Shawanaga First Nations
It’s all about preserving land and protecting the endangered species. It is also about preserving their cultural roots and participating in the world they live in.
Shawanaga Island to be preserved
There was an international movement for the Indigenous People to be given rights.
The UN set about to encourage all nations to look to protect the IP.
In Canada in 2017, ICE was formed – Indigenous Council of Experts – in four geographical areas around Canada to come together under Parks Canada and decide what was important to them. The Federal Government set aside $175M CN with the overall purpose of land conservation to preserve the earth. The ICE put forth an initiative that by 2020, Canada would support the increase of protected lands from 10% to 17% and 20% of the water mass.
The ICE suggested that Canada target 27 areas of land toward that 17%. The IPCA (Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas) designate those areas for which grants were made for the Federal Government formed to oversee the awarding of grants for the 27 lands to be chosen by inviting Indigenous People to apply for these Federal grants. The SFN applied for and was granted the caretaker rights to Shawanaga Island within the PaB area.
Since August 2019, the Shawanaga Island, as Federal Crown Land, was given over to the SFN as its caretaker to preserve and protect the natural habitat. This allows the SFN to oversee the lands for conservation and natural habitats, according to the specific terms of the grant.
The map shows Shawanaga Island within Pointe au Baril. The insert shows the location of the dock that now exists across from Josephine Rocks on the shoreline of Shawanaga Island.
The new dock that is seen on Shawanaga Island is the first step for the SFN to fulfill their charge to protect and preserve the natural habitat on the island. It is the hope of the SFN that perhaps erect a gazebo or visitor’s building be built with the monies that the Federal Government has given to them to enable the sharing of their heritage, educate the public and perhaps sell their goods as an economic endeavor to prosper.
CNPP – protecting endangered species
On a separate but related note, in 2019, as part of Canada’s national effort to protect endangered species, Canada’s Federal Government announced that it will invest almost $2 million in a project to protect biodiversity along Georgian Bay. This project, the Georgian Bay Community-Nominated Priority Place Project (CNPP). It is one of only 15 CNPP areas in Canada.
The four-year project will benefit 50 species at risk along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, including Blanding’s turtle, Massasauga rattlesnake, Algonquin wolf and eastern whip-poor-will.
The participants: the Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT), the Georgian Bay Biosphere (GBB), the Township of the Archipelago (ToA), the Shawanaga First Nation (SFN), and others will gather data as well as plan and implement actions to address threats. The threats to be addressed include roads and railroads, invasive plants, and climate change.