The Bullsheet

2007-12-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for blogging lately, but I have just discovered the joys of embedding video in blogs. The first choice here is footage from an event in Toronto last fall, where Shawn Brant, an organizer from the Tyendinaga Mohawk reserve, spoke about his actions leading up to the indigenous day of action and the charges that he faces as a result. The crown is seeking 12 years minimum for 6 counts of michief. CN has also named Shawn Brant in a multi-million dollar civil suit to retaliate for blocking the main rail lines. The Mohawks of Tyendinaga are seeking justice in a land claims issue where they were just recognized in 2003 as title-holders of the land, yet non-indigenous development continues and the government is pressuring them to sell the land.

Goodbye Blogger

2006-12-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

This is the last post you will see from me here on blogger. But I have not gone silent. I have merely transfered the entire blog over to bullsheet.wordpress.com.
See you there!

News Roundup

2006-12-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

Read the latest Buffalo Field Campaign Update from the Field

AND IN OTHER BUFFALO NEWS:

Maxwell buffalo perishing:Wildlife refuge faces costly endeavor to restock herd
By Amy Bickel
The Hutchinson News

It's a sanctuary where buffalo still roam through tall stands of prairie grass as they did before Kansas was a state.
But fewer animals wander across Maxwell Wildlife Refuge since disease swept through the Canton-area herd.
Officials have battled mycoplasma bovis since September, a disease that canceled the refuge's annual November buffalo sale. (read more)

N.D. Bison Moved to New Home in Nebraska:Bison from Devils Lake-area refuge in N. Dakota go to new home in Nebraska in multistate plan

Bison being moved from here to Nebraska as part of a new federal approach to managing the animals were gathered up and shipped out Thursday with no problems, an official says.
The herd is being moved from the Sullys Hill preserve to the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska, as part of a multistate management plan announced earlier. Sullys Hill will get seven new bison from the National Buffalo Range in Montana. (read more)

CARIBOU NEWS
(I found only one paper covering this first story...)

Caribou habitat threatened
Tb (Thunder Bay) News Source

Environmental activists visited the Ontario legislature Thursday (Dec. 7) to raise awareness of a threat to the province's population of woodland caribou.

One activist dressed as Santa Claus passed out stuffed animals (caribou) - also known as reindeer - to members of provincial parliament.

The CPAWS Wildlands League says woodland caribou are predicted to become extinct within the next 80 years. The group wants the Ontario government to protect the species by halting logging in their habitat and passing tougher endangered species legislation. The activist dressed as Santa says `Rudolph will be devastated if his Ontario cousins lose their home.'

Quebec cracks down on millionaire poachers

By INGRID PERITZ
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The moose were stalked by helicopter and run ragged until they were dazed by noise and wind. Then the beasts were picked off by millionaire gunmen as easily as plastic ducks lined up at a carnival booth.
Even in the pitiless world of game poaching, where deer are fatally frozen in headlights or shot for fun from pickup-truck windows, this example of poaching was as brazen as it was brutal, officials say.
Quebec wildlife agents are mounting cases against 19 Quebec residents after a three-year anti-poaching operation.
Poaching crackdowns aren't exceptional in Quebec _ officials announced one this week against about 25 deer and caribou hunters in the Eastern Townships area _ but the operation that allegedly unfolded around a hunting-and-fishing reserve has dismayed even seasoned wildlife agents. (read more)

Victoria's Secret to Stop Using paper from Caribou Habitat

2006-12-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

(hey some good news for the caribou, hopefully. Kudos to ForestEthics for a successful campaign!!!)

Victoria's Secret snubs West Fraser Timber

WENDY STUECK

Globe and Mail Update

VANCOUVER — Victoria's Secret owner Limited Brands has agreed to stop buying paper from suppliers that log in caribou habitat in the Rocky Mountain Foothills near Hinton, Alberta.

The Pittsburgh-based retail giant has also promised to stop buying paper from any suppliers that get their trees from any caribou range in Canada unless the paper is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Hunting restrictions considered to save N.W.T. caribou herd

2006-12-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Article at: CBC News

Nearly 100 hunters, outfitters, industry and government representatives are meeting in Yellowknife this week to talk about the future of the barren-ground herd that lives between Yellowknife and the Arctic Coast.

Maps of Caribou ranges in Alberta

2006-12-04T18:06:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to post these images, cause I find them interesting. On the right is a map of caribou ranges in Alberta.

(from Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan, April 2004 draft)
On the left is the same map showing the current status of the herds.
From http://issues.albertawilderness.ca/WL/cariboufeatures.htm
"-Under Alberta's Wildlife Act, the woodland caribou is designated a 'threatened' species, due to their low numbers and the decline in their distribution resulting from direct habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.

-Woodland Caribou are a species endemic to North America with historical ranges from the Rocky Mountains to Newfoundland and north into Alaska and the northern territories of Canada. However, the current distribution has shrunk dramatically in the US northeast and populations are only found in Washington, Idaho, across Canada and into the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska.

-The boreal variety of caribou exist across Canada (NT, BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL) and are listed as threatened throughout by the federal government. The mountain variety exist only in the western provinces and territories but scientists treat them as separate northern (BC, YT, NT) and southern (BC, AB) populations.

-The Queen Charlotte Islands population of woodland caribou in British Columbia is extinct.

-The Gaspe population of woodland caribou in Quebec are listed as endangered.

-Southern populations of mountain woodland caribou are most in need of protection with range declines of 40 percent throughout British Columbia and Alberta, where they have been listed as a nationally threatened species since 2000.

-Alberta populations of woodland caribou have been in decline since the 1920's. Provincial biologists and the conservation community have urged for adequate protection since that time.

-Current estimates of the Alberta population of all woodland caribou range from 3600 to 67000 individuals."

Caribou, wolverines 'at risk'

2006-12-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Environmental groups says provincial procrastination putting endangered species at risk
Nov. 27, 2006. 06:42 PM
CANADIAN PRESS

Ontario is on the verge of losing animals such as woodland caribou and wolverines while the province stalls on endangered-species legislation, environmental groups said today.

Protestors Demand Protection For Caribou

2006-12-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Dec, 01 2006 - 1:10 PM

CALGARY/AM770CHQR - About 20 people gathered in front of the head offices of Conoco-Phillips in downtwon Calgary Friday, protesting that the oil company is contributing to the demise of Alberta's woodland caribou habitat.
That's something the company says is not true.
Wearing cardboard caribou antlers, a number of people from the Hinton-area believe conoco phillips is putting the Little Smoky herd of caribou northwest of Hinton at risk due to industrial development.
Rocky Notnes is with the west Athabasca Bioregional Society.
He says, "They could have rerouted that pipeline to the south. And instead they chose the straightest line because if they can make $102 instead of $100, that's what they'll do."
Officials with Conoco-Phillips says habitat was taken into account and the company along with suncor have spent $1 million restoring 400 kilometers of habitat

OPP stop flap over flags in Caledonia

2006-12-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

OPP stop flap over flags in Caledonia

By Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 4, 2006)

In another round of push and pull between Six Nations and Caledonia residents, OPP stepped in on the weekend to stop Canadian flags from being flown near the Douglas Creek Estates.

About 30 people tried to mount the flags and big yellow ribbons just outside the disputed lands on Saturday morning, after starting the campaign in the north end of town.

The group was informed by OPP they would not be allowed to hang flags so close to the estate site, as it could jeopardize their safety and fragile peace in the area.

"I cannot believe that we cannot put up a Canadian flag in Canada in this spot right now," said Dana Chatwell, one of the people involved in organizing the event. "It's disgusting, I'm not even proud to be a Canadian."

OPP in Caledonia issued a stern statement yesterday afternoon condemning actions on both sides of the dispute, calling them "juvenile" and potentially risky to the entire community.

Native protesters have occupied the disputed land since late February, in a bid to reclaim what they say belongs to them. In June, the province bought the land and is in the process of negotiating a settlement.

Chatwell said the group was not trying to stir things up by trying to hang the flags so close to the site, but Six Nations spokesperson Janie Jamieson questions why the group would pick that specific spot. "What is their motive for picking the location they did? ... It's an act of instigation."

Jamieson said there's lots of Canadian flags hung up around Caledonia, which she has no problem with. Her concern is the potential for things to go wrong when tensions start to run high.

"The truth is, every time they do take action there is always that opportunity for harm and to me I don't understand why they keep doing that."

The group was able to hang flags about a kilometre and a half from the Douglas Creek Estates, Chatwell said.

By yesterday, about 10 of the 30 hung up flags in the city had been ripped down. One of those trying to put up flags Saturday was arrested for trespassing after being asked to leave a neighbouring property and refusing.

Where Am I Now?

2006-12-02T20:21:00.001-07:00

After an absence of three years, I have returned to my home country of Canada. It's no secret now that I have been living the past three years in the United States. Thecustoms agents at the border were not very happy to discover this, and have banned me from the country for ten years now as a result.
Part of me could care less that I've been banned from a country that many of the Canadians I know would never want to visit in the first place. Were it not for Buffalo Field Campaign, I wouldn't want to be there either. I will miss the friends that I made there, and the opportunity to be involved in an important campaign.
My impressions of the country during my stay there is that the people are essentially wonderful, but the powers that be are downright evil. The recent mid-term election at least reassured me that the American people are at least not totally asleep, and may actually be able to prevent another East Germany or Soviet Union style situation from happening in their country. Though a lot of damage has already been done, I fear.
I got seriously paranoid at times during my stay in the states. I spent the majority of my time protesting the actions of the government and advocating for animal rights. In the wake of such government actions as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and my own status an an illegal alien, I wondered whether I should be as open about my political beliefs in such publicly accessible places such as myspace. But I can't keep my mouth shut, and had I stayed in the US much longer, I know I would have eventually recieved a visit from the FBI. I look forward now to not have to worry about censoring myself.
And I look forward now to not having to worry about publically stating that the United States and Canada were founded on genocide and slavery and that tradition continues today. From the slave using nations that we export our goods from to the wars that we support with our military and our foreign aid to the prison system, credit system and the institutionalized educational system, these nations have always been about making the rich richer at any cost, and we have blindly followed the whole time. Now we have the wild and the wild animals to add to that ongoing genocide, but I'm sure if we look back far enough we've been responsible for the extinction of life since long before these nations were founded.
I had planned on finding a way to spend more time down in Montana, volunteering with BFC, but it seems I have to begin the process of rebuilding my life without Montana in the equation.
The last three weeks Mary and I have been on a hitchhiking journey to Montana. We travelled east to Buffalo, and after a scary delay at both sides of the border, crossed over into Fort Erie, took the bus up to Toronto, visited some family and then hitched north to Orrilla.
On our last day of hitchhiking we stood and walked for a few hours in a freezing rain storm. But that was not why we decided to take the bus the rest of the way. Mostly we had accomplished what we had set out to do as far as having an adventure, seeing new places and hitchhike in extreme whether. Seeing new places and meeting new people has been fun, but there just never seems to be enough time on this kind of trip to make real connections or get anything accomplished. We are looking forward to getting to Edmonton so that we can dumpster dive for more of our food, so that we can volunteer with whatever projects appeal to us, and so that we can check books out of a library, instead of trying to devour as much information as we can in however short a time we have in whatever town we happen to be passing through.
I have hitched over 10,000 miles through the US in the past three years, in in the coming years expect to hitch thousands more. It is still my preferred form of travel. I am anxious to start the next phase of my life however. Anxious to see what Edmonton has to offer and what i might choose.

News round-up

2006-11-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Bison briefly escape quarantine facility
By The Associated Press - 11/30/06
BOZEMAN (AP) — Eight bison briefly escaped from an experimental brucellosis quarantine facility near Yellowstone National Park on Monday, but they didn’t get very far.‘‘Three of them walked back in on their own and five were standing by the gate,’’ Keith Aune, a researcher for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said Wednesday.The bison escaped because a padlock didn’t fully latch, said Aune, who speculated the wind might have rattled the gate, opening the lock.

Calgary will roll out 10-year plan to end homelessness
Calgary city officials and a cadre of social agencies are working on a plan to end homelessness in their Alberta city, with details to be released early in 2007.
Calgary HeraldView

Joint NGO statement on tigers presented to China's President Hu Jintao
A dozen of international NGOs have issued a joint statement on tigers: Wild tiger populations are recovering in a few places, but most are in steep decline.

Chocolate and Child Slavery

2006-11-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mary and I are hitchhiking across the US and Canada right now, and during this time we are freegan/opportunivore, meaning we will eat whatever we can get for free or have given to us.
However, we also buy food, mostly seeds and fruit, and are very picky about what we eat when we are not traveling.
We are vegans, though we eat wild game, and would prefer to eat as local as possible. The past couple months we've been trying to give a few things up, like coffee (successful) and sugar (still trying.) Health is a big factor in all this, but mostly it is political. The modern North American food industry is so corrupt it makes my blood boil.
Now, we have a new concern. We just found out, though it is old news to many, that child slave labor is used to harvest cacao beans in Cote D'ivore (Ivory Coast). This country supplies 50% of the cacao beans to the chocolate industry. And the way these companies buy beans, you have no way of knowing, and can pretty much bet, that you are supporting child slave labor by when buying chocolate.
Apparently, chocolate marketed with "fair trade" certification is safe, but Mary's opinion is that this is just a label. Who holds accountable the watchdog groups that hold the industry accountable? It's safest to just give up the chocolate habit, as hard as that may be for some of us.
I didn't quote any websites or groups or what not because i want you to educate yourself on this if you don't believe me. just google 'chocolate child slavery' and see what comes up.

Iceland harpoons deep-sea protection (Greenpeace)

2006-11-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

United Nations, New York, United States — The proposed moratorium on high-seas bottom trawling was harpooned today at the UN, as Iceland put the interests of their fishing fleets above other countries and scientific advice (sound familiar?). Even Canada and Spain gave in to common sense in the end. Today Iceland has single-handedly destroyed its own reputation as a nation with responsible fishing policies. Iceland has blood on its hands: the fate of 64 percent of the world’s oceans, and the food security of future generations.
Karen Sack, our Oceans Policy Advisor, said after an all-night wait at the UN: "The final agreement has more loopholes in it than a fisherman's sweater, and it does nothing to significantly change the way our oceans are managed." That’s exceptionally bad news considering that a recent scientific evaulation has shown that if nothing changes, most commercial fisheries will have collapsed by 2048.
Don’t blame Canada, blame IcelandThanks to Ocean Defenders, scientists, journalists and South Park fans all over the globe, as well as enthusiastic “squid” and “orange roughy” handing out leaflets to New York taxi drivers, even Canada and Spain supported strong action at the UN in the end. In the last two weeks alone, Canada and Spain have received 71,266 emails from Ocean Defenders! Other supporters included Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Island States, the USA, Brazil, India, South Africa, Chile, Germany and the EU. However, their drive to win consensus at all costs has resulted in a weakly worded, useless piece of paper that will allow for the unregulated plunder of the high seas.
"The international community should be outraged that Iceland could almost singlehandedly sink deep-sea protection and the food security of future generations. Iceland should be embarrassed as should all those states that did not stand up to them and fight for the future of the oceans,” Karen adds.
Arrogance and ignoranceIceland and its fishing cronies, opposed to the UN moratorium on high-seas bottom trawling, should realize that for the sake of their own future industries, this cannot continue. The oceans are not a bottomless resource- as recent scientific reports have confirmed (not that Iceland apparently pays much attention to scientists, having just ignored 1500 of them). Economically speaking, the high-seas bottom trawl fleet would operate at a loss without the substantial subsidies it receives. Of course apart from just commerical interests, the as-yet undiscovered ecosystems of the deep sea are at stake.Iceland showed even more arrogance in asking why Canada and Spain had got all the negative press, according to UN sources. Perhaps because so far they have constantly insisted that they are supportive of well-managed fisheries. Today they showed their true colours.
All is not lostAll of the countries that committed to supporting a moratorium now have the opportunity to protect vulnerable habitats from destructive fishing by tightening market access to bottom-trawled fish. These countries can also support the establishment of a global network of marine reserves across the world's oceans, and make sure that their nations are not involved in high seas bottom trawl fishing. They can also implement strong measures regionally to protect the deep-seas.
Take action!
Our guide to which fish are bottom-trawled can be found here. Avoid at all costs, and if you’re not sure, ask your retailers. We suggest also buying fish only from sustainable, well-managed fisheries and from countries that support such initiatives.
Become an OceanDefender
Get updates on how you can help do your bit to save the oceans.

Walk in park turns into wrestling match with deer

2006-11-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Associated Press
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A walk in a city park turned into a wrestling match with an infuriated deer for three Sheboygan men who battled with the injured 6-point buck until police came and shot it.
"I just grabbed the horns, which is pretty stupid," said Anthony Lee, 20, explaining that his first reaction was to protect his cousin's dog, which was closest to the rampaging deer.
"That's where it all started," he said.
He estimated the melee lasted about 20 minutes, as the three men hung onto the antlers, hit the deer with sticks and finally tackled the animal and held it down while calling police.
Lee said the deer will be mounted on his wall.
"It was very intense. ... This buck was just going crazy," he said.
"It was tossing me around as if I were a kid or something. It just did not go down," said Lee, who weighs about 130 pounds.
He was with his cousin, George Lee, 19, and his father Tou Moua Lee, 47, in Evergreen Park when the buck stepped onto the trail, blew air through its nose several times and charged. They later determined it had been shot with a gun and with an arrow.
Wisconsin's gun deer season is on this week.
At the start of the 911 call to police, George Lee can be heard saying, "I'm at Evergreen Park right now and there's a deer trying to attack us."
"I've never heard of anything like that in my career ... (someone) holding a deer down," said police Lt. Jim Veeser.
Dale Katsma, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, said attacks like this one are a "real rare thing."
He attributed the deer's aggression primarily to the mating season, possibly complicated by its injuries.

Mohawks take control of disputed property near Deseronto

2006-11-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

cbc.ca

A group of Mohawks has taken control of land previously slated for a housing development near Deseronto, Ont.
About 20 Mohawks from the nearby Tyendinaga Territory held a demonstration at the property Wednesday alongside some supportive residents of the town of Deseronto, which is about 80 kilometres west of Kingston.
Shawn Brant, as spokesman for the Tyendinaga Elders Council, said the demonstrators wanted to communicate to the government and the community their claim to the property. The Mohawks say they never officially surrendered the land to the federal government.
"The message was clear from the community: not one more shovel in the ground until the issue's resolved," Brant said.
A Kingston developer originally intended to start construction Wednesday, but that plan has been suspended indefinitely while the chief of the Tyendinaga Territory negotiates the land claim with Canada's minister of Indian and northern affairs.
Norm Clarke, the incoming mayor of Deseronto, said he hopes the negotiations will resolve the situation quickly.
"It has serious implications for Deseronto," he said. "If there's a holdup in development, that affects our being able to raise taxes."
Brant said the Tyendinaga Territory Mohawks did not assert their claim earlier because Deseronto, a town of about 2,000, does not have a very vibrant economy and the Mohawks had never worried about construction on the property.
But once the development was announced, Brant said, "we felt it was necessary to make it clear not just to the developer but to the community … that in fact they were living on and attempted to develop land that belongs to us."
Thoughts of Caledonia
Initially, the land claim dispute raised fears that the situation could escalate into one similar to that in Caledonia, Ont., where, since February, Six Nations protesters have occupied land that was also originally slated for a housing development.
However, the Tyendinaga Territory's chief of police, Larry Hay, said peace will likely continue in Deseronto, provided the federal government works quickly toward a resolution.
He added that Wednesday's demonstration, which began mid-morning, was mostly uneventful except for a brief period of time in the early afternoon when a Canadian Forces convoy approached and demonstrators mistakenly thought it was targeting them.
"Members of the community surrounded the vehicles," Hay said, but he said tensions subsided quickly when the demonstrators realized the convoy was part of a military training exercise.
"It was a brief interruption of traffic. That was very quickly resolved."

Farmers hoping to help out buffalo herd

2006-11-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

From CBC.ca

There is a home where the buffalo roam and it belongs to Gordon Vaadeland.
He's one of a number of farmers southwest of Prince Albert National Park who wake up some mornings to find dozens or even hundreds of Plains bison rooting through their fields.
The bison, sometimes called buffalo, were reintroduced to an area north of the park in 1969 as big game for First Nations people.
The bison soon wandered into the protective confines of the park and the herd grew from 50 to about 400 animals. Now, they're wandering onto cropland, sometimes in large numbers.
"We've counted as many as 200 … 300 on a group of fields at one time," Vaadeland said.
"So yes, they do wander out, especially this fall. They were out in great numbers."
However, they're not considered nuisances, Vaadeland said.
Although the bison nibble on crops, Vaadeland said he and his neighbours realize how unique the situation is and want to help the herd.
They've formed a group, Sturgeon River Plains Bison Stewards, that's trying to find ways to manage the bison that meander into farmland.
One of the ideas his group is looking at is planting crops, such as alfalfa, that the bison don't particularly like.
Meanwhile, according to conservation biologist Dan Frandsen, the herd has a unique distinction: it's Canada's only free-ranging herd within the historic Plains bison range.

First nation curtails caribou hunting

2006-11-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

By STEPHANIE WADDELL

WHITEHORSE STAR ONLINE

Hunters are not allowed access to Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation land along the Dempster Highway.
Chief Joe Linklater announced the move by the Vuntut Gwitchin government Thursday afternoon. The decision, which took effect immediately after it was made public, comes over concern about the herd’s numbers.
Information from the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Board has put the number of Porcupine caribou at an estimate of between 78,000 and 110,000, Linklater said in an interview.
“Either number’s not good,” he said, adding that overall, caribou herds have shown a decline in numbers since about 1987.
Doug Larsen represents the Yukon government on the Porcupine Caribou Management Board (a group of first nation and government officials from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Ottawa). He said the estimate is based on a 2001 count which showed there were 123,000 caribou, including calves.
Officials haven’t been able to do a count since. The 78,000 figure is an estimate of the herd not including calves.
The management board needs clearer numbers to come up with a plan on how to proceed based on that count, Larsen said.
A harvest management strategy protocol agreement was also finalized at the board’s most recent meeting with signatories given a deadline of Jan. 15 for signing.
What comes out of a harvest management strategy will depend largely on the count.
“Let’s put the brakes on until we can find out the numbers,” Larsen said.
Once a herd’s number gets to 100,000 or fewer, it is harder to sustain the herd.
“Then there’s no stopping it,” Linklater said.
The first nation has two sections of land along the Dempster: one which sits adjacent to the Eagle Plains Lodge and the other near the Oglivie River. Signs posted at the start and end of the sections note it is Vuntut Gwitchin land.
Linklater said closing off the land is a move the first nation can do while more long-term plans are developed for the herd across the North.
“Everybody’s saying this is a good move,” said Linklater.
The first nation may send its natural resource officers down to the Dempster at some point during the hunt, but conservation officers from the Yukon government will be monitoring the area.
Both Linklater and Larsen commented in separate interviews that the one thing that can be done to help the population is dealing with the human hunting of caribou.
“There’s an awful lot of pressure on the herd right now,” Linklater said.
Climate change and predators are all taking their toll on the animals. It was also noted at a recent meeting of the management board the declining numbers of Bluenose caribou in the Northwest Territories could put additional hunting pressures on the Porcupine herd.
Along with the most current hunting policy, the Vuntut Gwitchin is also making conservation efforts which include hunting bulls only, placing a 500-metre road corridor on roads within the first nation’s land and a seven-day harvest closure after the first caribou is spotted.
First nation governments in other regions have implemented similar initiatives, Larsen said.
“I’m glad to see they’ve taken a very strong (role in conservation),” Larsen said of the Vuntut Gwitchin.

Six Nations occupation in Caledonia digs in heels for winter months

2006-11-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Protestors in southern Ontario reflect on ten months of fighting for disputed land

By Adrienne Klasa
News Writer

Bob Smith of the Local 1005 Steelworkers Union demonstrates in solidarity with Six Nations protesters at the Douglas Creek blockade near Caledonia, Ontario.
Charles Mostoller / The McGill Daily archives

Members of the Six Nations Confederacy of Indigenous People are preparing to continue their ten-month occupation of disputed land this winter, after negotiations with the government reached a new roadblock earlier this month.

The protestors intend on “maintaining a presence on the occupation site through the winter,” said Six Nations spokesperson Hazel Hill.

They began occupying the land bordering the Grand River in southern Ontario last February, to protest the federal government’s sale of what they claimed was their land to a real estate developer. At the beginning of the month, the government announced its position on the ownership dispute: according to the minutes of a set of documents from the 1840s, the Six Nations surrendered the land long ago.

However, negotiations continue, as many Six Nations people deny that the records are valid.

“These are documents made by a discredited agent,” said Lynda Powless, editor of the Turtle Island Newspaper. “The government discredited [Samuel Jarvis, an “Indian Agent”] for...stealing funds and absconding. They are fully aware of this situation.”

Six Nations spokesperson Jaqueline House went further, claiming the documents are forgeries.

“Signatures are in calligraphy, which our chiefs would never use,” she said. “Or else they have Xs on them...and you can see where they started cutting and gluing those on all over the place.”

Hill described the current occupation site as “quiet” as the protesters prepare for colder months and continuing negotiations. The summer months had been more exciting, with international visitors from other indigenous communities showing up in support of the land claim, said Powless.

However, House stressed that the dispute is less about land than about countering the racism and oppression that the Six Nations people continue to face.

“For a long time we blamed ourselves...for losing our culture, our language,” she said. “But it’s not our fault.... Now, we are fighting diplomatically for our dignity. I don’t want my children to grow up hating or being hated.”

The land-claim dispute has been marked by racial tension and violent incidents, including an April police raid on the reclamations site at four in the morning when protestors were sleeping. Both House and Powless said that many of those arrested over the past months, with charges ranging from robbery to attempted manslaughter, are still awaiting trial and have not had bail hearings.

Other violent run-ins have been with media people and neighbouring residents. Powless said that most of the racial tension in Caledonia comes from new residents who have moved to the area from larger cities and “have no clue who their neighbors are,” while House cited media misrepresentations.

“[People] come and make racial slurs and throw rocks all the time,” she said. “If one of our guys throws one back...all of a sudden [people think] the natives are attacking.”

Oilsands activity threatens water supply in Sask., NWT: study

2006-11-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

from: cbc.ca

Voracious water consumption by Alberta's oilsands threatens the quality and quantity of water available to Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories through the Mackenzie River system, according to a study released Monday.

Oilsands operations draw most of their water from the Athabasca River, a tributary of the Mackenzie, and most of the water used is not returned to the river, says the study by the Sage Centre and World Wildlife Fund-Canada.

The study, which was released at the United Nations climate conference in Nairobi, Kenya, uses the Athabasca River and Great Lakes as case studies to project what faces Canada's freshwater supplies in the years ahead.

Oilsands use more water than Calgary

Water allocations by Alberta to oilsands projects on the Athabasca River now add up to 359 million cubic metres per year, twice the amount of water required for the city of Calgary.

A further 50-per-cent increase in water requirements from the Athabasca is expected when currently planned oilsands projects proceed.

The Athabasca is already losing flow due to the effects of global warming, and its summer flow at Fort McMurray declined almost 20 per cent from 1958 to 2003, says the study.

"The combined impacts of water withdrawals from oilsands projects and climate change will have serious consequences beyond the area of the projects themselves."

Urgent need for water-sharing deals

The study says provinces and territories around the Mackenzie basin should urgently negotiate binding water-sharing agreements, such as already exist for the Saskatchewan River system.

"The projected rate of water use from the Athabasca River, in the oilsands projects, is unsustainable.

"Flows will be insufficient to satisfy the needs of oilsands production, as well as other industrial, commercial, agricultural, municipal and environmental users, including the biologically rich Peace Athabasca Delta."

At risk is Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the delta.

Water polluted in extraction process

The study says that strip mining in the oilsands requires two to 4.5 cubic metres of water to extract one cubic metre of synthetic crude oil.

The water becomes heavily polluted in the process and only 10 per cent is returned to the river, with the rest held in huge storage ponds that are among the largest manmade structures on Earth.

"These environmental damages related to bitumen production … could eventually affect an area about one-fifth the size of Alberta, or about the size of England or Greece, since this is the extent of the deposits," the study says.

Saskatchewan stands to be especially affected.

"Saskatchewan borders on Lake Athabasca affected by Athabasca and Peace River flows. In view of increasing withdrawals of water in Alberta, combined with the effects of climate change, a firm agreement between the provincial and territorial governments is urgent," the study says.

It recommends a moratorium on further oilsands projects until the water problems can be solved.

The oilsands yielded more than one million barrels of oil per day in 2005. However, the study suggests the oilsands may be exhausted of oil by mid-century.

The Bison Of Custer and Wind Cave Parks

2006-11-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our buffalo journey from West Yellowstone across South Dakota and beyond has been successful so far. Only three bison spotted near the south trailhead of the Centennial trail in WCNP, (There are 350-400 buffalo in the park.) but...this afternoon, after having camped in Wind Cave NP for a couple nights we were picked up hitchhiking by the Operations Manager of Custer State Park, who told us a bit about the park's annual bison round-up that will happen this coming Saturday.
The current bison population in CSP is around 875 animals, which is lower than most years due to six years of drought. Currently 250 buffalo are residing in a coral near the boundary of CSP and Wind Cave National Park, having been held there waiting for auction since Oct.1.
Every year beginning around Labor Day the park begins rounding up all the buffalo (using horses and pick-up trucks), putting microchips in the new calves (300-450 a year) and coraling buffalo over 10 years old, which they will test for brucellosis and tubercullosis before auctioning to the highest bidder in November. We were informed that due to the fact that there were no buffalo left in the park over ten years old, the natural mortality rate was about zero. Very rarely, we were told, would they ever find a dead buffalo in the park.
CSP bison and WCNP bison are kept separate by a fence and cattle guards, and though they are not completely bison proof, only a few old bulls have been known to cross the boundary over the years. When asked what happens to them, we were informed that WCNP would likely shoot them.
We asked if this was due to the fact that the CSP bison carried cattle genes (which WCNP bison do not), to which the Operations Manager (Reid, he said his name was) responded that the genetic status is a matter of current dispute and that nothing has yet been proven.
We were also told that the buffalo hardly ever left the park if at all. Once again, maybe a few old bulls have tried it once or twice.
Each year, according to an article in the Rapid City Journal, the surplus bison are sold to the highest bidders, with the average price being around $650. (Though last year a two year old bull sold for $1950). The vast majority of bison sold are used for breeding stock, though a few go straight to slaughter. This auction, combined with 10 hunting permits and some bison harvested to supply meat for the park's resort restaurants, brings in around $250,000 in revenue.
According to Reid, the Custer State Park bison are not fed at all, and the range is managed so that there are only as much bison in the park as the forage can accomadate.
Custer State Park has been brucellosis free since the 80's, yet each bison captured for culling is tested twice for brucellosis and tuberculosis before being shipped out of state.
This is likely the second and last herd of bison that I will get to visit in this country before heading north to Canada.
I had hoped to see more, and ask some more in-depth questions, but there has not been enough time. It appears that whatever I am able to write about wild bison will most likely be centered around the Canadian herds. This South Dakota expedition has not been fruitless, however. I feel it provides more context for my own understanding of buffalo management in North America.
And seeing bison in 'the wild' is always a thrill.

Latest News on Caledonia Six Nations Occupation

2006-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

McGuinty demands feds take over lead role in talks to end native occupation MacLeans.Ca Oct.31,2006

TORONTO (CP) - The eight-month-long aboriginal occupation of a disputed housing project in Caledonia, Ont., won't end until the federal government "steps up to the plate," a frustrated Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday.
Six Nations protesters have been occupying the disputed land since February, and McGuinty told reporters the Ontario government doesn't have the power to settle the issue.

Enforce Laws at Caledonia:Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner
Toronto Star Oct.31,2006

ORILLIA—Newly minted OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino says he will keep the peace in Caledonia but don't expect him or his officers to resolve the Six Nations land claim dispute."The police are there and will be there to preserve the peace but beyond that the resolution of this is beyond the police ..." Fantino said yesterday.

MPs Duck and weave over Caledonia Issue
Toronto Star Oct.25,2006

When it comes to the Caledonia issue, Premier Dalton McGuinty is an exasperated man, as well he should be.It is now 240 days since the beginning of the occupation by native people of a development site in Caledonia, on the edge of the Six Nations reserve, and there is no end in sight. Despite the provincial treasury spending large sums — $55 million, according to an opposition estimate — and the devotion of countless hours by provincial police and bureaucrats, tension remains high in the area and McGuinty's courage is being questioned."When are you going to show some spine?" asked Conservative Leader John Tory in a question to McGuinty last week about Caledonia.

Six Nations to present evidence of land ownership in Caledonia
First Perspective Oct.23,2006

Six Nations officials have said they will present evidence very shortly that will prove they never surrendered land that is in dispute in Caledonia. The evidence will be presented at a public forum in early November, according to one media report.

Earth First!er/Indymedia Journalist Killed in Oaxaca

2006-10-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

I never met Brad Will, but he was a brother in solidarity with many of the same causes I support, and we share mutual friends. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew him. In Brad's memory we will continue the fight.

RESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2006, 12:40 a.m.

Contact:
Beka Economopoulos, (917) 202-5479
Brandon Jourdan, (646) 342-8169
Eric Laursen, (917) 806-6452

WILLIAM BRADLEY ROLAND, U.S. JOURNALIST/CAMERMAN,
KILLED BY OAXACA PARAMILITARIES KILLER ID'D - ACTIONS BEING PLANNED IN U.S.

William Bradley Roland, aka Brad Will, a U.S.
journalist and camerman, was shot and killed
yesterday in Oaxaca, Mexico, by paramiliaries
affiliated with the PRI, the former Mexican
ruling party. Will was in Oaxaca covering the
continued resistance of teachers and other
workers against the PRI-controlled government of
the State of Oaxaca. According to reports from
New York City Independent Media Center and La
Jornada, Will, 36, was shot at the Santa Lucia
Barricade from a distance of 30-40 meters in the
pit of the stomach by plainclothes paramilitaries
and died while enroute to the Red Cross.

Centro de Medias Libres (http://vientos.info/cml)
in Mexico City reports that from Will's recovered
videiotapes, they have identified his killer as a
paramilitary named Pedro Carmona, ex-president of
Felipe Carrillo Puerto de Santa Lucia del Camino, a colonia in Oaxaca.

At last report, Will was one of five people who
died in the last day, along with 17 wounded, as
paramilitaries and federal police poured in to
retake the city, according to Centro de Medias
Libres. The city had been in the hands of the
workers for five months. Will is the first
American to be killed in the months-long
confrontation. A longtime journalist and
activist, he covered land occupations in the
Pacific Northwest of the U.S., direct actions and
rebellions in Argentina and Ecuador, land
occupations in Brazil, and anti-privatization
struggles in Bolivia. He was a much-beloved
figure in the global justice movement in the U.S.
and leaves behind many grieving friends.

Friends of Brad in the U.S. will be calling
actions in the next day to demand that the U.S.
State Department press the Mexican government to
investigate Brad's murder and address the
terroristic regime that made it possible.
Additionally, they will press for solidarity in
the U.S. with the Mexican movement for social
justice that Brad gave his life to document in Oaxaca.

Some Good News for a Change

2006-10-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

BFC issued a press release this week to announce that the campaign had purchased the property that our headquarters are located on. This article was sent to us by the Island Park News today.

Buffalo activists have a permanent home
Was a Native American prophecy fulfilled?

By ELIZABETH LADEN

The Buffalo Field Campaign recently announced that they have purchased the Hebgen Lake property they have been renting for 10 years to use as their headquarters.
Located on 10 acres of Hwy. 287 near Hebgen Lake, the property includes the old Hebgen Lake Lodge and cabins the group has uses as housing and offices.
In the mid 1970’s, a group of young Californians purchased the property in hopes of making a fortune when nearby Hebgen Mountain, in the Gallatin National Forest, was developed into a downhill ski resort. Hans Geier from Lake Tahoe called the project Ski Yellowstone. Conservationists fought the resort because the mountain was, and still is, prime grizzly bear habitat. During the fight, the town of West Yellowstone was bitterly divided between people who thought the project would boost the area’s economy and those who wanted to preserve the lake area’s natural resources.
The National Forest Service ruled against Ski Yellowstone’s application for a special use permit to develop the resort on Forest Service land, because of its value as grizzly bear habitat.
The California group operated a popular bar and restaurant on the highway that hosted some pretty cool bands, including the reggae great, Bob Marley. Then all but one of the original California group sold out and went on to other pursuits.
BFC was known as the Buffalo Nation when they set up shop at Hebgen Lake. Since many natives believe that they are the Buffalo Nation in spirit with the buffalo, the group, out of respect for the natives, changed its name.
Then, last spring, when the BFC group was coping with the worst buffalo slaughter in its history, members learned that the property was going on the market, with the possibility of being subdivided for trophy homes.
“Not only would the planned subdivision and trophy homes forever destroy critical deer, elk, and bison habitat, but it would leave BFC without a base of operations from which to carry out our critical work for the buffalo,” said a BFC spokesperson.
“Thanks to the amazing generosity of some of our key supporters who wanted to protect habitat and keep the Buffalo Field Campaign strong and in the field, we were able to enter into negotiations with the property owner, reach an agreement to purchase the property, and come up with a considerable down payment. After working all summer to conduct our due diligence, we recently closed on the property, guaranteeing a BFC presence — and a small but important bison safe zone —in the Yellowstone Ecosystem for as long as we need to be here with the bison,” said a published announcement.
“The property is in the heart of the bison and elk migration corridor between Yellowstone Park and the lush Madison Valley, and is essential to the mission and purpose of BFC, which is to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo herd, protect the habitat of wild free roaming buffalo and native wildlife, and to work with people of all nations to honor the sacredness of wild buffalo,” said the announcement.
When the ski resort proposal was still in the works, a group of native Americans from the Crow Tribe in Montana and the Sho-Ban Tribes in Idaho held a sacred land protection ceremony on Hebgen Mountain, asking the Great Spirit to preserve the area for the bear and other species.
“Hearing that the BFC headquarters is now in good hands is just as good as the day we learned that the ski resort would not be developed,” said Coyote Little Deer, who was at the ceremony and who now lives in New Mexico. “I would like to think that our ceremony did cause the area to be protected by drawing people like the BFC group there. We connected to the Spirit of the place and felt that it would be taken care of, although it was in a dark place at the time.”
Bison seem to like the area, too, and to recognize its power. Last winter, five separate groups of bison walked past the property, seeking lower elevation habitat. One group of more than 30 spent the night there. including the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.
Six small cabins are part of the purchase, in addition to BFC's main lodge and media and office cabins. The group plans to convert some of these cabins for use as additional office space, a video editing suite, housing for BFC coordinators, a bison resource library, and cozy accommodations for supporters who wish to experience firsthand the beauty of the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the powerful presence of America's only continuously wild bison herd, and the important work of the Buffalo Field Campaign.
“Purchasing our headquarters is the first step in BFC's new Habitat Protection Project, aimed at identifying, prioritizing, and permanently protecting, through conservation easement and outright purchase, critical habitat and migration corridors within the Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The announcement states, “With the purchase of the property BFC further establishes itself as a long-term presence for the buffalo. Even after we stop the slaughter and help to earn the buffalo the tolerance and respect they deserve there will be a need to continue to educate people from around the world on the importance — historical, cultural, and scientific, of this unique species. There is no better place to carry on this work than from the heart of their habitat.
“Entering into property ownership is a huge step for BFC, and while there is no question that it was a right and necessary step that will exponentially increase our effectiveness, the purchase and related costs will also have a significant impact on our expenses. Please consider making a contribution today in support of this new and exciting phase of our tireless work on behalf of the wild bison. Please contact us for more information or make a secure online donation by clicking Donate Now at the Buffalo Field Campaign Web site.”
For more information or to volunteer for the BFC, contact buffalo@wildrockies.org ; (406) 646-0070.

Minister of the Environment Responds to Bison Slaughter Protest

2006-10-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I started a campaign to raise awareness to the renewed suggestions that Canada slaughter the entire Wood Buffalo National Park (alberta and NWT) bison population. I created a website called Save The Wild Bison Canada and urged people to send letters and emails to the Canadian Minister of the Environment, letting her know how valuable this population of bison is. I sent my own email to the Minister and just received this response.

Dear Kalanu,

The Office of the Prime Minister has forwarded to me a copy of your e‑mail of April 13 regarding the wood bison in Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada. I regret the delay in responding.

Please be assured that there are no plans involving the extermination of the wood bison herd. A workshop held last fall examined the technical feasibility of eradicating bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis to allow for a healthy and viable herd in the Park and surrounding area. The workshop was not intended to make recommendations on any future course of action or come to any final decisions on the management of this issue.

Any decisions or future plans with respect to disease management in wood bison will include the involvement of Aboriginal groups, stakeholders and other government departments.

I appreciate your concern and trust that this information is helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Rona Ambrose

Now is the time however, to continue to let the Minister know how important these buffalo are. They are the only continously wild bison in the country, and the most genetically valuable.

Listen to my interview on GoVegan Radio this Sunday

2006-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed about the buffalo and our efforts to defend and protect them yesterday by Bob Linden of Go Vegan radio. It will air in L.A. (on an Air America Affiliate) and San Francisco and I think in a few other markets in the US, but you can listen to it as it airs on the KTYM AM 1460 webpage www.ktym.com at 1:30pm (Pacific time) Sunday October, 29. If you miss it it will soon after be archived on the go vegan website. www.goveganradio.com I believe they are a week or so behind in archiving, so keep checking.

The Bullsheet

Goodbye Blogger

News Roundup

N.D. Bison Moved to New Home in Nebraska:Bison from Devils Lake-area refuge in N. Dakota go to new home in Nebraska in multistate plan

Victoria's Secret to Stop Using paper from Caribou Habitat

(hey some good news for the caribou, hopefully. Kudos to ForestEthics for a successful campaign!!!)

Victoria's Secret snubs West Fraser Timber

Hunting restrictions considered to save N.W.T. caribou herd

Maps of Caribou ranges in Alberta

Caribou, wolverines 'at risk'

Protestors Demand Protection For Caribou

OPP stop flap over flags in Caledonia

OPP stop flap over flags in Caledonia

Where Am I Now?

News round-up

Chocolate and Child Slavery

Iceland harpoons deep-sea protection (Greenpeace)

Walk in park turns into wrestling match with deer

Mohawks take control of disputed property near Deseronto

Farmers hoping to help out buffalo herd

First nation curtails caribou hunting

Six Nations occupation in Caledonia digs in heels for winter months

Protestors in southern Ontario reflect on ten months of fighting for disputed land

By Adrienne KlasaNews Writer

Oilsands activity threatens water supply in Sask., NWT: study

Oilsands use more water than Calgary

Urgent need for water-sharing deals

The Bison Of Custer and Wind Cave Parks

Latest News on Caledonia Six Nations Occupation

Earth First!er/Indymedia Journalist Killed in Oaxaca

Some Good News for a Change

Minister of the Environment Responds to Bison Slaughter Protest

Listen to my interview on GoVegan Radio this Sunday

By Adrienne Klasa
News Writer