After many years of developing their Lands & Resource Department Capacity, Constance Lake First Nation is proud to announce the formal launch of their new Guardians Program! As part of the regional River Guardians network, Constance Lake’s three full-time Environmental Guardians have been receiving training from Four Rivers on monitoring the lands and waters of their homelands. Current projects include a multi-year study on caribou within the Pagwachuan Range, with a focus on gathering community knowledge and launching trail cameras to collect data on the presence/activities of this at risk species (insight into their populations (numbers/health). Constance Lake also has an ongoing water monitoring program, which includes sampling fish in community priority lakes, and the use of a ‘harvesters survey’ to gather information from community members fishing on the land. This survey has been used by their Guardians at community events such as fishing derbies and at the annual Mammamattawa Gathering, providing valuable information into the population and health of valued fish in their homelands. Bertha Sutherland, Constance Lake’s Lands & Resource Officer who directs the Guardians program, recently presented on their water monitoring program at the National Indigenous Guardians Gathering in Ottawa, drawing attention to their program at a national level!
