Land-based learning: conservation group partners with Manitoba Anishinaabe

A nature reserve on the banks of the Assiniboine River near Brandon, Man. will soon be a site for conservation, learning and healing.

Wabano Aki, which means tomorrow’s land in Anishinaabe, will be used for agriculture, conservation, cultural and spiritual purposes by Indigenous communities in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The 305-hectare area of land, previously known as Waggle Springs, was officially renamed on Sept. 28.

Christine Chilton, community relations manager at the Manitoba chapter of the conservancy, said the site acts as a classroom, but the partnership helps the land to take on a new meaning.

“We often approach things from a Western science perspective. And we’re realizing that it’s actually really important to take in a whole of society approach, which means that there’s a lot of different ways of knowing, and there’s a lot of different uses of land that can all work together to make a better tomorrow,” Chilton said.

The site is important from a conservation standpoint, Chilton said, since part of it is grassland that is home to multiple species at risk, but it also contributes to the local economy and agricultural production.

“Grasslands are one of the most endangered terrestrial ecosystems on the planet due to the rate of loss and the rate of conversion as well. So it’s home to a lot of really incredible species,” she said. “We think of ourselves as a prairie province, but what does that mean if we don’t have the prairies?”

The land houses wildlife and plant species including the northern leopard frog and round leaf monkey flower, and at-risk birds like the Sprague’s pipit and eastern wood-pewee.

Anishinaabe cultural support worker Ken Norquay will lead the use of land for ceremonial and spiritual purposes, Chilton said, adding the integration of Indigenous knowledge with conservation work is important because all organizations are better off by working together.

“What a great way to think about what this means on moving forward through agricultural production, addressing the threats of biodiversity loss and climate change, and making sure that we are remaining true to our cultural resources as well?”

 — with files from Katherine Dornian

0:46 Nature Conservancy releases plan to protect grasslands in Manitoba, other prairie provinces