First Nation Community Consultation Educational Material

Throughout Phase II, the Moose Cree First Nation Community and the Lake Abitibi Model Forest have worked together on the creation of a community consultation process, which is an essential element and requirement for modern forest management planning. The Moose Cree First Nation is looking to develop commercial forestry opportunities on a portion of their traditional territory, part of which overlaps with the LAMF land base. When a plan is approved, up to 100 local jobs as well as further indirect employment could be created from these forestry activities. The desired outcome of this project was the development of a series of educational packages that address the requirements and activities in the proposed consultation process, and that were tailored specifically to the needs and interests of the Moose Cree First Nation people.

Detailed and comprehensive forest management plans are required before any type of forestry operation can occur. To deal with this, the Lands and Resources Secretariat of the Moose Cree First Nation completed the collection and mapping of community values, including traditional ecological knowledge, spiritual and cultural values, ecological values, and information on traditional land use. They also led a thorough process of community consultation required for the preparation of general land use strategies. These activities were completed over a six-month period and included consultation, collection and mapping of values information, and the preparation of management strategies.

These strategies were prepared by implementing a variety of tools:

• Background information and maps

• Community educational workshops and public input sessions

• Interviews with community members

• Preparation of mail-outs and newsletters

• Synthesis and analysis of information collected

• Values mapping

• Community reviews of interim products

• Development of reports

As a result of these efforts, a wide range of educational materials were produced by the Lake Abitibi Model Forest to help with the delivery of the consultation process. These included:

• Overviews of the land use planning and forest management planning processes

• Educational materials related to forest management practices and alternative management methods

• Educational materials related to forest sustainability

• A variety of map and geographical products related to different land use issues and associated management strategies.

The materials produced addressed basic elements of forest management and land use planning, and were easily understandable. They were largely visually-oriented in order to meet the needs of a diverse audience. To address more specific questions, materials of a more technical nature were produced. Since resource management activities and plans evolve over time, the LAMF also ensured that there was a process in place for ongoing community consultation that would incorporate community input on a continuing basis.

The Lake Abitibi Model Forest hopes that in the future these ‘generic’ educational materials will be used in the community consultation process for other First Nations, as well as for other stakeholder groups. Additional partner support for this project was provided by ESG International Inc., and Tembec Industries Inc.