CEPI members: Shelley Porter, Annie Johnson, Dan Christmas, René Lavoie, Lisa Young, Anthony Morris and Charlie Dennis

With a vision for the protection and sustainability of the Bras d’Or Lakes and watershed, the document is a “process plan” for people and government who work and live around the Lakes.

Lisa Young, UINR Executive Director and member of CEPI Management Committee, was in attendance. “It took some time to get here but it was well worth the wait. It’s been quite an experience working with the partners around the CEPI table. They are a dedicated bunch of people who are very generous with their time and knowledge. I personally feel very proud and privileged to have played a part in the development of a document that is as special and unique as the Bras d’Or Lakes.”

The CEPI process plan describes a way to work together to address environmental management issues around the Bras d’Or Lakes. Inspired by the medicine wheel and two-eyed seeing, the plan proposes seven guiding principles to help decision-making and action. These principles influence how decisions are made and actions taken:

We are part of nature, not the owners of her.

We will assist in healing previous damages.

We will consider the impact of our present actions on future generations.

We will pay attention.

We will cause no net loss of habitat.

We will work together.

We are accountable.

You can download The Spirit of the Lakes Speaks at brasdorcepi.ca

Presenters Mike MacKenzie, Jessie Helen MacNeil and Annie Johnson;Audience members review reportHandmade gift presented to friends of CEPI

What better way to spend a summer day?!

In hip waders and with pens and paper in hand, Mi’kmaq technicians and scientists from Eskasoni, Membertou and Potlotek received Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) training and certification by Environment Canada this summer.

CABIN assesses the condition of rivers. It is a national program for determining the biological health of Canada’s fresh water.

A long-term monitoring program for six rivers in the Bras d’Or Lakes watershed begins this fall.

Funding for training by Maritime and Northeast Pipeline.

Another St. Anne’s Mission has come and gone and, thanks to the dedication of the teams of workers organized by the Pitu’paq partnership, it was cleaner both during the Mission and afterwards.

Once again, students from the Nova Scotia Youth Corps were involved in the recycling and waste disposal program. They worked weeks before the Mission began to get the site ready, clearing debris and sprucing up the Island and putting a recycling program in place. Boatload after boatload of garbage was removed from the Island to be properly disposed of.

This year, there was also a forestry program in place that removed diseased and fallen trees from the Sacred Path, service roads and cabins.

UINR’s Laurie Suitor co-ordinated the project, organizing the Youth Corps team, other students from Chapel Island and staff provided by Membertou, Eskasoni and Chapel Island: This year was quite a challenge. Thanks to all the teams that worked tirelsessly to make sure we achieved all our targets and to all of the companies and people who donated goods, services and funding to the success. A special thanks to Nova Scotia Environment, Parks Canada and the Aboriginal Forestry Program for assisting us with funding and, of course, the Pitu’paq partnership.

laurie@uinr.ca

Unama’KIDS got off to a productive start this year participating in the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. They joined nearly 60,000 volunteers from across the country who helped clean up almost 1,600 different sites.

While picking up debris and garbage along the Whycocomagh shoreline, they counted every piece of garbage and catalogued it to add to the cross-country totals. They found everything from cigarette butts to plastic hose, styrofoam cups and plastic bags. While all the totals aren’t in yet, last year participants removed 135,467 kg of litter from shorelines across the country!

The shoreline cleanup gave Unama’KIDS a chance to be a part of an activity that has a real, measurable effect on the environment. Unama’KIDS Coordinator, Serena Paul explains: The cleanup was more than just collecting trash, is was a great example of communities working together to create solutions that ensure our oceans and waterways are kept clean.

Next year, we hope to expand the cleanup to other Unama’ki communities and involve whole classes in the activity. It’s a great way to spend a beautiful fall day by the Bras d’Or Lakes, helping make a cleaner environment.

serena@uinr.ca

Community Aquatic Monitoring Program– CAMP is a project where communities monitor the health and marine productivity of their local aquatic ecosystem.

From May–September, we monitored six sites around the Bras d’ Or Lakes using protocols developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Long-term monitoring of fish and crustacean species, water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen profiles, vegetation and quality of sediment samples will help us determine if changes in the aquatic community structure are taking place, identify the cause, and take action to mitigate any negative impacts.

Classroom and field training took place in early May with coordinator Jim Weldon. Participants included Keith Christmas (Membertou), Rodney Alex, Shauna Gould and John T. Johnson (Eskasoni Fish & Wildlife), Robert Livingston (Stewards of River Denys Basin), Shelley Porter (CEPI), Shelley Denny, Dean Denny, Angela Morris and Allison McIsaac (UINR). Also in attendance were Lorne Penny and Stephanie Rose from DFO in Sydney. Eskasoni’s Grade 6 class was recruited to help and topics discussed ranged from respecting species to species behaviour.

UINR hopes that this program will lead to other community-based monitoring activities on the Bras d’Or Lakes. CAMP is funded by UINR and the in-kind contributions of human resources from the Mi’kmaq communities of Unama’ki.

shelley.denny@uinr.ca

Take thousands of people, put them on an island for four days with no sewage system and no where to dispose of their garbage and you can imagine what is left behind. This was the scene every year at the annual Chapel Island Mission in the small community of Potlotek.

Back in 2006, the members of the Pitu’paq committee decided that something needed to be done and they were going to do it! Pitu’paq is composed of representatives from the five Mi’kmaq communities and five municipalities around the Bras d’Or Lakes. Working together with the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, UINR, Health Canada and the Union of Nova Scotia Indians, Pitupaq developed a sewage and waste management plan for the Mission and put it in place.

Pictured in the photo above are members of the Chapel Island teams. From left to right: Darrell Morris, Brian Marshall, Kevin Johnson, Rueben Paul, Kendall Marshall, Keenan Bernard, Dennis Nevin, Derrick Dennis, Noah Johnson, Laurie Suitor, Justin Nicholas, Buck Levesque, Jude Johnson, Katie Lameman. Missing from the photo are team members: Clark Paul and Brandon Tracey.

For the third consecutive year, there is a plan in place and, once again, project

co-ordinator Laurie Suitor from UINR is working with students from Nova Scotia Youth Corps, eight students from Chapel Island and other staff provided by Membertou, Eskasoni and Chapel Island.

The student task force will distribute Green Kits to trailer owners, cabin dwellers and visitors. Included are clear and blue bags, cabin notification/trailer permits and a brochure.

Over the years, sewage has been a major issue at the Mission. Among the main concerns are water contamination from trailer waste and cottage potties being dumped into the Bras d’Or Lakes. Now, in addition to portable toilets on the Island that are pumped regularly, a sewage-pump-out service is available for trailers on the mainland.

The work you see during the days of the Mission starts many weeks before, with clearing brush, making service roads and cleaning up debris and cabins.

The success of Pitu’paq’s plan is summed up by Laurie, “Last year we were able to keep the beaches open before, during and after the Mission. Let’s keep up the good work!”

laurie@uinr.ca

We are holding open discussions with First Nations communities in Unama’ki throughout February to hear your ideas on what you think would be the best way use this money. We’ll also tell you about some of the habitat enhancement initiatives that we have done in the past.

Keep an eye out for meeting dates in your community.

shelley.denny@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.4 – Winter 2008

An aquatic invasive species is an organism that has extended its traditional range either naturally, or brought to new areas intentionally or unintentionally.

Invasive species can have significant effects on the ecosystem, both economically and ecologically, by competing with and preying on native fish, invertebrates and plants. Once an aquatic invasive species is established, it is very difficult and costly to control or eliminate.

Tunicates, often called Sea Squirts, are animals with no skeleton. Five types of tunicates can be found along the Atlantic Coast of Canada. Their distribution depends on water temperature and salinity.

In the Bras d’Or Lakes, the Golden Star Tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri, is most common. In the photo on the right, a tunicate has taken over oyster shells.

How are they introduced?

• Recreational boating
• Aquarium or water gardens
• Release of live bait
• Live food fish trade
• Aquaculture Man-made canals.

allison@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.4 – Winter 2008

In an effort to help, UINR laid geotextile fabric over the bank to the shore, fortified by sandbags. We are developing a long-term strategy to permanently address the problems.

Malagawatch is a special place. Over 650 hectares of land on the Bras d’Or Lakes, Malagawatch has the distinction of being shared by the five First Nations bands in Unama’ki. While some people live there year-round, Mala, as it is affectionately known, is mainly a retreat. Mi’kmaq people have gathered there for a very long time.

Malagawatch has an old cemetary, dating back hundreds of years and a special shrine is erected there. Situated on the banks of the Bras d’Or Lakes, the area has experienced major erosion. In the past year, much of the bank has fallen away, threating the graves with the possibility that they could be lost.

info@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.4 – Winter 2008

There are no human health concerns related to Malepeque but, since 1915 when the first symptoms were recorded, there have been significant losses to oyster beds throughout the Maritimes. Stocks will eventually rebound as the oyster population develop a tolerance. The Bras d’Or Lakes were the last area in the Maritimes to be free of the problem.

Further testing has not found Malpeque in other areas of the Lakes.

allison@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.3. Issue.4 – Winter 2007