Walpole Island Conservation StrategiesLynn BerniBackgroundBy the time of European settlement Walpole Island had become the home of several bands. Although the surrounding lands were ceded through treaties with Great Britain, the United States, and Canada, Walpole Island was never ceded. Despite this status, white squatters settled on the island in 1821, and Canada appointed an Indian Agent to govern the island in 1829. It took until 1846 for the Indian Agent to begin expelling the white squatters. Over the years the Canadian government forced changes in culture and land use. In 1876 the Canadian government passed the first Indian Act. This act forced individual land ownership on the bands. Throughout the early portion of this century children were forced to go to residential schools off of the reservation where they were punished for speaking their native language (Walpole Island Heritage Centre 2003).In the 1950s governmental policy toward the Indian nations began to change. In 1951 the Canadian government passed a new Indian Act that recognized Indians as people for legal purposes for the first time. By 1960 Indians had voting status in both provincial and federal elections. Finally in 1965 the Walpole Island Band Council took over government from the Indian Agent. This change made Walpole Island the first band in Canada not to have a resident Indian Agent (Walpole Island Heritage Centre 2003). The band’s unique institutional structure governing the island consists of a twelve-member elected tribal council, led by an elected chief, and a series of committees. The committees oversee governmental and commercial activity on the island, each with a different focus. Their responsibilities range from managing the library to resource protection. The Heritage Centre is governed by one such committee. Each of the committees consists of six to eight members, one of whom is a member of the tribal council. The remaining members are volunteers from the community.Although the land has never been ceded by treaty, it is considered Federal land by the Canadian government. Recently the Canadian government has passed the Species At Risk Act (SARA) whose initial implementation will be on Federal lands only (An Act 2002). Walpole Island contains several plant communities which are considered globally rare (Woodliffe and Allen 1990; Bakowsky and Riley 1994; Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1994): Lakeplain Wet-Mesic Prairie, ranked G2 (Albert1998); Lakeplain Wet Prairie, ranked G2G3 (Albert and Kost 1998); Lakeplain Oak Opening, ranked G1/G2 (Cohen 2001); and Great Lakes Marsh, ranked G2 (Albert 2001). Rare communities are ranked from G1, for those which are critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity to G5, for those which are secure globally, but rare in some parts of their range.Included in these communities are such provincially rare species as Gattinger’s Agalinis (Agalinis gattingeri), Skinner’s Agalinis (Agalinis skinneriana) Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurescens), Sullivant’s Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii), Fimbristylis (Fimbristylis spadicea), White Gentian (Gentiana alba), Pink Milkwort (Polygala incarnata), Riddell’s Goldenrod (Solidago riddellii), and Oval Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes ovalis) (Oldham 1990; Varga and Allen 1990). Walpole Island is also home to several of regionally rare reptiles (Oldham 1990), and insects (Campbell et al 1990).These endangered species are not necessarily species of importance to the island’s residents, nor are they all necessarily endangered on the island itself; many are quite common. The SARA requires public participation and citizen action in its implementation and stipulates that, “The traditional knowledge of the aboriginal peoples of Canada should be considered in the assessment of species at risk and in developing and implementing recovery measures…” (Lindgren 2001) While the Heritage Centre is currently working on the species recovery plans that SARA requires for listed species, the residents are more interested in holistic conservation of the ecosystems. Residents also want to see species of traditional importance and medicinal value, such as sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata), included in conservation efforts. Unfortunately, this broader approach of conservation is difficult for the Heritage Centre because funding is only available for endangered species protection.ObjectivesResearch MethodsLiterature CitedPreliminary BudgetCurriculum VitaeEDUCATIONEXPERIENCEOTHER ACTIVITIESEDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ann Arbor, MISchool of Natural Resources & EnvironmentMasters in Landscape Architecture, April 2004Conservation Biology, Ecosystem Management.Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, December 20009/01-4/02 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI1/01-8/01 Washtenaw Co. Drain Commissioner Ann Arbor, MIRon Mann-Special Assessment Coordinator (734) 994-2525University of Michigan, Housing Ann Arbor, MI6/95-7/95 Student Ambassador for People to People UK & IrelandAnn Arbor, Michigan 48105 Harrisburg, PA 17111Objective: To gain skills and knowledge pertaining to project planning, implementation, and management; environmental education; and to positively affect the ecoregion through our work.EDUCATION University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MIEXPERIENCE Endangered Species Update Ann Arbor, MIACTIVITIESUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2002-2004Editorial AssistantEducationComputer SkillsWork ExperienceBeth A Wilson 412 N. Division St. #1 Ann Arbor, MI 48104Education:References:Walpole Island Conservation Strategies Project Team Members:Lynn BerniLisa BobrowskiAngela BumpusSuzan CampbellNicole Hamilton-SmithErin HigbeeHeather KiewegBeth WilsonTeam Email Address:[email protected]: The Walpole Island Heritage CentreAdvisor: Professor Robert Grese17 April 20032Table of ContentsAbstract......................................................................................................................3Introduction................................................................................................................3Problem Statement.....................................................................................................4Background................................................................................................................5Description of Proposed Research.............................................................................7Literature
View Full Document
Unlocking...