Inuit knowledge Arviat Community Report September 2018 about light geese in Natalie Carter Dominique Henri Vicky Johnston the Kivalliq region, Aupaa Irkok Shelton Nipisar Nunavut Paul Smith Bhavana Chaudhary Andrew Murray Gita Ljubicic Recommended citation: Picture on front page: © Joshua J. White Carter, N.A., Henri, D.A., Johnston, V., Irkok, A., Nipisar, S., Smith, P., Chaudhary, B., Murray, A. and Ljubicic, G. 2018. Inuit knowledge about For more information about this report, light geese in the Kivalliq region, Nunavut. Report prepared by Environment and please contact: Climate Change Canada for the Nivvialik Area Co-Management Committee and the Arviat Hunters and Trappers Organization, Arviat, Nunavut. 53 pp. Arviat Hunters and Trappers Organization Arviat, Nunavut, X0C 0E0 You may not reproduce materials in this publication, in whole or in part, [email protected] for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the Nivvialik Area Co-Management Committee or the Environment and Climate Change Canada Arviat Hunters and Trappers Organization. 105 McGill Street, 7th Floor Montréal, Québec, H2Y 2E7 [email protected] 2 Arviat Community Report – April 2018 Table of Contents 05 Acknowledgements 24 Why light geese have moved 35 Conclusion to new areas Appendix I – Invitation letter 25 Potential strategies for managing 37 09 Executive Summary and consent form the light goose population Appendix II – Interview questions 11 Background 26 Inuit knowledge about 39 shorebirds and other birds 41 Appendix III – Posters used for bird identification Methods 27 Past cultural significance of 15 purposes during interviews shorebirds and other birds Appendix IV – Birds of Arviat 17 Results 29 Current cultural significance 45 of shorebirds and other birds 47 Appendix V – Maps 17 Inuit knowledge about light geese 30 Shorebird and other bird population size 18 Past cultural significance of light geese 31 Why shorebird and other bird population size has changed 19 Current cultural significance of light geese 34 Potential strategies for managing shorebirds and other birds 21 Light goose population size 22 Light geese impacts on the land, water, wildlife, and people Arviat Community Report – April 2018 3 Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank those who participated in this study as interview and The authors also wish to acknowledge group discussion participants (in alphabetical order): Evano Aggark Sr., David Aglukark the financial support of Environment and Sr., Peter Alareak, Louie Angalik, John Aupaq, Leo Ikakhik, Paul K. Irksuk, Luke Climate Change Canada, Polar Knowledge Kinniksie, George Kuksuk, Jimmy Main, Catherina Manik, Jacque John Mikiyungiak, Arden Canada, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Nibgoarsi, Joe Savikataaq Sr., John Sikikauk, Melanie Tabvahtah, and Timothy Taleriktok Board, and the Nunavut General Monitoring as well as three participants who wished to remain anonymous; those who participated in Program. This project was conducted under the development and implementation of this research as Project Management Committee research license 03 015 17N-M from the members: David Aglukark Sr., Nicholas Arnalukjuak, Gordy Kidlapik, and Angelina Suluk; Nunavut Research Institute. and those who participated in the development and implementation of this research as community researchers: Aupaa Irkok and Shelton Nipisar. The authors would also like to thank Matilde Tomaselli (technical support); Andrea Ishalook and Mary Issumatardjuak (administrative support); Angelina and Bobby Suluk (translating and interpreting); Jason Duffe and Jon Pasher (mapping support); Debby Talbot (graphic design); Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Secretariat / Kivalliq Wildlife Board (project funds adminis tration); Arviat Hunters and Trappers Organization, Nivvialik Area Co-Management Committee, Hamlet of Arviat, Arctic College, and the Nunavut Research Institute for project support. Photo credit: Andrew Dierks Arviat Community Report – April 2018 5 Participant biographies Peter Alareak Louie Angalik John Aupaq is a member of the Nivvialik Co-Management was born near Baker Lake on October 1, 1938, inland is married and has 3 children and 1 grandson. Committee of Arviat. He was born near the old at Tikyalik. He was a hunter and fox trapper and still John has been a carpenter for 20 years and hunts Hudson Bay Company post Padlei. He moved to goes out wolf and seal hunting. south and west of Arviat when he has transportation. the coast as a child and has lived there and in John worked counting birds at McConnell River Chesterfield Inlet for most of his life. He has worked Migratory Bird Sanctuary for 2 years. with the Kivalliq Inuit Association since the 1970s and served 2 terms on the Nunavut Planning Commission. Leo Ikhakhik Paul K. Irksuk George Kuksuk is a hunter and polar bear guard in Arviat. is a hunter, a retiree, an artist, and a musician served as Arviat North-Whale Cove’s MLA, and is a who performs mostly gospel songs all over the former mayor of Arviat. He enjoys hunting, fishing, Arctic with his sons. curling and snowmobiling. 6 Arviat Community Report – April 2018 Jimmy Main Catherina Manik Arden Nibgoarsi was born and raised in Arviat and is fluent in was born on the land on October 23, 1942, and goes was born in Arviat on November 6, 1953. He was English and Inuktitut. He is an avid outdoorsman out hunting. She is married and is a grandmother. raised in Arviat. He became a teacher in 1993 and and hunter, and a father. He was a Hamlet Councilor worked for 23 years. He enjoys hunting and dog and is the Regional Director for Nunavut Housing mushing and fishing. Corporation. Joe Savikataaq Sr. Melanie Tabvahtah was a Conservation Officer with the Department is an active hunter and mother. of Environment for close to 30 years. He enjoys hunting, fishing, small aircraft piloting, boating and scuba diving. David Aglukark Sr. Luke Kinniksie is the chair of the has three children and many grandchildren. Nivvialik Co-Management He used to be an active hunter. Committee of Arviat which is responsible for the Kuugaayuk (McConnell River) Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Arviat Community Report – April 2018 7 Executive Summary In the Canadian Arctic, populations of northern-breeding geese (mainly Lesser Snow Geese, Chen caerulescens caerulescens, and Ross’ Geese, Chen rossii, hereafter called ‘light geese’; Kangut and Kangunnaaq in Inuktitut) have increased dramatically in the last 50 years according to scientific research. Scientists are studying the impact that geese have on the land and other animals, including shorebirds. Their work to date suggests that light geese have affected vegetation over large areas of the Canadian Arctic, and could negatively impact shorebird populations nesting in areas where geese are abundant. In Nunavut, light geese are harvested by Inuit. Few studies document Inuit knowledge (IK) of goose populations or interactions of geese with the land, water, other animals, and people. Inuit have lived and hunted in the areas of the light goose colonies for a very long time, and are knowledgeable about past and current patterns of goose distribution and population growth or decline over time. Inuit knowledge will help everyone to better understand how light geese are impacting the land, water and other wildlife including shorebirds, and improve the way goose populations are managed today. This report documents knowledge gathered in June 2017 through interviews, group discussions, participatory mapping, and site visits with 20 Arviat residents who were identified by the Project Management Committee. Project objectives • People described different things about − Use of motorized transportation the impacts of light goose droppings on (snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles) • Documenting IK about light goose the land and water. Goose droppings are when going out on the land has become populations and their impacts on (1) contaminating the hamlet’s drinking very common. The increase in types of the land, water, other animals (including water source; (2) contaminating the land; transportation, the number of people other bird species in particular) and (3) helping the land by adding nutrients; using them, and how often people are people in the Kivalliq region; and (4) not having any impact on the land. using them has disturbed the light geese • Documenting Inuit-identified strategies • People described different things about and caused them to move to new areas. for light goose management that how light geese have changed the land. address Inuit concerns and perspectives; They mentioned that (1) geese are Here is what Arviat residents said • Increasing the capacity of Arviat residents impacting the land by grazing and about shorebirds: to do IK research on wildlife; and nesting, and in the spring people can tell • Shorebird meat, eggs, fat, feathers, and • Encouraging the combined use of IK where the geese have been eating and skins were very important in the past. and scientific information to provide pulling out plants; and (2) geese are not recommendations for light goose impacting the land in the nesting area, • Today, people still enjoy seeing and and land management. and it is not changing because as soon hearing shorebirds, and eating their eggs. as they nest, they start walking, so they • Shorebirds can be signs of changing do not feed that much in the nesting area. weather, changing seasons, and Key findings • People explained that light geese have nearby animals. Here is what Arviat residents