Winter is here, but so far it’s not like any winter in recent memory. Climate change is definitely having its effect and at UINR, we are watching things very closely. One of our major concerns is the erosion at Malagwatch cemetary. We are taking an active role in preserving this culturally sensitive site that is so important to our Mi’kmaq community.
Coastal erosion is a hot topic around the province, The storm surge early this year is just the beginning. We are now seeing frequent storms that were at one time a rare occurrence. The risks associated with climate change are now being felt and all predictions are that this is only the tip of the iceburg.
It is clear that protecting our vunerable coast line is going to take a cooperative approach from all levels of government. UINR’s work with the Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative is an excellent model of all levels of government–First Nations, municipalities, provincial and federal departments–working together to achieve a common goal, the preservation and protection of the Bras d’Or Lakes.
In the new issue of UINR Marten we pay special tribute to Clifford Paul, our Moose Management Coordinator. In my early days at UINR I was heavily involved in the study of moose and it is great to see the progress that we have made in protecting and regulating this important resource.

Fall is a time of change. As the leaves turn colour and the kids go back to school, we spot geese flying south and hunters’ orange in the Highlands!

UINR is proud to have played a part in the development of the Mi’kmaq Moose Hunting Guidelies, recently released by the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs. We worked closely with our partners at Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn–Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative and the Moose Management Working Group to bring these guidelines to the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia. Clifford Paul has worked tirelessly over the past few years, visiting every Mi’kmaq community in Nova Scotia seeking consensus on this important issue. Today the guidelines are voluntary and, over the next few years, we will have the rest of the pieces in place to enforce them.

Along with the changing leaves, we also have some big changes here at UINR. New staff coming on board and familiar staff exploring other opportunities or taking time with their famlies. 
We have a lot of very exciting projects in the works that we’ll be telling you all about over the next couple of months.

As always, for the latest news and copies of our publications, be sure to check out uinr.ca or follow us on Twitter! And don’t forget the old fashioned way…if you have any questions give us a call or drop in to our office in Eskasoni.

In a special issue of the UINR MARTEN we look back over the past 10 years and collect up all of the projects we have been involved in, the partnerships we made and the many people that have been involved with UINR over the years.

Looking back at our history helps us realize that UINR is built on a strong foundation of dedicated and hard working individuals that have contributed their time and energy to make us the organization that we are today. As we like to say at UINR’s all about the people. Our staff and Board of Directors have worked tirelessly to build UINR and our accomplishments over the past ten years really drives this home!

Reviewing our milestones gives us an opportunity to plan for the future. Everything we do at UINR is to restore Netukulimk to Unama’ki. Achieving adequate standards of community nutrition and economic well-being without jeopardizing the integrity, diversity or productivity of our environment is what Netukulimk is all about. And that’s what we’re all about at UINR.
As Mi’kmaq, it has been established we have an inherent right to access and use our resources but, along with that right, we also have a responsibility to use those resources in a sustainable way.

The Mi’kmaq way of resource management unites people with the plants, animals and the environment as a whole. UINR’s integration of scientific research with Mi’kmaq traditional knowledge, practice and understanding is what makes us unique. It is the foundation of our success.

We hope you enjoy this look at UINR’s history. In the months and years ahead we will continue our commitment to restore balance, harmony and responsibility to our valuable natural resources.

In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday that the spark ignited for what was to become the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources. 10 years later and UINR is the Mi’kmaq voice on natural resources and the environment in Unama’ki.

UINR is a unique and effective partnership of state-of-the art marine science and traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge. We work on a wide range of  management plans – moose, salmon and lobster – and we lead partnerships with other agencies and government departments. Our Natural Resource Officer program will be a model for effective Mi’kmaq enforcement.

It’s been a busy 10 years!

We have plans to celebrate our Anniversary throughout 2009 – a new website, multimedia interviews with our staff and a few parties too!

Another winter has arrived and, as it is with every season, it brings changes. All the Mi’kmaq communities in Unama’ki elected their Chiefs and Councils for the next two-year term. Cape Breton municipalities have elected their mayors, wardens and councils and, federally, we have a new order in Ottawa.

At UINR, these changes mean a new group of people to contact and inform about our activites and parnerships and an opportunity to welcome the newest member to our Board of Directors, Kenny Basque from Potlotek. Around the office we are welcoming Tonia Sylliboy who has set up a UINR office in Potlotek to coordinate Species at Risk for the whole province.

In this month’s UINR Marten issue, we give you a closeup look at one of the new species that has entered the Bras d’Or Lakes – the tunicate. It is threatening our native species like oyster and eels and has been found on eel grass, covering boating gear, oyster shells, etc. It could become a real problem.

UINR is taking an active role in preserving the Malagawatch graveyard that is having a terrible erosion problem. We discovered a huge piece of the bank eroded, uncovering an unusual stone wall. We have scientists and archaeologists looking closely to find out what has been uncovered and we are developing a plan to help slow the erosion of this important Mi’kmaq site.

charlie@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.4 – Winter 2008 ]]> http://www.uinr.ca/2009/04/pjilasi-winter2008/feed/ 0 http://www.uinr.ca/2009/03/pjilasi-winter-2008/ http://www.uinr.ca/2009/03/pjilasi-winter-2008/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:42:03 +0000 kread http://www.uinr.ca/?p=1696 In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday that the spark ignited for what was to become the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources. 10 years later and UINR is the Mi’kmaq voice on natural resources and the environment in Unama’ki.

UINR is a unique and effective partnership of state-of-the art marine science and traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge. We work on a wide range of  management plans – moose, salmon and lobster – and we lead partnerships with other agencies and government departments. Our Natural Resource Officer program will be a model for effective First Nations’ enforcement.

It’s been a busy 10 years!

We have plans to celebrate our Anniversary throughout 2009 – a new website, multimedia interviews with our staff and a few parties too!

Another winter has arrived and, as it is with every season, it brings changes. All the Mi’kmaq communities in Unama’ki elected their Chiefs and Councils for the next two-year term. Cape Breton municipalities have elected their mayors, wardens and councils and, federally, we have a new order in Ottawa.

At UINR, these changes mean a new group of people to contact and inform about our activites and parnerships and an opportunity to welcome the newest member to our Board of Directors, Kenny Basque from Potlotek. Around the office we are welcoming Tonia Sylliboy who has set up a UINR office in Potlotek to coordinate Species at Risk for the whole province.

In this month’s UINR Marten issue, we give you a closeup look at one of the new species that has entered the Bras d’Or Lakes – the tunicate. It is threatening our native species like oyster and eels and has been found on eel grass, covering boating gear, oyster shells, etc. It could become a real problem.

UINR is taking an active role in preserving the Malagawatch graveyard that is having a terrible erosion problem. We discovered a huge piece of the bank eroded, uncovering an unusual stone wall. We have scientists and archaeologists looking closely to find out what has been uncovered and we are developing a plan to help slow the erosion of this important Mi’kmaq site.

charlie@uinr.ca

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

We are pretty excited at UINR to be a part of what we think is going to be a landmark event for our people and self government–Mawikwamk Wjit Tia’muk, Mi’kmaq Gathering on Moose. We are seeking consensus on some of the big issues on the Mi’kmaq moose hunt to develop a set of guidelines that will govern the annual hunt. We are bringing together delegates from all the First Nations communities in Nova Scotia to talk about the issues on September 25 and 26 in Wagmatcook.

The forest is an important resource for our people and UINR is in the process of developing some new strategies for the management of hardwood in Unama’ki. Our recent conference on Sustainable Hardwood Management was the first step in this process. If you missed the conference, stay tuned, as we will be publishing the proceedings in the next couple of months.

The Chapel Island Mission is a long standing tradition and we have been working hard with our partners at Pitu’paq to address some of the environmental concerns that come along with thousands of people gathering on the Island each year. Thanks to the hard work of Laurie Suitor and her team of students and community volunteers, we have been making some real progress before, during and after the Mission weekend.Â

I would like to take a minute to welcome a new member to UINR’s Board of Directors, Potlotek’s new Chief Kenneth Basque. Potlotek has always been a great supporter of UINR’s initiatives and I am sure that Kenny and his Council will continue to be actively involved in managing and protecting our natural resources in Unama’ki.

charlie@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.3 – Autumn 2008

We’ve had some new arrivals at UINR, and I don’t just mean Lisa’s new son and Mark’s new daughter! Joining us as Commercial Fisheries Liaison Officer is Hubert Nicholas from Trenton, NS. Also, welcome to Cheryl Berube, who has taken a term position with us as Administrative Assistant. Serena Paul has been helping out at the office, working on various projects such as Unama’KIDS, our forestry conference, and the upcoming moose symposium.With all these additions there are also some changes here at UINR–our resident cartoonist, Annie Johnson, has moved into the position of Director of Administration, and Janice Paul is filling in as our Finance Officer.

We are pretty excited about our new Unama’KIDS project. We see it as a great way to involve the youth of Unama’ki in our activities and to make sure we are meeting the needs of all ages.

I hope you enjoy this, our 12th issue of the UINR Marten!

charlie@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.2 – Summer 2008

Siwkw was a time when Mi’kmaq families gathered together their belongings and moved to the coast, relying on the resources of the lakes, rivers, and streams for their livelihood.

Besides the plentiful resources of the sea, summer camps were more visible, and could be easily found by family and friends travelling the shores.

And don’t forget that other benefit of the seaside breezes–keeping the black flies and mosquitoes at bay!

This is a special issue for The Marten. We have expanded our distribution to every family in the five Mi’kmaq communities of Unama’ki. We want as many people as possible to know about our natural resources and environment and how UINR is working on behalf of the people in Unama’ki.

As you will see in this issue, there is a lot of activity at UINR these days. Our staff is working hard to achieve Netukulimk for the Unama’ki community.

Netukulimk is achieving adequate standards of community nutrition and economic well-being without jeopardizing the integrity, diversity, or productivity of our environment. That’s our guiding principle at UINR and is behind everything we do.

I hope you enjoy this issue and if you have any comments, be sure to let us know.

lisa@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.4. Issue.1 – Spring 2008

I would like introduce you to Janice Paul, our new Administrative Assistant and to wish Mary Collier, our previous Director of Administration, best of luck in her new position with the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office in Membertou.

We are very pleased to announce the initiation of a pilot project to train fully-licensed Mik’maq fisheries officers. After three years of training, they will be posted in Unama’ki and have full enforcement powers. We think that this pilot is the beginning of an expanded role for our people in natural resource enforcement.

UINR is working closely with the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative – Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK) about concerns on the environmental impacts of the proposed Lake Uist hydro-electric project. While the project has passed municipal zoning changes at CBRM (despite First Nation’s concerns), the project must undergo a complete environmental impact study before proceeding.

We are pretty pleased with the results of our moose tanning workshop. Unama’ki Mi’kmaq have re-learned traditional tanning skills and will be passing on this knowledge to others.

lisa@uinr.ca

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

Now-a-days, we still have the spirit of new beginnings at this time of the year. The start of the school term, freezing blueberries, and getting our homes ready for the winter are all part of the modern cycles of our people that have replaced the old ways.

This issue’s cover story brings the concept of new beginnings into focus. The Chapel Island Mission, that has taken place for hundreds of years, has a new start with a comprehensive recycling and sewage program being put in place for the first time. Congratulations to Pitu’paq for getting the ball rolling.

At UINR, we are embarking on some new projects that will have some impact on the future of the Bras d’Or Lakes. See inside for stories on lobster management, a new moose workshop, our detailed look at water quality in the Lakes, and watch for more projects in our next issue.

The state of the Bras d’Or Lakes is something that interests us all. After years of research, one piece of the puzzle is in place with the Marine Environmental Water Quality report that we recently published. You can see our conclusions and recommendations summarized in this issue.

Our Administrative Assistant, Melissa Nevin has some new beginnings of her own. She is leaving her position at UINR to join KMK. We miss her already!

lisa@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.3. Issue.3 – Autumn 2007