ancestors would return to the interior. The birds flying south, the eels in the rivers, and the moose in the forests gave us what we needed to survive from year to year and [...]

A Story by Charlie Dennis Noel Francis was one of the true oyster fishermen that fished oysters in the different oyster beds in the Bras d’Or Lakes. During most of the oyster season, he and his son would be fishing in Malagawatch and River Denys Basin. At times, he would fish alone as the boys [...]

Increased presence in the highlands Hunters can expect to see an increased presence of Mi’kmaq Natural Resource Officers (NRO’s) and officials from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the Cape Breton Highlands this Fall. This is an effort for the Mi’kmaq to take increased control of the Mi’kmaq moose hunt. “Members of [...]

Here’s the latest news from the Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Planning Initiative (CEPI): The Steering Committee recently accepted a framework document which provides a roadmap for the development of the overall environmental management plan for the Bras d’Or Lakes. The management plan will have two levels, one that encompasses the entire Bras d’Or Lakes, and [...]

Mark MacPhail, UINR’s forestry guy has a few other talents up his sleeves! Whether those arms are pumped up from his work in the woods or lifting his son, Mark placed first in both the left and right arm competitions in the Canadian Arm Wrestling Championship held in Kelowna, BC. Mark, from River Denys, defeated [...]

UINR’s Annual Report for the 2005/2006 fiscal year is available for download at our website. Just go to www.uinr.ca/annual report to get a copy. The report highlights some of UINR’s achievements over the last year and includes financial statements for the period. Here’s an excerpt from Charlie Dennis’ introduction: The last twelve months have been [...]

Elder Albert Marshall says it best. “Two Eyed Seeing” is what he calls the approach to incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with traditional scientific methods. UINR, Parks Canada, and the Government of Canada want to incorporate both TEK and western science in the pursuit of ecological integrity in the national parks. First Nations are always [...]

Ben Eoin Campground was the site for a formal announcement by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The news conference was held to announce the designation of the Bras d’Or Lakes as a non-discharge zone for pleasure craft. Pitu’paq was instrumental in preparing the application [...]

CSI Cape Breton (Collaborative Salmon Initiative) is a new organization that was endorsed in Wagmatcook at a two-day workshop on Atlantic Salmon in Unama’ki/Cape Breton. Representatives from First Nations, government, conservation groups, scientists, academics, and recreational fishers met at “Dialogue on Plamu/Atlantic Salmon in Cape Breton.” The intensive workshop focused on many of the issues [...]