"We must begin to see the earth in a longer span of time; Not just for this generation but for generations to come."
Calypso Orchid Photo by Jim Butler
Research Projects
Vertebrate Community Ecology: This study focuses on comparative biological diversity sampling of bird and small mammal communities in boreal cove forests, and to conduct similar but less exhaustive studies in other habitat types.
Invertebrate Community Ecology: This study focuses on sampling insect, particularly canopy and terrestial arthropod populations, within boreal cove forests.
Wildlife Habitat Relationships: This study focuses on determining relationships between old-growth dependent wildlife and vegetation (i.e. Why is old growth so important?)
Traditional Aboriginal Knowledge of Boreal Cove Forest Ecology: This study focuses on gathering data from northern aboriginal communities on biological diversity and ecological descriptions of boreal cover forest.
August 3, 1993: Today I reread excerpts from the Great Bear Health Study that was gathered from throughout the Treaty 8 region. Once again I am surprised at the attitude of people. Many spoke of the historical ties and connections of the people to the land and environment, or of the spiritual importance that can be found in the region. The entire time that I was reading these statements, I kept recalling the words of someone that I had spoken to in Edmonton who said: "we must learn to think of the Earth as continuous span of time..." Although I never disbelieved the man, I considered him to be somewhat eccentric and his perception or way with words to be unusual. I have since found out, from this report and interviews that I have already done, that these types of attitudes are not unusual and the poetic way that they speak is also the norm. I hope that I can continue to interview people and get more insight into this.
Katherine Altman
August 16, 1993: Prior to leaving Edmonton to come work up here, I had contacted a number of nature-based organizations about out project and one individual said to me, "We must begin to think of the Earth in a longer span of time; not just for this generation, but for the generations to come. It is interesting to me to see that concern being echoed and fulfilled here by the Little Red River people. The children, of which there are many, have been provided with a knowledge that stems from the people's traditions and tries to encompass Western knowledge and aspirations. Based on what I've seen here, I have hope that the culture and traditions can remain strong and flourish.
Katherine Altman
August 21, 1993... I am becoming engrossed in the biological research that Lisa, Jeff, Chris and Andy are doing. I, however, have learned that even today, you cannot isolate the people from the land. When I speak with the people about the changes they have witnessed I can comprehend the effects these changes have on the people and their way of life.
Sandhill Crane Photo by Chris Fisher
Like Andy, I am still amazed by our experience out at Little Red River. What we saw are things that only some can dream of: a campground at dusk with fog rolling in like a blanket across the campsites, the sound of drums beating and being accompanied by a song chanted in the Cree language while being able to look out across a number of teepees. From within these teepees you can make out the shadowy outlines of people sitting and moving around campfires with small billows of smoke wafting out of the tops up to the green Northern Lights that were dancing above and changing shapes repeatedly. Then illuminating all of this, one sees the most amazing golden orange, rust and yellow sunset that just hovers over the horizon. The experience that Andy and I were able to share in here was one of those things that you can never forget and never describe well enough to do it adequate justice! I know that Lisa and Jeff were probably the people who were the best able to share in our experiences out there as we bombarded them with our experiences and emotions as soon as we saw them.
Katherine Altman
