Community-Based Land Use Planning:
Signature and Celebration of “Keeping the Land” – the Whitefeather Forest Land Use Strategy
“Keeping the Land” – the Whitefeather Forest Land Use Strategy has now been completed and approved after five years of Community-Based Land Use Planning. It reflects extensive dialogue, building consensus and “state of the art” research. A ceremony was held on June 26, 2006 in Pikangikum to celebrate completion of the Strategy. Representatives from Pikangikum and the Ministry of Natural Resources officially signed the Strategy, and a community feast was held to celebrate the event.
Dialogue
Respectful dialogue to achieve understanding and consensus is a key aspect of our process.
Open Houses
We invited the public to enter into this dialogue with us at open house forums.
November 2 & 3, 2005
The third Open House dialogue opportunities were held in Pikangikum and Red Lake to tremendous success. At this Open House members of the public had an opportunity to view the Draft Land Use Strategy that has been prepared for the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area and the Adjacent Areas in English and in Ojibway. Once again hundreds of people attended the Open House, giving many positive comments about the material presented. We had visitors from afar including Manitoba Conservation, the Co-Chair of the Wabanong Nakagum Okimawim (formerly the East Side Planning Initiative), and Chief Esther Pitchenese from Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation with whom we have a value-added partnership. Many other citizens attended from various sectors including tourism, forestry, the minerals sector and provincial and federal government agencies.
June 15 & 16, 2004
The second two Open House forums were held in Pikangikum and Red Lake. Following our first Open House in 2003, Pikangikum First Nation and the Ministry of Natural Resources worked together to identify and present information on conservation objectives and specific opportunities in the planning areas, and issues related to these opportunities. As with the first Open Houses in 2003, hundreds of people attended and our 2004 Open Houses were a resounding success. Once again we received many positive comments about the presentation.
June 4 & 5, 2003
 The first two Open House forums were held in Pikangikum and Red Lake. We were very pleased with the turnout, hundreds of people attended. People who came to these Open Houses had the opportunity to learn about the planning process and our data collection programs. We displayed a wide variety of information including maps, handbooks, and a slide show of both our Indigenous  Knowledge and Western Science data collection programs.
We received many positive comments about the Whitefeather Forest Initiative and our planning work from people who attended, and we look forward to presenting our ongoing planning work at the remaining Open House forums.
Dialogue with Interested Parties:
In 2001 Pikangikum began dialogue with a number of parties who have an interest in the Whitefeather Forest Initiative. The objectives of the dialogue are:
- to develop consensus on the critical importance of economic renewal for Pikangikum, the essential requirement for Community-Based Land Use Planning;
- to develop framework understandings in support of the development of new economic opportunities involving new land uses
- to develop consensus on the central role that our Indigenous Knowledge tradition will play in support of sustainable resource management; and
- to acknowledge and respect other existing interests in the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area and to harmonize them with the interests of Pikangikum.
Participation in Sectoral Dialogue Forums:
 Given that the Whitefeather Forest Initiative involves the intention of Pikangikum First Nation to acquire commercial forest management tenure within the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area, our community knows that there will be protected areas issues that need to be addressed. The Whitefeather Forest Initiative is also of concern to the mining community. To facilitate dialogue on issues related to protected areas and mineral development in the context of the Whitefeather Forest Initiative, our First Nation supports and participates in sectoral dialogue forums that are being hosted by Ontario.
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Slide Shows
