Congratulations to Fort McKay on Big Win in the Protection of Moose Lake
After enduring efforts to attain its protection, Fort McKay and their tireless leaders, staff, researchers, and lawyers can celebrate a huge win with the finalization of the Moose Lake Access Management Plan, which sets out much-needed rules for industrial development within the sensitive Moose Lake area.
Situated in the Athabasca Region, the community’s territory is immensely impacted by the cumulative effects of the oil sands. With encroaching development surrounding the hamlet of Fort McKay, the Moose Lake area—some 50 km to the west—is one of the last remaining and best areas for community members to exercise their rights to hunt, fish and continue with their unique way of life on the land. Largely untouched by oil sands development when compared with the other areas of their territory, Moose Lake is their ‘last refuge.’
After years of negotiation and advocacy, the community has achieved significant protection for this culturally important area with the finalization of the Access Management Plan, and Kwusen is reflecting on the privilege we have had in contributing—even in a small way—to the determined force of folks who have been working tirelessly towards this goal for many years.
Kwusen is honoured to have provided traditional land use (TLU) research support to Fort McKay that has both assisted in documenting their Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in the Moose Lake area and in articulating the potential impacts of oil sands development on these Rights. Kwusen has had the privilege to learn from and conduct over 200 interviews with members of the Fort McKay community. We also provide the Fort McKay Sustainability Department with the Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK) software that houses the research data of nearly 50 TLU and impact studies.
A particular honor for Kwusen was producing “Moose Lake Home & Refuge,” a collaborative documentary. The short film was submitted as evidence in a regulatory hearing where Fort McKay opposed a proposed oil sands development that was planned within two kilometers of their reserve at Moose Lake. The documentary showcased the integral importance of Moose Lake to the Fort McKay community. Employing cumulative effects modelling with the help of ALCES, this project identified the establishment of a buffer zone around Moose Lake as a path forward that would allow for economic development while also ensuring environmental protection and cultural integrity. Seven years later, this buffer zone has now been achieved with the Access Management Plan!
Kwusen wants to thank the Fort McKay First Nation and Sustainability Department for welcoming us into the mix of talented researchers, legal advisors, and scientists who have been working towards the protection of this important region. We also want to thank our fellow research consultants that we’ve worked closely with over the years, including Integral Ecology Group founders Ann Garibaldi, Shanti Berryman, and Justin Straker; ALCES' Dr. Brad Stelfox; Marie Lagimodiere; among many, many others. It has been our absolute pleasure to work with you all.
Congratulations to the whole community of Fort McKay! Kwusen especially wants to thank and congratulate Jean L’Hommecourt, Andrew Bouchier, and Joe Grandjambe who spent many hours sharing the beauty and history of Moose Lake with Kwusen founder Towagh Behr. This is an achievement of a lifetime and of huge importance for future generations.
SAGD Processing Plant near Fort McKay Cabins at Moose Lake