CLOSING THE CIRCLETUS & CHANGING FOREST MANAGEMENT

Actions to safeguard the importance of the Wabasca Lowlands in the life of

their communities were undertaken cooperatively by the following members

of the Little Red River Cree Nation.

Steven Auger Earl Auger Conroy Sewepagaham Adolphus WapooseLouis Dumas Gilbert St Arnault Harvey Sewepagaham Angus JuddAlexis Meneen Gabe D’Or Emma Tallcree Jeremiah St Arnault Leo Ribbonleg Daniel Ribbonleg Guerin Sewepagaham Billy SeesequonGeorge Seesequon Nelson Laboucan

These members were assisted by Matt General, Jim Webb, and Shianne McKay

LRRCN used TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL VALUES AND OBJECTIVES identified in SFN-N research on aboriginal criteria and indicators (Natcher & Hickey, 2002) and “groundtruthing “ of traditional use information to make recommendationsfor modification of timber harvest plans within two forest harvest compartments situated on the south side of the Peace River adjacent to Reserve communities.

This forest landscape was identified as a “CRITICAL COMMUNITY USE AREA”and the Nation acted to In order to safeguard the importance of this place in the life of their community members.

LRRCN used an “ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT” model to document / groundtruthtraditional use sites & areas identified in three earlier TUS studies.

The combination of groundtruthed TUS information and First Nation TraditionalEcological Values, Objectives, Indicators and Thresholds were effective in convincing TOLKO INDUSTRIES LTD. to modify their forest management plans.

CLOSING THE CIRCLE FROM RESEARCH TO ACTION

These forest lands are the heart of their traditional territory.

Community members continue to hunt, fish, trap and to rely on these areas for their spiritual needs.

LRRCN uses of this forest landscape, and LRRCN values and objectives for these forested lands along the Peace River can be

be reviewed in “Seeing Beyond the Trees”.

TOLKO FOREST MANAGEMENT AREA

The Tolko FMA is situated in the Upper Hay Forest Regionof north west Alberta. The FMAhas 12 Forest Compartments &each Compartment is dividedinto between 4 and 8 sub-areas.

Wabasca 1 & 2 are shown in white.

They are situated on the south sideof the Peace River, between theWabasca and Mikkwa Rivers.

The LRRCN communities of Fox Lake,John D’Or Prairie, and the historicRed River Post settlement are adjacentto Wabasca 1 & 2.

2007/08 Tolko Final Harvest Plan’s scheduled:Harvest of 180,000 cubic metres of Old GrowthO 1036 hectares of timber from Wabasca 1 & 2.O 94 kilometers of haul roads/Fox Lake Road.O 189 hectares timber harvest within 300 meters

of the major watercourses.

The LRRCN “Ecological Footprint” includes;• Traditional Use sites (cabins, camp sites,graves)• Cultural Use commodities (moose, fur, berries)• Cultural Use areas required for traditional activities

The old growth forests in the Wabasca Lowlands provide critical moose habitat in close proximity to the Fox Lake and John D’Or Prairie Reserves.

Moose are a staple in the culture & diet ofLRRCN peoples. SFM-N sponsered researchdocumented that the house hold value of“traditional use commodities” averages $5,000./year.This represents 20% of annual household incomefor community members.

Cultural Sustainability in a Critical Community Use Area• 560 traditional use sites ground truthed;

• traditional use sites articulated to a number of cultural use areas• cultural use areas used to identify local criteria & indicators (VOITs)

which ought to be used to inform adaptive management strategy

Each criterion represents a priority feature that community members want plans to consider;•reduce negative effects on wildlife species;•ensure community access to lands/resources;•protect biological cultural & historical areas; •accommodate hunting, trapping, fishing & gathering

•increase community forest-based economic benefit; •involve community members in decision-making.

LRRCN Values, Objectives, Indicators & Thresholds• 300 metre buffer along major waterbodies;

• 200 metre buffer around wetlands, cabins camps, & sites;implementation of a Three-pass Logging strategy; andea 3 targeted / avoid areas with higher traditional use value

• retain significant percentage of “Old Growth” shelter blocks.

COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS

Major Changes to FHP for 08/09 - a “Three Pass Harvest system”. • 46 blocks (494 hectares) will be deferred from harvest for 20-50

yrs to provide shelter and habitat for wildlife.• 6 blocks (138 hectares) in Wabasca 1 & 2 dropped due to

high traditional use values found during summer fieldwork• Harvesting activities deferred in the vicinity of Vermilion Chutes.• Majority of highly sensitive buffer areas deferred from harvesting

to protect LRRCN values along the major watercourses.• Area 3 targeted / avoid areas with higher traditional use value

TOLKO’S RESPONSE

Thank You

Tolko ‘s modification of theirGeneral Development Plan &Final Harvest Plans constitutes a substantial accommodationof LRRCN values & objectivesrelated to “cultural sustainability”