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 generation to generation. These resources are as important to us today as they were in the past.

In this issue of The Marten, we show you some of the people who participated in and contributed to our first workshop on plamu (salmon) and the formation of CSI Cape Breton (Collaborative Salmon Initiative). The final report from the workshop will be available on our website as will many of our studies and reports. Check www.uinr.ca regularly for postings. It is the best place to find job opportunities, scholarship information, and news from UINR.

Our partnerships with the Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Planning Initiative (CEPI) and other initiatives such as Pitu’paq are showing some concrete results. After years of hard work, we are proud to have been a part of Transport Canada’s designation of the Bras d’Or Lakes as a non-discharge zone for boating sewage. It is a giant step in the process of keeping our Lakes clean.

Finally, I would like to welcome back Lisa Young, our Director of Administration who was away on maternity leave and Laurie Suitor, our Intergovernmental Relations and Partnership Advisor, who returns from a short break. Also, I would like to introduce you to our new Administrative Assistant, Melissa Nevin. We are pleased to have her join our team at UINR.

Enjoy toqa’q!

charlie@uinr.ca

From UINR Marten – Vol.2. Issue.3 – Autumn 2006