Every Fish Matters!
UINR, with partners, Atlantic Salmon Federation and Margaree Salmon Association, are working together on an educational project to identify salmon smolt, parr and brook trout and ways to protect their population and habitat. Signs are being posted along salmon rivers throughout Unama’ki. To see the difference between salmon and trout and what you can do...
Eel Video Day 8-Making a Spear
It’s time for today’s eel video– MAKING AN EEL SPEAR. You can watch it here. Kerry Prosper takes us through the entire process of making an eel spear, from finding just the right tree to how spears are made. Mi’kmaq youth are shown the tools and learn their place in the ancient eel tradition. Every...
Eel Video Day 2-Eel Lifecycle
Today’s Eel video is EEL LIFECYCLE. You can watch it here. Eels can live to over 40 years and have a unique and complex lifecycle, starting life down south in the Sargaso Sea and finding their way to live and mature in Cape Breton lakes and rivers. Parks Canada Ecologist James Brigland joins UINR’s Shelley...
New Issue of UINR Marten now Available
The latest issue of UINR Marten, our 30th, is now available for a free download here. This issue is packed with information on UINR’s activities and resources, everything from information of identifying salmon to news on the Golden Award winners. This issue’s It’s All About the People features a profile on UINR’s Commercial Fisheries Liaison...
Kataq: Journey of Our Eels
A new children’s book was published today that tells the story of a Cape Breton eel from a Mi’kmaw perspective. Kataq: Journey of our Eels is illustrated by well-known artist Dozay Christmas and is written by Angela Denny and Shelley Denny of the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources. The book is in English with side-by-side...
Nikani Awtiken
Congratulations to the first graduates of MELC’s Nikani Awtiken Youth Camp! After a week of hands-on training the first participants celebrated at a BBQ and graduation ceremony at Camp Carter in Richmond County. The aim of Nikani Awtiken is to instill an interest in First Nations youth in pursuing careers in natural resource management while...
What is killing our eagles?
The next presentation in Wagmatcook’s Lecture Series on Thursday June 14 looks at an issue that is affecting the health of both wildlife and the people who eat from food harvested from the land. Kitpu, the eagle is a powerful and important symbol for Mi’kmaq people. Some Mi’kmaq believe that the eagle is the only...
Opportunity for Mi’kmaq Youth: Nikani Awtiken
Nikani Awtiken is a Mi’kmaq phrase that means “trail blazing” or “creating a new path.” This summer, up to 14 high school students from Unama’ki will participate in a week-long camp on forestry, natural resources and employment opportunities in the sector. Nikani Awtiken is a project of MELC (Mi’kmaq Environmental Learning Centre), the new educational...
Apistane’wj
Apistane’wj is the Mi’kmaq word for the American marten, the subject of a new play put together by UINR’s Unama’KIDS. UKids coordinator Selena Cremo worked with direction from Maura Lea Morykot, well-known teacher and performer, to put together a story on the endangered marten and attempts to reestablish it in Unama’ki. They researched the...
First CAMP in region
First CAMP in region 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...
Unama’KIDS Graduate
The first class of Unama’KIDS graduated at a ceremony in Eskasoni and joined a new group of kids that will be involved in next year’s project. The focus of the day was eels and we looked at the species from a traditional and a scientific point of view. Blair Bernard showed how to spear, clean...
Natural Resource Officers
UINR's Natural Resource Officer (NRO) program began in 2006, evolving out of the 1990 Unama'ki Guardian Program.
The original Guardian Program is managed by the individual bands. UINR's NRO project will allow coordinated work plans and targeted training under our NRO Coordinator to ensure our enforcement and conservation goals succeed.