We're on a Mission!
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E skaso ah ni • M aycob ember k • W Volu tou • Potlotek • Wagmatcoo 9 me 5 r 200 • Issue 2 • Nipk/Summe We’re on a mission! 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 Unama’ki Institute community of Potlotek. of Natural Resources 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 THIS ISSUE representatives from the five Mi’kmaq communities and five municipalities around the Pictured in2 the0 photo09 below Bras d’Or Lakes. Working together with the Mi’kmaq Grand Council, UINR, Health are members of the Chapel We’re on a mission! Canada and the Union of Nova Scotia Indians, Pitupaq developed a sewage and waste Island teams. $15,000 scholarships management plan for the Mission and put it in place. From left to right: Darrell NEWS...NEWS...NEWS Morris, Brian Marshall, Kevin New on board For the third consecutive year, there is a plan in place and, once again, project Johnson, Rueben Paul, Kendall Welcome co-ordinator Laurie Suitor from UINR is working with students from Nova Scotia Marshall, Keenan Bernard, Youth Corps, eight students from Chapel Island and other staff provided by Moose guidelines Dennis Nevin, Derrick Membertou, Eskasoni and Chapel Island. Dennis, Noah Johnson, Laurie It’s all about the people Suitor, Justin Nicholas, Buck Eel study The student task force will distribute Green Kits to trailer owners, cabin dwellers Levesque, Jude Johnson, Katie Unama’KIDS and visitors. Included are clear and blue bags, cabin notification/trailer permits and a Lameman CIER brochure. Staff Missing from the photo are Annie’s cartoon Over the years, sewage has been a major issue at the Mission. Among the main team members: Clark Paul concerns are water contamination from trailer waste and cottage potties being and Brandon Tracey. dumped into the Bras d’Or Lakes. Now, in addition to portable toilets on the Island The UINR Marten is that are pumped regularly, a sewage-pump-out service is available for trailers on the published quarterly by mainland. the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources. The work you see during the days of the Mission starts many weeks before, with Subscriptions are free clearing brush, making service roads and cleaning up debris and cabins. and copies may be downloaded from The success of Pitu’paq’s plan is summed up by Laurie, “Last year we were able to www.uinr.ca keep the beaches open before, during and after the Mission. Let’s keep up the good work!” Comments and questions are welcome. Email us at [email protected] Join UINR on Facebook or follow us at Twitter. Search for UINR and sign up to keep in touch! 2 NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS When UINR needs to twist someone’s arm, we know $15,000.00 in who to send. Mark MacPhail, UINR’s Director of Forestry just won his fourth gold medal in the scholarships Canadian National Arm Wrestling Championships! Once again, UNIR with its partners NewPage and So next time you need a little persuading... Georgia Pacific, are awarding scholarships to Fisheries and Oceans Canada are working on a qualifying students in Unama’ki. new Memorandum of Understanding with UINR that will lay the groundwork for future projects We are awarding $15,000.00 to Mi’kmaq students between the two organizations...A Management to promote and encourage education and careers Committee has been formed to develop the workplan in the forestry sector and related science and that will lay the groundwork for Fisheries and technology programs. Oceans Canada Unama’ki officers. Representatives The deadline to apply is Friday July 31.You can from, DFO, Unama’ki Chiefs and UINR form the find all the details at our website– uinr.ca/section/ new committee...Laurie Suitor spoke recently at opportunities/ Café Scientifique on the topic “Will Technology Make Our Water Resources Unlimited?” ...Gwen [email protected] Poulette, UINR’s Finance Officer attended a two- day seminar in Halifax on “Simply Accounting Beyond the Basics”....UINR biologist Shelley Denny spoke recently at a workshop in Halifax called uinr.ca The Role of Municipalities, First Nations and In this issue we’ve added a new column to keep you up-to-date on new stuff at uinr.ca Communities in Coastal Management....Shelley will be joining Dean Denny on an electrofishing course If you’re not a Twitter member, maybe it’s time to in Dartmouth...UINR continues to be involved with take a look. At the Twitter homepage do a search the committee formed to come up with a solution for UINR and become a follower. We post up-to- to the erosion problems in Malagawatch. Initial date information on a regular basis and you can studies show that approximately 70 metres of also see our recent postings on our home page at shoreline are affected and it is estimated that uinr.ca the solution could cost over $500,000...UINR just completed a draft agreement on knowledge sharing A 10 Year History of UINR is now online as a free between Unama’ki Mi’kmaq communities and Fisheries download. It is a special publication to mark UINR’s and Oceans Canada...A questionnaire on known 10th Anniversary and looks at the many projects and milestones since 1999. aboriginal traditional knowledge has been completed by UINR Research...Another season of gaspereau Check out the new photo gallery from our recent monitoring was completed and preliminary results Unama’KIDS graduation. Meet some of the new show great results from last year’s efforts... Unama’KIDS and the graduating class of 2009. UINR staff were the first in the Maritime region to participate in the Community Aquatic Monitoring We put together a special report on the American Program (CAMP)...This autumn UINR will begin marten that gives lots of information on this Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network training endangered species and details on the release (CABIN) with our Natural Resource Officers...UINR program that UINR is taking part in. is coordinating efforts on eel and elver research with Cape Breton University and Fisheries and On August 17th we will be posting the historic Mi’kmaq guidelines for moose hunting in the Oceans Canada...The Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Highlands: Tiamuwel Netuklimkewe–Unama’ki Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI) recently Moose Harvesting According to Netukulimk. held its first open house in Eskasoni...CEPI held a two-day workshop in Wagmatcook to establish Be sure to check out the Opportunities section of its research priorities...Planning is underway our website where we post job openings and other for this year’s Joint Enforcement Team that information such as scholarship details. will be out on the Bras d’Or Lakes distributing information on the non-discharge designation that In the news section you will find stories and news comes in force next year. Staff from UINR will join releases that might not make it into the UINR Transport Canada, RCMP, Nova Scotia Environment, MARTEN. Recent news stories include Hubert and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to distribute Nicholas’ view on the federal lobster bailout, details on the eel study UINR is participating in brochures and information to boaters on the Lakes... with Parks Canada. 3 Welcome New on board Jason MacLean Gwen Poulette Serena Paul is UINR’s new is our Finance has accepted the Assistant Forestry Officer at UINR. position as UINR’s Manager. Administrative Gwen is well-known Assistant. Jason graduated with in the community honours as a Forest for her work with She is no stranger at Technician from various organizations UINR where she’s Maritime Forest Ranger and businesses. been working on our School and also holds Before joining us at Unama’KIDS project Notes from UINR’s Executive Director an honours certificate UINR Gwen was the and was Project Lisa Young in Forest Resources. Accounting Technician Assistant for the Welcome to our 5th year of the UINR MARTEN! at the Atlantic First past year as well as Our quarterly newsletter has been very successful A graduate from Nation Help Desk. assisting in our Finance in getting the word out on our activities at UINR. Riverview Highschool, She ran her own department. Not only do we deliver a copy to every household Jason has worked as business–Poulette’s in the five Mi’kmaq communities in Unama’ki, a Forest Technician, Bookkeeping Service A graduate of Holy we distribute copies far and wide–to libraries, chainsaw operator and in Eskasoni–where Angels High School, government departments and, thanks to the Bras labourer in Margaree, she helped businesses Serena attended Cape d’or Stewardship Society, we are included in the Ontario and British set up computerized Breton University, mailing of their newsletter across the country! Columbia. Jason has bookkeeping, prepared taking business classes. Even while I was away the last year on maternity also worked as a tax rebates and other She plans to finish leave, I kept up with all the news through the UINR carpenter’s assistant financial services for her degree by taking MARTEN! giving him experience her clients. courses part time. from clearing land If you haven’t checked out our new website yet, to final construction. She worked for many Before joining UINR, surf over to www.uinr.ca and take a look...it’s With more than 10 years at Eskasoni Serena worked as a awesome! You can download any of the back issues years working in the Fish and Wildlife substitute Teacher’s of the UINR MARTEN, watch videos and stay up- industry, his passion lies Commission as their Aide at Eskasoni Middle to-date on what is going on with natural resources in natural resources.