The Upcoming Chapel Island Mission is the hot button topic with Pitu’paq this spring. From bottled water to port-a-potties, the environmental issues for the tiny island and the surrounding Bras d’Or Lakes are being addressed. Pitu’paq deals with the most immediate concerns of this year’s Mission while planning for a future where there will be … Read More
Chief Wilbert Marshall and Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Marshall of Potlotek First Nations are working on an ambitious plan to put Potlotek on the Green map! And they don’t plan to stop there. They intend to share their green vision with other Mi’kmaq communities and build their capacity to export their services and expertise. The … Read More
In the Mi’kmaq Nation, the wtisi, or nest, is particularly symbolic of the eagle. Eagles are monogamous and the nest is a place for both adult and young together. The nest provides a safe place to be nourished and develop. However, the nest must be strong, with good resources, to withstand the pressures around it. … Read More
UINR is working on a video documentary about oysters in the Bras d’Or Lakes and the MSX parasite. We will not be documenting this appearance as an isolated event. We expect that the documentary may well end up being a lesson for the future about sustainable human economic activity in the Bras d’Or Lakes. This … Read More
A Plamu (salmon) workshop is scheduled for June 28/29 in Wagmatcook. This workshop will bring together salmon fishermen of all stripes, enforcement personnel from various agencies, and some fisheries scientists to identify the components of a management plan for the Atlantic Salmon in Cape Breton. It is hoped that bringing stakeholders of all groups together … Read More
Shelley Porter has joined UINR as the Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI) coordinator. CEPI was initiated by Mi’kmaq to bring partners together to work collaboratively on solving environmental challenges in the Bras d’Or Lakes and to develop comprehensive environmental management plan for the Bras d’Or Lakes. CEPI blends First Nation knowledge, approaches … Read More
Watch for updates on the development of a Mi’kmaq Youth Elder Council. A planning session sponsored by UINR and Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK ) brings together Nova Scotian Mi’kmaq youth and elders to respond to issues surrounding land, resources, and governance. The Youth Elder Council will provide a mechanism by which traditional knowledge of the Elders … Read More
Inclusion…holistic thinking… history…tradition…survival The Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workshop is being held to collect traditional ecological knowledge as part of the Ecosystem Overview and Assessment for the Bras d’Or Watershed (2004-05, Mike Parker). When this document went to review, it was criticized for being too Western-science-based and did not contain the two-eyed … Read More
Mimkwonmooseel Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra L. Getting your Red Oak started is easy. 1. Soak your peat pellet in warm water until it expands fully. 2.Make a hole in the top of the peat pellet and plant your acorn below the surface. 3. Put your planted pellet on a saucer in a sunny window … Read More
The Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) was successful in bidding for an artificial habitat to be put in East Bay in the Bras d’Or Lakes (Lobster Fishing Area 28). Three hundred and twenty-four specially constructed concrete blocks were put into the Lake in October 2005 to become habitat for young lobsters that may not … Read More
From UINR Marten – Vol.1. Issue.2 – Winter 2005
Wisqoq | Black Ash Fraxinus nigra Wisqoq (Black Ash) have long held a special place in Mi’kmaq culture. Black Ash has a porous quality that allows it to be pounded into splints for use in basketry. Young black ash has bark that looks like cork. The wood is very unusual: when pounded, it splits into … Read More