Open houses in Riverton, Fisher River and Arborg
With a focus on enhanced environmental protection and conservation efforts in Manitoba, Indigenous communities and a conservation organization – with federal and provincial support – are proposing to expand protected areas in the province, including in the Interlake.
In partnership with the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisher River Cree Nation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation and Peguis First Nation are leading a conservation initiative focused on six Interlake areas that stretch from Kinwow Bay Provincial Park (north basin of Lake Winnipeg) down to Riverton and areas westward.
The goal of the initiative is to “protect the health of the southeastern Interlake’s thriving natural landscape so it can continue to provide sustaina¬ble economic opportunities and to support our cherished lifestyles and cultures,” states the proposal, as well as protect an “adequate quantity of natural habitats and ecosystems” in the area. It also aims to strike a balance between the interests of local communities, rights-holders and stakeholders.
The conservation partnership is holding open houses in the Interlake to get pubic feedback to its draft proposal based on the six areas before it’s finalized and presented to the provincial government.
CPAWS Manitoba’s executive director Ron Thiessen said feedback from the open houses will be used to refine the current proposal.
“Once the final conservation proposal is complete, we will begin discussing implementation with the Manitoba government,” said Thiessen. “During this time, we will continue engaging with groups and individuals if they have questions or concerns. Any of the proposed areas that Manitoba wishes to proceed with will be subject to its own public consultation.”
The six areas in the Interlake covered under the proposal are as follows:
Area 1 (1,988 square kilometres) extends from Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park to the Mantagao Wildlife Management Area. Included in this area are “hunting areas and traplines used by local communities.”
Area 2 (374 square kilometres) covers the west shore of Fisher Bay to Lake St. George and Lake St. Andrews. As an access point for regional fishers, Goodman’s Landing is also included.
Area 3 (560 square kilometres) covers the Washow Bay Peninsula and could involve expanding Fisher Bay Provincial Park, extending protection around Moose Lake to preserve moose and other wildlife habitat and/or establishing official protected status for the Moose Creek Wildlife Management Area. “Our hope is to limit further developments on the peninsula, allowing more of the area to return to a natural state while ensuring continuous habitat for moose and other wildlife,” states the proposal.
Area 4 (4 square kilometres) covers the mouth of the Icelandic River to Sandy Bar Beach on Lake Winnipeg. It includes the sand spit. The area is a designated Important Bird Area and popular fishing spot.
Area 5 (219 square kilometres) covers the Fish Road area, an important connection between Fisher River Cree Nation and the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton and Arborg. It is a valuable medicine-picking area. “Connecting the Fish Road area to the Fisher Bay Provincial Park and Moose Creek WMA [Wildlife Management Area] would help to ensure that nature here is connected and uninterrupted for wildlife movement,” states the proposal.
Area 6 (204 square kilometres) covers several WMAs that are “highly suited for permanent protection.” A revision of the legal regulations of the WMAs is proposed to ensure these areas remain natural areas. Affected WMAs are Lee Lake WMA, Washow Bay WMA, David B. Tomasson WMA and Broad Valley WMA. The proposal also seeks protections for the “globally rare alvar regions” in the area.
Alvar is defined as limestone or dolomite bedrock covered by thin soil and containing unique plants, lichen and bryophytes (e.g., mosses, liverworts). There are four major alvar habitats in Manitoba: grasslands, shrubland, savannah and wetlands. The majority are on Crown land.
The conservation initiative in the Interlake is one of three Indigenous-led initiatives that CPAWS is involved in, said Thiessen. The Interlake study area consists of more than 934,000 hectares that stretches from Riverton in the south to Kinwow Bay Provincial Park in the north, but the partnership is “not looking to have the whole study protected: we are studying the broad needs and interests of the region in order to develop an appropriate and balanced conservation plan.”
The conservation initiative is “aligned with” the provincial government’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of the province’s lands and waters by 2030, said Thiessen.
Also referred to as 30×30, the initiative is a Conference of the Parties (COP) framework that aims to conserve 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and sea areas by 2030. COP is made up of 196 national governments that meet every two years to determine what progress has been made, set priorities and commit to actions to stop environmental destruction caused by or linked to human activity.
COP governs a legal environmental agreement, the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), for the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of resources and equitable sharing. CBD came into force in 1993. Its overall objective is to take actions that will lead to a sustainable future.
Some of the global goals under 30×30 include establishing protected areas, reducing nutrients and pesticides, eliminating plastic waste, reducing the rate of introduction of invasive alien species and or their control or eradication, controlling or eliminating incentives that are harmful for biodiversity, and providing international financing to developing countries.
The Canadian government is committed to 30×30, and is working to “halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and achieving a full recovery for nature by 2050,” according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The government aims to protect and recover species at risk, and support Indigenous leadership in conservation and climate solutions. Nature agreements with “interested” provincial and territorial governments are being struck and entail mutually agreed upon actions and financial commitments to reach individual and collection conservation goals.
Provincial and territorial governments such as Yukon, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia have committed to protecting more areas of nature in their respective jurisdictions, as have local governments such as the regional district of central Okanagan, Toronto, Sudbury, and Chelsea, Que.
The Manitoba government said in a Oct. 24, 2023, news release that climate changes “poses a significant threat” to the province and requires “real action” from the government. It’s “committed to protecting 30 per cent of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030.”
As expected, there are stakeholders who are opposed to 30×30 for different reasons.
The Manitoba Wildlife Federation issued a news release on Jan. 7, stating Manitoba’s Crown lands have “always been a shared resource” supporting hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, and that 30×30 will “erode access to vast tracts” of Crown land.
MWF promotes conservation, angling, hunting and other outdoor activities, according to its website.
In its press release, MWF says it “recognizes and respects Indigenous rights” and supports reconciliation, but wants “inclusive conservation efforts that balance ecological protection with the needs of all land users.”
It goes on to say that CPAWS is “aggressively promoting” the United Nations and federal government’s 30×30 initiative without consulting Manitobans, and that three [including Interlake] of the nine Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in Manitoba are currently being “aggressively advanced.”
“In Manitoba, IPCAs are being promoted as a key tool to meet the 30×30 goal,” states the MWF’s news release. “These areas often involve agreements between Indigenous communities and government entities to designate large tracts of Crown Land as protected, barring certain activities like resource extraction (mining, forestry, and other industry sectors) or non-Indigenous hunting.”
The MWF also states that the provincial government identifies and designates Crown land for protection, and that the lands are then “transferred” to federal jurisdiction under agreements. MWF doesn’t know if the province has entered into any land-transfer agreements, and it’s trying to find out. The federal government then gives the management of those lands to Indigenous communities.
“Once in federal jurisdiction, management authority is delegated to Indigenous communities, who govern the land according to principles agreed upon in the IPCA framework between them and government,” states the MWF’s news release. “This will almost certainly include restrictions on activities like licensed hunting, angling, and recreational use by non-Indigenous users.”
With regard to the conservation initiative underway in the Interlake, Thiessen said it’s an inclusive process, and outdoor enthusiasts, licensed hunters and anglers, Indigenous land-users and communities are part of the conversation.
“Licensed hunting, fishing and trapping, and activities such as personal berry-gathering, would not be affected by any conservation plan that is proposed by the initiative, said Thiessen. “Concerns have recently been raised about a lack of consultation. The Conservation Areas Initiative took the time to have conversations with as many of the interested parties in the region as possible over the past few years, including the MWF in November of 2021. The initiative’s engagement process has been outlined on the initiative’s website since the spring of 2021, and all stakeholders we spoke with in Round One were made aware of our process.”
He added that the province retains Crown jurisdiction over its natural resources and that any new protected area must be approved by the province and requires public consultation.
A spokesperson for the province said activities such as licensed hunting, fishing, trapping, ecotourism, outfitting, haying, grazing and winter roads are generally allowed if they’re “not harmful” to the habitats being protected.
The province is working with Indigenous communities and the federal government to determine how IPCAs can manage and expand protected areas to the benefit of all.
“An Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) is an area where the purpose, development, establishment, and ongoing management reflect and enable Indigenous culture, interests and leadership,” he said. “While there are currently no Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Manitoba, the Manitoba government is committed to working with Indigenous communities and the federal government to explore how IPCAs can help support management of traditional territories in Manitoba and build Manitoba’s network of protected and conserved areas for the benefit of all Manitobans.”
The protection of Crown land includes Indigenous, stakeholder and public engagement so that “all voices are heard and reflected in the decision-making process,” he added.
As to the MWF’s statement about transferring Crown lands, the spokesperson said the transfer of Crown land to the federal government is “not a requirement to establish an IPCA” and, at present, there are no agreements in place for the transfer of Manitoba Crown land to the federal government to support Indigenous-led protected and conserved area projects.
The Indigenous-led conservation initiative in the Interlake has already held open houses in Kinonjeoshtegon and Peguis. Upcoming open houses will be held in Riverton on Jan. 31 from 5-9 p.m., Fisher River Cree Nation on Feb. 4 from 5-9 p.m., and Arborg on Feb. 6 from 5-9 p.m.
For more information, visit www.frcnconservation.ca
