THE BUZZ AT KEPO
What's the Buzz at KEPO?
Welcome!
This is the official newsletter of the Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO). The Buzz at KEPO is a quarterly newsletter that will provide updates on current KEPO initiatives and events, as well as environmental information relevant to Kahnawa'kehró:non. Keep on reading to see what we’ve been doing to protect and better our environment.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Project Update
Kaniatarowá:nen Survey Results and Updates
Carlee Kawinehtha Loft, Environmental Projects CoordinatorPolicy
& Outreach
Kaniatarowá:nen Community Visioning Survey
In September of 2024, KEPO launched the Kaniatarowá:nen/St Lawrence River Community Visioning Survey to connect with the community about the river and its tributaries (rivers, creeks streams that flow into the river). The goal was to engage the community in a dialogue and gather knowledge to guide upcoming projects focused on protecting and advocating for a healthier Kaniatarowá:nen.
Survey Results at a Glance
To date we have 65 responses, and we have learned a lot To no one’s surprise, our community cares a great deal about the river and many still maintain meaningful connections to it today.
According to our survey results, the top three activities that the community partakes in around the river are relaxing by the river, fishing and photography.
Participants reported being most familiar with the history and/or community stories of the river and its fish species.
When it came to concerns about the river, the answers were varied. However, the number one concern reported was water quality, with contaminants/pollution, garbage/debris, water clarity, and fish health making up the rest of the top five concerns.
When asked if there are concerns around community practices being impacted, many spoke to a shift in the community’s relationship to the water, a struggle to maintain a connection and traditional practices associated with the river, as well as issues of physical access
Here are some of those answers we received:
“We are losing our relationship with the river as a community, as a people.”
“With restrictions on river access or reduced availability of resources, younger generations are missing out on learning traditional fishing, medicine gathering, and watercraft practices. This erodes the continuity of cultural knowledge and practices passed down through generations”
“Loss of connection to the water, and everything associated with that connection (Culture, language, respect, responsibilities)”
“The greatest loss is the knowledge of the stories and information about the plant life and the water life ”
Kaniatarowá:nen, 2007
We also asked participants to think seven generations ahead and tell us their vision for the future of the Kaniatarowá:nen We hope some of the responses will inspire you to consider your hope for the future of the river
“That our future generations will be able to still eat the fish and enjoy all that the waters give us and give back by respecting and keeping it clean.”
“Young people learn from their elders on the river banks, absorbing traditional knowledge while also contributing new insights, creating a vibrant, intergenerational relationship with the river.”
“A clean clear fast flowing river with rapids restored to their natural state, with ownership of all shoreline throughout the Seigneury returned to Kahnawake and with recreated easy access to the river for Kahnawa’kehró:non ”
“Kahnawake’s control and input regarding ANYTHING ABOARD ships passing through the territory.”
“A future where our connection to the river is maintained and people understand how our identity is strongly tied to that connection.”
What’s next for the Kaniatarowá:nen/St. LawrenceRiverCommunityVisioningProject? Understandingthehealthofournaturalworldis the first step to improving it, and our community's knowledge is key to that understandingThesurveyresultsareafirststep ingatheringcommunityknowledgethatwill inform KEPO’s work to improve as well as protecttheriver
Currentlyweareworkingontworiver-related initiatives
One,aresearchcollaborationwithTheRiver Institute and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, whichwouldseetheirresearchintothehealthof theStLawrencebetweenKingstonandLakeSt Francisextendedfurtherdownstreamtoinclude moreoftheStLawrence
Two,TheRegionalAssessment,whichaimsto assesstheimpactofpast,currentandfuture developmentaffectingtheriver(in,on,around) andhasthepotentialtonotonlyprotectthe riverfromfutureharm,buttostarttendingto damagealreadydoneThesetwoinitiativesshare afirststep–identifyingcommunityconcerns andprioritiesregardingtheStLawrenceRiver, guidingtheresearchprojectandthescopeof theRegionalAssessmentThisiswheretheRiver CommunityVisioningProjectcomesin
KEPOwillcontinuetoengagethecommunity abouttheirprioritiesregardingtheriverAreyou afisherorapaddler?Areyououtontheriver often?Areyoupassionateaboutthehealthof theriver?Orwanttojustlearnmore?Wewould lovetohearfromyou!
Want to get involved in the project? Contact KEPO at 450-635-0600 or environmentprotection@mck.ca or message us on Facebook.
Kaniatarowá:nen, 2007
Project Update
Weather Stations for Climate Change Adaptation
by Cole Delisle, Environmental Projects Coordinator - Terrestrial Habitats
Last November, KEPO installed two weather stations to help us gather local climate data in Kahnawà:ke and Tioweró:ton. By collecting long term data on weather patterns, we can monitor the effects of climate change on our territories Both stations monitor rainfall, temperature, pressure, wind speed & direction The stations are different models and work differently from each other
The first station is located on the Kahnawà:ke Survival School grounds and works in conjunction with our air quality monitor. The station is a Vaisala WXT536 series which uses three ultrasonic instruments to measure wind speed and direction and detects individual raindrops to measure rainfall. Combining this with our air quality sensor at Survival School can help us determine the source of poor air quality
The Tioweró:ton station is a KestrelMet 6000 station which connects to the citizen science platform, Ambient Weather. This station uses vane anemometer and a bucket rain gauge which are typical of personal weather stations. Weather data from this station is available on ambientweather.net The weather stations will contribute to KEPO’s Climate Monitoring Project and were funded through Indigenous Services Canada’s Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program We will be updating on other project activities like erosion monitoring and ash tree mortality evaluations soon!
View the results from Tioweró:ton’s station at: www.shorturl.at/8ku8P
Ambient Weather website dashboard
Kahnawà:ke weather station
COP RECAP
2024 Climate Change Summit
by Dominic Mathieu - Environmental Consultation Advisor
As 2024 drew to a close, so did the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29) Last year, the United Nations’ annual climate change summit was held in Baku, Azerbaijan – from November 11th to the 22nd. As is the case for every COP, countries were invited to discuss strategies
COP 29 was different in being a “Finance COP”, a name earned because of the widely anticipated agreement on climate finance to come out of the meeting. This climate finance agreement is a key step in implementing the Paris agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change ratified in 2015 at COP21 As part of the Paris Agreement, “developed” countries committed to provide financial assistance to “developing” countries to help them to fight and adapt to climate change, a problem they are largely not responsible for, but for which they are often more vulnerable
The meeting got off to a rocky start, with the host president stating in his inaugural speech that his country’s oil and gas reserves were a gift from God meant to be used The sentiment might have been shared by many in attendance, as more than 1700
y g
activists
end of the conference, “developed” ally revealed their offer of financial hich amounted to 250 billion dollars 035, far short of the 1 3 trillion dollars 035 estimated to be needed by the tions’ economists. In protest, es from small island states staged a m the negotiation room. Tense followed, with the parties agreeing on a final amount of 300 billion dollars per year by 2035 Representatives indicated this amount as “insufficient, inadequate and an insult” Compounding this lack of much needed funds is the thorny question of the form funding will take. Indeed, there remains much uncertainty on what will count as funding from “developed” countries and the mechanisms used to tally up the total amount.
What is known is that a portion of the amount will be made up of small interest loans This may create further disparities between countries as some are already trapped in poverty from interest and fees on existing loans. In turn, some “developing” countries may have no option but to exploit fossil fuels as the only means to repay national debts.
COP29 Protests Photo by Joel Michael on DowntoEarth
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev (left), and the Executive Director of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell (right) Photo by Kiara Worth for UNFCCC
On a more hopeful note, COP29 renewed the mandate of the Facilitative Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform. With half of the members of this group being representatives from Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, elevating communities’ voices to these high-level decision-making circles is assured at future COPs
With the goal to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels on life support, and insufficient action from world leaders, calls are growing to review the functioning of future COPs. Next year’s COP30, set to take place in Brazil, will be a critical opportunity to course correct, with the impacts of climate change rapidly worsening
Meet the Team Teina Te Hemara
Environmental Projects Coordinator - Policy & Outreach
My name is Teina Te Hemara, and I joined KEPO last year as an Environmental Projects Coordinator – Policy and Outreach. I’m working on internal policy work at KEPO and the new Kahnawà:ke Environmental Protection Law.
I’m a Ngarluma/Yindjibarndi person from the Pilbara in Western Australia and Te Atiawa/Ngāti Raukawa from Taranaki, Aotearoa with mixed settler heritage. I grew up in the port city of Fremantle in the beautiful South West on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people.
I have a B.A with a double major in Indigenous History, Heritage and Knowledge, and Management and a First Class Honours in Political Science where I wrote my thesis on the Western Australia Aboriginal Heritage Act I also have a Juris Doctor (JD) in law I’ve worked in Native Title law and policy advocacy and reform, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage protection, higher education and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people across Australia.
I love my job at KEPO and feel very lucky to work in Kahnawà:ke and to slowly get to know this place and how environmental law and policy operates in such a unique context
Outside of work I like playing guitar, wandering around and getting to know my surroundings, spending time with loved ones, swimming, writing and listening to live music.
COP29 advances Indigenous Voices Photo by UNFCCC
Community Science
Christmas Bird Count
by Julie Teio’keráthe Delisle, Environmental Projects Coordinator - Education & Outreach
On December 14th, KEPO participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count. This count is overseen by Birds Canada and is the longest running community science project in North America. Initiatives like the Christmas Bird Count help us understand how the birds are doing and how we can better support bird conservation.
Starting at sunrise, two teams set out with volunteer birders to record all species seen throughout the day. One team covered various locations throughout the community while the other team surveyed the North Wall.
We had great results this year! Some highlights include a snow goose and a peregrine falcon Check out the full results from this year’s count:
Christmas Bird Count volunteers
wildlife profile
Skunk Cabbage
Symplocarpus foetidus
Skunk cabbage is an interesting, hardy plant native to wetland areas in North America Despite its off-putting name, it’s a plant full of surprises, from its distinctive smell to its unique ability to generate its own heat. It thrives in swamps, marshes, and moist woodlands, where it’s often one of the first signs of spring.
Skunk cabbage is typically found in the eastern United States and parts of Canada. It thrives in damp, marshy areas where few other plants can grow
The plant’s large, glossy leaves and bizarre purple spathe (the modified leaf) make it easy to spot in the wild. While the smell it emits is reminiscent of rotten meat or skunk spray (hence the name), skunk cabbage has a set of extraordinary qualities that set it apart from other plants in the forest.
This hardy, heat-producing plant is an essential part of the ecosystem It provides early-season food for certain insects and plays a key role in the wetlands it calls home.
Skunk cabbage is one of the very first plants to bloom in the spring, often when the snow is still on the ground
The strong odor of skunk cabbage serves as a natural defense mechanism. While it may repulse humans, the smell attracts pollinators such as flies and beetles that are drawn to the scent of rotting flesh
The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the skin and cause digestive issues if consumed without proper preparation
The plant can generate its own warmth, reaching temperatures up to 20°F (11°C) higher than the surrounding environment This helps it melt the surrounding snow and push its flowers through cold ground early in spring.
Onkwehón:we used it in various ways, such as for treating coughs, asthma, and even as a poultice for sore muscles.
Photoby Clare Dellwo Co le