Pimachiowin Aki UNESCO World Heritage site is a 29,040 square kilometre area straddling the east side of Manitoba and west side of Ontario. Meaning “The Land That Gives Life,” Pimachiowin Aki encompasses the traditional lands of four Anishinaabeg communities: Bloodvein River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi and Poplar River, and includes the Bloodvein Canadian Heritage River. It is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Manitoba. Melba Green is the Guardian for Bloodvein River First Nation, and the following is a summary of a conversation she had with Manitoba Parks about her work.
The Work of the Bloodvein Land Guardian
An essential part of being a Land Guardian is interacting with people. Discussions with local trappers, both outdoors and at meetings throughout the year, provide many valuable insights and knowledge. Talking with hunters from outside the community and sharing knowledge with them helps to further people’s appreciation for this unique area. Land Guardians meet annually to discuss what they are currently working on and the accomplishments they have had in the past year. Ongoing discussions with the other three communities and the Chiefs and Councils help to keep everyone informed.
Melba loves speaking with students. Sharing her love of nature allows the next generation of potential Land Guardians to learn and appreciate the beauty in the Bloodvein River. Melba sometimes visits the community school to teach youth about the importance of land management in protecting the environment for the future.
Monitoring requires being in nature for first-hand observations about the state of the environment and any potential changes. Duties include looking for evidence of illegal hunting, harvesting of plants, and disturbances of cultural sites. Melba looks into reports of injured/distressed animals and will place tobacco beside deceased animals in respect for their spirits. She also looks for changes in the environment such as distressed trees, dwarf mistletoe (a parasitic plant), invasive species like zebra mussels, and signs of pollution to the land and water. An example of recent changes occurred due to forest fires in 2021, which affected local trap lines and resulted in increased deer and caribou activity in the area.
A Typical Summer for a Land Guardian
The summer is a busy time for a Guardian. Many areas require attention to ensure they are being used responsibly and being respected. There is a lot of travel to all areas along the river. When walking in the bush, a walking stick is essential to avoid any potential trap lines. Placing tobacco down at the rapids is important when setting out along the river. As Melba says, “The land speaks to you; show respect and you will have a safe journey.” There is ongoing work to observe local fish habitats, report any signs of parasites in local populations, and send an annual sample to the local lab for water quality monitoring. In the winter when animals hibernate, the pace of work slows, allowing more time to observe other animals such as weasels and wolverines.
Summer 2023
This past summer, research in the Bloodvein River area examined several critical parts of the environment. Melba undertook a project looking at algae levels to ensure they are not a threat to the aquatic ecosystem. Other monitoring projects focused on a noticeable decline of bumblebee sightings and a decrease in the sightings of monarch butterflies.
Melba notes the importance of “the need to understand the land, to engage, [to] make people understand everything is alive, [and] the land is alive.”