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"The Creator has given us the responsibility to protect the lands on which we were placed. We are to take care of and nurture everything that the Creator has given as a trust and duty to future generations of Pikangikum people.” - From Pikangikum People Sustaining Our Livelihood on the Land"


Environmental Community

The international environmental community is keenly interested in the boreal forest. Northern Ontario is no exception. Since the beginning of our initiative, we have been in a dialogue with this community because we too are concerned that development be undertaken in a way that cares for biodiversity. In the Whitefeather Forest Initiative we are also seeking a shared vision supporting sustainable resource management on our ancestral lands. These lands are not only where we have lived since time immemorial. Today we see more than ever how everything is connected and we understand that our lands are part of heritage of Ontario, Canada and the world. This is why we want to work in the spirit of cooperation with those who have an environmental interest in our Whitefeather Forest Initiative.

We are participating in various forums that are addressing the concerns of the environmental community. We have been participating in activities of the Forest Stewardship Council. We have also been involved in an intense dialogue with the Partnership for Public Lands a consortium including the Wildlands League, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, and the World Wildlife Fund. In 2002 this dialogue resulted in a letter of support from the Partnership for Public Lands for our Community-Based Land Use Planning Approach. In August 2003 we entered into a landmark Agreement with Partnership for Public Lands. Our Agreement with the PPL affirms a shared commitment to Community-Based Land Use Planning for the Whitefeather Forest Initiative including the importance of consensus-based decision that is respectful of our customs, the critical role of our Indigenous Knowledge tradition to support decisions that achieve environmental protection, the guiding role of our Elders in our work, and the importance of achieving economic renewal for our First Nation.

As a sign of our continued commitment to working together, we hosted a Wildlands League canoe trip in the summer of 2004, part of the Boreal Rendezvous, in the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area.

A book entitled "Rendezvous with the Wild", was published about the Boreal Rendezvous. It features the agreement between Pikangikum and the Partnership for Public Lands as well as the trip down the Berens River.



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.Keeping the Land: Seeking Environmental Assessment Act Coverage for Forest Management on the Whitefeather Forest
(PDF) 213kb


 .Approved Land Use Strategy – English
(PDF) 23.62MB


 .Area Dedications Map (PDF) 552KB


.Background Document - Caribou Conservation (PDF) 168KB

.Background Document - Indigenous Knowledge and Research - Woodland Caribou (PDF) 12.8MB

.Background Maps

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.Where Are We?
See where the Whitefeather Forest is located.
.Photo Gallery
Photos of the Forest, the People and more...
.The Protected Areas Accord
(PDF)
.Agreement with Partnership for Public Lands
(PDF)
.The World Heritage Site Initiative
.Dialogue Schedule
Respectful dialogue to achieve understanding & consensus
.Whitefeather Forest Research Cooperative Agreement (PDF)
.
.Video Gallery
Interviews and commentaries. Watch them all here...
.Slide Shows
See the new slide shows...
Dead Links
©2003 Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation
Pikangikum, ON, P0V 2L0 Canada, Phone: 807-773-9954 Fax: 807-773-5536
e-mail: enquiries@whitefeatherforest.com


The development of this web site has been generously supported with
contributions from the Ontario Living Legacy Trust and the Northern Ontario
Heritage Fund Corporation. Kitchi miigwetch!

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