A long, long time ago, the Mi’kmaq people were faced with a dilemma–a situation of great proportion that Kluskap was summoned for a solution. It was at a time in our history when the people told Kluskap that the animals were too big and fierce in the forest. The bear was too big, gigantic in … Read More
Madeline Yakimchuk, of Gryphon Media Productions, directed this short, two and a half minute video that gives a quick overview of UINR, touching on some of our many projects and partnerships. The video is fast-paced and packed with photos and video from around Unama’ki. Narrated by Lisa Young and Charlie Dennis, the video gives a … Read More
The Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Eskasoni Fish & Wildlife Commission, has created an information map for each of the Unama’ki First Nation communities. Using Geographic Information System (GIS), these maps are a valuable resource for long-term monitoring and community planning. The maps contain information on drinking water monitoring sample sites, … Read More
Angela Morris has been working at UINR under a special internship from ECO Canada. Here’s what she has to say about the experienceâ “As a result of the Internship, I learned many new things at UINR. It was an opportunity to use my previous skills and acquire new ones. The training has been very useful … Read More
Shelley Denny was recently appointed to the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Since 1993 , the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council has been a partnership between scientific and academic expertise, and all sectors of the fishing industry. Together, Council members make public recommendations to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans … Read More
As a result of the difficulties experienced during the 2006 lobster food fishery, the Unama’ki Chiefs have agreed that a lobster food fishery management plan is required. While Mi’kmaq follow similar regulations as the rest of the industry (with the exception of season), the industry fails to realize this. A documented management plan for the … Read More
Annie Johnson, UINR’s financial officer recently attended the annual Aboriginal Financial Officers Association’s (AFOA) conference in Vancouver, BC. Here is her report. “This conference is getting bigger and better every year! There were aboriginal finance employees from all over Canada, and I was glad to see more local people there this year than ever before. … Read More
The State of the Bras d’Or Lakes Marine Environmental Water Quality Background Report (MEQ), looks into the current state of the Lake’s water quality. The report examines the Bras d’Or Lakes and its sub-watersheds. Marine environmental quality is measured in many different ways. For the purposes of the MEQ report, it is examined in three … Read More
Kesik: Winter, and the circle is complete. It was a gratifying moment to achieve the unity of the five Unama’ki Chiefs, the Mayors, and Wardens of Cape Breton, provincial and federal departments, all joining together to develop and implement a management plan for the Bras d’Or Lakes and watershed. An historic moment! As secretariat for … Read More
A Story by Charlie Dennis My stories usually begin in Malagawatch or ‘Big Harbour Island’ as it’s called on the map. My principal Elders are Gabriel Sylliboy and Noel Francis. Other people were involved in some of the stories that were talked about around the campfire about the futuristic view of predicting the next day’s … Read More
By Clifford Paul Armed with a series of maps, a compass, and a handy GPS device, Mi’kmaq archaeologist Roger Lewis attempts to recreate a 4500-year old story deep in heart of the Cape Breton Highlands. Using investigative techniques, combined with contour maps, Lewis is recreating a scene as to how a Mi’kmaq arrowhead made its … Read More
