TLCA invited to attend Nipissing First Nation’s first annual Naagdawendaamin ebmijang nbii (Protecting our Flowing Water) Symposium.
On behalf of Nipissing First Nation, the TLCA was extended a formal invitation for two individuals from our organization to attend our first water science symposium titled, Naagdawendaamin ebmijang nbii (Protecting Our Flowing Water). Unfortunately, space was limited or they would have invited more.
This was an all-day event held at the Duschesnay Community Hall, 520A Couchie Memorial Drive and included a catered lunch of traditional Indigenous foods that I can attest was absolutely delicious and included goodies such as Moose Meat Pie, Partridge with Wild Rice, Pickerel and more.
The meeting opened and closed with prayers and cleansing in the native Ojibway language by Evelyn McLeod, a highly respected Anishinaabemowin Language Keeper, Teacher, Cultural Leader, and Elder from the Nipissing First Nation (NFN) who has played a vital role in preserving and transmitting the Ojibway language.
Nipissing First Nation staff did an excellent job in the coordination and setup of the event and included many participants such as Dean Fitzgerald, PhD and Ecologist from Cambridge giving an excellent presentation on his work and findings with respect to methyl-mercury contamination in fish species and the bio-accumulation of such heavy metals. It was interesting to note that large fish species, including Pickerel in Lake Nipissing can be 2.5 to 3x higher in allowable ppm…the take-away was not to eat fish over 50cm in length, eat the smaller ones and leave the larger to continue to spawn, as the heavy metals accumulate in the fish and not the offspring. Dean pushed for quality research and along with the Nipissing First Nation has collected much data, and assisted with methodology in research data and analysis. He highlighted the need for specific Fishing Regulations & Consumption Data. Dean touched on the origin of heavy metal contamination, much of which is Mining and Pulp related. He has researched many areas and lakes in his career and collected much data and assisted with many remediation efforts; his presentation was excellent and very interesting.
The event had participants from the NFN community and various stakeholders including some of the Harvesters/Fishers and people from as far away as James Bay.
Another participant/presenter included Jeff Berthelette, Community Liaison Specialist with the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre and the work undertaken to map sites, collect data and assist in providing recommendations for the decision-making. The primary concerns are Fish Population Health, the Ecosystem, Movement, Human Impacts, Training, Capacity-building, and Species at Risk. Jeff has performed work on Four Mile Lake and did a workshop with Canadore College. Jeff is an excellent resource that may be beneficial to Trout Lake and the TLCA.
Other presentations included: Examining the water quality and chloride dynamics within McInnis Creek by William Mackenzie (Nipissing University), Canadian Coast Guard – Contribution Agreement and Programming by Andrew Urso, Environmental Technician and Marine Liaison Officer (NFN), Per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and Persistent, Mobile and Toxic (PMT) Plastic Additives Contaminate Study of Waters within Nipissing First Nation's Traditional Territory (FNECP) by Curtis Avery (NFN), Invasive Species Work NFN – Phragmites and Japanese Knotweed by Holly McLeod (NFN), Assessing the Walleye Population on Lake Nipissing by Kim Tremblay (MNRF), and Future Studies/Other Related Funding Initiatives for 2026-2027 by Curtis Avery (NFN).
Nipissing First Nation staff, led by Curtiss Avery and his team, have worked tirelessly in the areas of research, data collection, mapping of “harvest” sites for both hunting and fishing, setting limits, policing, community involvement, and more, to properly manage species, harvests, environmental impacts, inflowing streams and general water quality and environment. Curtiss Avery, Department of the Environment (NFN) was an instrumental leader in making the Symposium possible and has lead much of the programming around NFN’s Environmental Manage Plan, developing NFN’s own Source Water Protection Plans, Stream and Water Quality Assessments, Remediation efforts, Research, Mapping, and collecting and analyzing as much Data as possible to assess fish population, health, size distribution, mortality and more.
The data that Curtiss and his team collects is shared with the MNRF, including excellent mapping and summaries. Kim Tremblay, the Regional Fish and Wildlife Specialist with the MNRF did an excellent job in bringing the data together with MNRF efforts, as Lake Nipissing has its own Management Plan and is one of only a few lakes to receive extra funding along with Simcoe, Kawartha’s, and lake of the Woods, due to the fishery, tourism, and indigenous uses.
The TLCA would like to extend a formal “Thank You” to Curtiss Avery (NFN Environmental Department Manager) and Holly McLeod (NFN Lands and Natural Resources Technician) and all the participants, presenters, and team members that made the day an informative and enjoyable success. We made many good Contacts and hope that the continuation of shared research, data, methodologies, and strategies can hopefully be applied to Trout Lake, our Watershed, and our unique Fishery.
Anthony M. Falconi, President