In our data collection activities, we are bringing together our Indigenous Knowledge with leading edge “Western Science” to gather the information needed to manage the forest for new uses in a sustainable way. View our slide show, Gathering Information About the Whitefeather Forest, for a pictorial description of these activities, including sample documentation.

Indigenous Knowledge Data Collection:
In our Indigenous Knowledge Data Collection program, the Pikangikum community Research Team and Pikangikum Elders, in partnership with The Taiga Institute, are undertaking an Indigenous Knowledge Inventory of the Pikangikum Indigenous Knowledge tradition of our land. This inventory will be utilized in forestry and protected areas planning, management and interpretation of the Whitefeather Forest cultural landscape.

• Occupancy Values Inventory, resulting in digital and paper atlases of toponyms (place-names) and special cultural features demonstrating our occupancy of the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area (WFPA).
  
• Ecological Values Inventory, resulting in digital and paper atlases of special ecological values and features of the WFPA.
  
• Indigenous Botany Field Inventory of plant diversity in the WFPA resulting in a preliminary checklist and guide (print and multimedia) to the plant biodiversity of the WFPA using Ojibway, English and scientific classification and names. This inventory includes an Indigenous Knowledge commentary by Elders for specific plants and a set of digital videos and CD's of interviews with Elders and other Pikangikum members.
  
• Indigenous Ecology Field Inventory of special ecological features of the WFPA resulting in the description of such sites on the basis of vegetation and soil type. This inventory includes an Indigenous Knowledge commentary by Elders for specific ecosites and a set of digital videos and CD's of interviews with Elders and other Pikangikum members.
  
• Indigenous Zoology (Animal) & Ornithology Inventory of mammal and bird diversity of the WFPA, resulting in a preliminary checklist and guide (print) to the biodiversity, habitat requirements and life cycles of the mammals and birds of the Whitefeather Forest. This inventory includes an Indigenous Knowledge commentary by Elders for specific mammals and a set of digital videos and CD's of interviews with Elders and other Pikangikum members.
  
• Additional specific research projects supporting our planning process, including two studies related to develop modeling tools for planning from an Aboriginal perspective, one in relation to woodland caribou habitat and one in relation to Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP’s).
  

Biophysical Data Collection:
Under the direction of our First Nation, Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation, has been undertaking data collection activities to support our planning process. These activities have focused on production of a new Forest Resource Inventory that integrates the latest FRI standards and Forest Ecosite Classification (FEC) to provide ecologically-based biophysical forestry and non-forestry data across the entire Whitefeather Forest Planning Area. A finer level of detail and further enhancements to standard FRI’s have been chosen to support sustainable, environmentally sound forestry practices of northern boreal forest land.

The program has been designed to maximize benefits to Pikangikum First Nation in terms of work share and work experience. Members of Pikangikum have been hired as part of the data collection field teams to build community capacity in forest management skills.


Fact Finding Trips:
Pikangikum First Nation members are always interested in learning from the experience of others. Since we began the Initiative we have been keenly interested in the experiences of other First Nations who have engaged in tribal enterprises based on the forest, and we have been fortunate to be able to send representatives to visit First Nations engaged in two such enterprises – the Tl’azt’en Nation in British Columbia and Menominee First Nation in Wisconsin, U.S.A.

The Tl’azt’en Nation owns and operates Tanizul Timber Ltd, a logging company that has expanded to include services related to protection of waterways and wildlife management. The company is dedicated to promoting the use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in resource management strategies and was of much interest to representatives from Pikangikum. The First Nation, with support from Timberline Forest Inventory Consultants, acquired the first area based forest tenure in Canada. Tanizul Timber does not have a web site, but information is available on the Strategis web site.

For 140 years Menominee First Nation has managed “an island of timber in an ocean of cleared land”; and has built Menominee Tribal Enterprises into a world renowned venture that provides employment for Menominee members through sustainable forestry in the Menominee Forest. Menominee Tribal Enterprises practices world-renowned forest stewardship. They acquired one of the first Forest Stewardship Council certifications in the Americas. Menominee Tribal Enterprises, too, was of great interest to representatives of Pikangikum who saw it as an example of the kind of enterprise they are interested in building.

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