NWT Fire season starts with a bang

Fire season starts with a bang

By SAMANTHA STOKELL, SRJ Reporter

•  Fri, Jun 11, 2010

In the first month of fire season, the Northwest Territories has already experienced more fires than all of last season due to extremely dry conditions.
Since May 1, a total of 54 fires have burned over 6,000 hectares across the territory. Last year there were only 39 fires in the NWT.

"There are definitely more fires at this time than in a normal season," said Mike Gravel, territorial duty officer for the NWT. "The north is currently in high danger of fires, but in the south a number of fires died down because of the rain."

In Alberta, where fire season starts a month earlier than the NWT, 753 fires have burned over 1,800 hectares across the province. Most burned around Calgary and Lac La Biche.

Near Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan, 12 fires have burned only six hectares and the area currently faces no threat from fires. The danger rating for the Fort Chipewyan area has changed to moderate due to precipitation from the previous weekend.

In the NWT, lightning causes 90 per cent of all fires. The forest management office monitors all lightning strikes in the territory. Fire crews then survey the general area of the strike to see if a fire might or has started.

"Right now we're dealing with the aftermath of a lightning bust," Gravel said. "It's better to fight when the fire is small. The quicker we get there the more effective we can be."

Forest management also has satellite imaging that registers heat on the ground and shows where fires burn or have burned.

Thirty-one crews with 10 helicopters and four tankers work across the territory. Gravel said these are enough for the current situation.

Right now, 22 fires are being monitored, with 22 being fought, mostly around Yellowknife, Behchoko and Whati. Monitored fires burn in areas with no threat to valued properties, such as cabins or communities.

As for the 10 per cent of other fires not caused by lightning, Gravel asks that people take extra precautions when starting fires on the land.

"If people can keep their fires small and make sure it's out, then we don't have to concentrate on person-caused fires, then the rest of our job is simpler," Gravel said.

New Issue: The Northern Review, Number 32 (Spring 2010)

New Issue Available: The Northern Review, Number 32 (Spring 2010)

The Spring 2010 issue of The Northern Review, a multidisciplinary journal of the arts and social sciences of the North, is now available. Book reviews, article abstracts, and a table of contents are available on the journal website at: http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/review

Articles

The True Northwest Passage: Explorers in Anglo-Canadian Nationalist Narratives, by Janice Cavell

Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Damage in Northern Native Communities: A Practical School-Based Approach, by Steven Jacquier, Judith Kleinfeld & David Gilliam

The Historical Roots of a Frontier Alcohol Culture: Alaska and Northern Canada, by Mary Ehrlander

Alaska Highway Mythology: Bulldozers to RVs, by Laura Pitkanen

Humble Dreams: An Historical Perspective on Yukon Agriculture Since 1846, by Sally Robinson

Book Reviews

Jen Hill, White Horizon: The Arctic in the Nineteenth-Century British Imagination. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008. Reviewed by Janice Cavell.

Ken S. Coates, P. Whitney Lackenbauer, William R. Morrison & Greg Poelzer, Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North. Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2008. Reviewed by Douglas Clark.

Ed Struzik, The Big Thaw: Travels in the Melting North. Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 2009. Reviewed by Ross Coen.

Lennard Sillanpää, Awakening Siberia. From Marginalization to Self-Determination: The Small Indigenous Nations of Northern Russia on the Eve of the Millennium. Helsinki: University of Helsinki, 2008. Reviewed by William J. Couch.

Jerry McBeath, Matthew Berman, Jonathan Rosenberg & Mary F. Ehrlander, The Political Economy of Oil in Alaska: Multinationals vs. the State. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. Reviewed by Richard A. Fineberg.

Karim Aly-Kassam, Biocultural Diversity and Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Human Ecology in the Arctic. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2009. Reviewed by Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox.

Sonja Luehrmann, Alutiiq Villages Under Russian and U.S. Rule. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2008. Reviewed by Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell.

Françoise Noël, Family and Community Life in Northeastern Ontario: The Interwar Years. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press 2009. Reviewed by Peter V. Krats.

Gary Holthaus, Learning Native Wisdom: What Traditional Cultures Teach Us About Subsistence, Sustainability, and Spirituality. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2008. Reviewed by S. Craig Gerlach and Philip A. Loring.

T. Kue Young and Peter Bjerregaard (eds.), Health Transitions in Arctic Populations. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Reviewed by Darlene Perkins.

Frances Abele, Thomas J. Courchene, F. Leslie Seidle & France St-Hilaire (eds.), Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada's North. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy and McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009. Reviewed by Jonathan Peyton.

Robert C. Paehlke, Some Like It Cold: The Politics of Climate Change in Canada. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2008. Reviewed by Jerald Sabin.

Hans M. Carlson, Home is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008. Reviewed by John Sandlos.

Jessica M. Shadian and Monica Tennberg (eds.), Legacies and Change in Polar Sciences: Historical, Legal and Political Reflections on the International Polar Year. Farnham, UK: Ashgate, 2009. Reviewed by Adam M. Sowards.

John L. Steckley, White Lies about the Inuit. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2008. Reviewed by Frank Tester.

Dawn Martin-Hill, The Lubicon Lake Nation: Indigenous Knowledge and Power. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Reviewed by Clinton N. Westman.

The Northern Review is published by Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Contact:

Deanna McLeod
Managing Editor, The Northern Review
Yukon College, PO Box 2799, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 5K4
T 867.668.8861 F 867.668.8805
dmcleod@yukoncollege.yk.ca
http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/review

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Live Video Stream of a Robin's Nest in Yellowknife NWT Canada

Free video chat by Ustream

Free video chat by Ustream

RT @Northern_Clips: 4,600 people visited Rosie, Sir Chirps A-Lot, Peep & Cheep via live #webcast since June 8 #yzf #robinsnestcam live at http://ustre.am/iUar

CPYK presents: Reel Injun, June 21st at NACC

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cinema Politica <yellowknife@cinemapolitica.org>
Date: 9 June 2010 21:52
Subject: CPYK presents: Reel Injun, June 21st at NACC

Cinema Politica Yellowknife is presenting a fantastic event for Aboriginal day. Make sure you don't miss out!! We will be screening a film that has been making rounds to all the festivals, REEL INJUN. The film's director, Cree film maker Neil Diamond will be in attendance, coming to us from Montreal. STAY TUNED for the addition of a workshop with the director. If you are interested in learning about documentary filmmaking with one of Canada's great filmmakers, or would like info about the event please get in touch with: Lesley - 867 446-6565 lesleyajohnson@gmail.com or Pablo - 867 445-9655 pablosaravanja@gmail.com Reel Injun Date: Monday, June 21st Time: 7:30pm - 10:00pm Location: Northern Arts and Cultural Center 4701 52 Avenue Neil Diamond / Canada / 2009 / 85 min Hollywood has made over 4000 films about Native people; over 100 years of movies defining how Indians are seen by the world. Reel Injun takes an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema. Traveling through the heartland of America, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of "the Injun" has influenced the world's understanding – and misunderstanding – of Natives. With candid interviews with directors, writers, actors and activists, including Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Robbie Robertson, Sacheen Littlefeather, John Trudell and Russell Means, clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, including Stagecoach, Little Big Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema's depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today. Cinema Politica Yellowknife a not-for-profit organization that holds a monthly documentary film series exhibiting works relating to the environment, globalization, aboriginal rights, global health, human rights, labour, gender and sexuality, and culture. Emphasis is placed on works that tell stories underrepresented by mainstream media, including narratives around political struggles internationally and within Canada, stories that deal with oppression and a focus on artists who are marginalized and/or struggle against oppression in respective contexts. The event seeks to connect our local community with independent film artists and Canadian works that are otherwise difficult for people in the region to access. Monthly screenings will aim to educate, entertain and especially inspire audiences to participate in thought provoking discussion in a safe, open and inclusive space. Donations are most welcome and will be used to cover screening, licensing and shipping costs. Be sure to look for posters, announcements, the Facebook group, and regularly check out the website for a schedule of upcoming screenings. Cinema Politica is on facebook Cinema Politica Yellowknife We would like to thank our friends and sponsors: NACC, The Explorer Hotel, Native Communications Society and CKLB and Kopykat North Cinema Politica is a grassroots network headquartered out of Montreal, that distributes and exhibits political independent documentaries at campuses and communities across Canada and internationally. Screenings are by-donation. Our national partner is CitizenShift. The Cinema Politica Network is also supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. Cinema Politica ©2010 Cinema Politica | Yellowknife, X1A 1N

International Arctic Conference: Geopolitical Issues and Equations in the 21st Century, Lyon, France, 22-23 November 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Northern Research Network <research.north@gmail.com>
Date: 8 June 2010 10:24
Subject: International Arctic Conference: Geopolitical Issues and Equations in the 21st Century, Lyon, France, 22-23 November 2010


From: Cecile Pelaudeix [cecile.pelaudeix@numericable.fr]
APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTINGS

From : Centre for Canadian Studies [cec38@upmf-grenoble.fr]

INTERNATIONAL ARCTIC CONFERENCE
GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES AND EQUATIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
http://www.pacte.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article2268

Lyon, 22-23 November 2010

In the Arctic, climatic warming is twice as marked as in the rest of the world and the arctic territories are being transformed. The shrinking of the permanent sea ice cover is opening up navigation through the North-West and the North-East passages and massive possibilities are opening up for exploiting the resources of the ocean floor and of its surrounding coastline : oil, gas, uranium, coal, gas hydrates.... 20% of the world's energy reserves are now thought to be found in the Arctic. The five States bordering on the Arctic (Canada, the United-States, Russia, Denmark/Greenland, Norway) are trying to maintain their national sovereignty over portions of the Arctic Ocean or to increase it through extending it onto the continental shelf. The Russian Federation is claiming a sector, which stretches as far as the North Pole. The ecological impact of climatic warming, already clearly evident, would be further aggravated by any industrialisation of the Arctic. The impact is also a human and social one for the Arctic Native populations.Faced with this situation, are existing juridical arrangements adequate ? What role can be played in the protection of the Arctic by international organisations and institutions (the Arctic Council, the European Union...), or even more so by existing organisations for regional cooperation ? To what extent are the Native populations listened to and in a position to participate in decisions concerning the administering and management of the Arctic ? By bringing together geophysicists, political scientists, jurists, geographers and historians, this international conference intends to discuss and analyse what is at stake in these present controversies, to clarify modes of governance, to explore the possibility of international regulation, in brief to throw scientific light on this urgent and increasingly controversial topic of major geopolitical interest.

The Conference objectives are threefold : - To bring together a variety of scientific expertise to stimulate debate and promote further research in the academic world (researchers and students) - To disseminate the state of knowledge on the transformation of the Arctic and its governance to a larger public - To influence official policy

The Conference is organised around four themes, arranged in the following sessions : - The Arctic : a geographic space in transformation - The Native peoples, political actors - Frontiers and international law - Regional and international regulations.

For more information, please visit: http://www.pacte.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article2268

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CFP: Congress of Nordic Historians: Flows of Food, Folk, and Thought: Environmental Histories of the Nordic Countries

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Northern Research Network <research.north@gmail.com>
Date: 29 May 2010 17:09
Subject: CFP: Congress of Nordic Historians: Flows of Food, Folk, and Thought: Environmental Histories of the Nordic Countries

From: Finn Arne Jørgensen [finn.arne.jorgensen@gmail.com]

Cross-posted from H-Environment

 

Call for papers for half-day session at the 27th Congress of Nordic Historians in Tromsø, Norway, 11-14 August, 2011

 

Flows of Food, Folk, and Thought: Environmental Histories of the Nordic Countries

 

Situated at the Northern edge of the world, the environment has posed unique challenges to the Nordic countries throughout history. The session takes environmental historian William Cronon's 'hinterland' concept as its starting point. He used the concept to demonstrate how a metropolis like Chicago included ever larger areas in its influence, gathering resources and exerting change on the environment of these areas. The Nordic countries do not possess the same gravity, yet they are also intimately connected to areas and environments across the globe. Rather than a model with the Nordic countries either in the center or in the hinterland, we understand these countries to be nodes in an ever-changing network.

 

We are interested in how the movement of food, people, and ideas into, out of, and within the Nordic countries has affected the local and global environment. Potential subtopics within this session include:

 

• The transfer of environmental knowledge (both specific "how-to" knowledge and ideological belief systems) over space and time
• The effect of material flows on cultural and/or biological diversity
• The effect of food networks on the environments of the Nordic countries and throughout the commodity chain
• The environmental consequences of the movement of people into, out of, and within Nordic countries

 

If you are interested in participating in this session, please send an abstract of 250-300 words outlining your topic, argument, and sources, before 1 September 2010. We aim to publish all or parts of the session as a collected volume after the conference. All abstracts should be submitted to tromso2011@nehn-nordic.org.

 

Each paper will be allocated 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion; those papers that are selected for publication will need to be submitted to the organizers as full-length articles after the conference.

 

The session is sponsored by the Nordforsk-funded Nordic Environmental History Network (NEHN), a network of more than 60 scholars from all the Nordic countries. See the network's webpage at http://norden.miljohistorie.net/ for more information.

 

Organizers:

 

Eva Jakobsson, University of Stavanger, eva.jakobsson@uis.no  (contact person)

Laura Hollsten, Åbo University Academy, Finland.

Dolly Jørgensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.

Finn Arne Jørgensen, Umeå University, Sweden.

Unnur Birna Karlsdóttir, University of Iceland.

Bo Poulsen, Roskilde University Center, Denmark.

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New Book: Inuit Education & Schools in the Eastern Arctic by Heather E. McGrego

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Northern Research Network <research.north@gmail.com>
Date: 9 June 2010 09:38
Subject: New Publication: Inuit Education and Schools in the Eastern Arctic
To: research.north@gmail.com

From: Kerry Kilmartin [kilmartin@ubcpress.ca]

Dear NRN Community,

 

UBC Press has just released a book that we believe would be of interest to your community:

 

Inuit Education and Schools in the Eastern Arctic

Heather E. McGregor

 

I have attached a word document that sets out the title and description. I have included some online order information at the bottom of the document, including a discount to your community.

 

Best,

Kerry

 

_____________________________________

 

Kerry Kilmartin

Exhibits, Reviews and Awards Manager

UBC Press, 2029 West Mall

Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2 CANADA

t: 604.822.8244 f: 604.822.6083

 

Order online at www.ubcpress.ca

 

Order through our Canadian distributor:

 

University of Toronto Press

5201 Dufferin Street

Toronto ON M3H 5T8

t: 1.800.565.9523 or 416.667.7791

f: 1.800.221.9985 or 416.667.7832

email: utpbooks@utpress.utoronto.ca

New Publication: Inuit Education and Schools in the Eastern Arctic by Heather E. McGregor (UBC Press, May 2010) 

Since the mid-twentieth century, sustained contact between Inuit and newcomers has led to profound changes in education in the Eastern Arctic, including the experience of colonization and progress toward the re-establishment of traditional education in schools. The hopeful milestone of the establishment of Nunavut Territory in 1999 was followed by the 2006 Berger Report, which drew attention to problems remaining in the territory's education system.  
 
As the first history of educational policy, practice, and decision-making in the Eastern Arctic, this book provides the context needed to understand current challenges and successes in Inuit education. A description of education before colonization serves as the foundation to assess developments in three subsequent periods: the colonial (1945-70), the territorial (1971-81), and the local (1982-99). Heather McGregor asks, who initiated and controlled change during these periods? When and how were Inuit culture, language, and traditions established in schools? She concludes that education has been and is most successful when Inuit involvement and local control support a system that reflects Inuit culture and Inuit visions for the future.  
 
This groundbreaking study reveals that education was used not only to assimilate Inuit but also to reflect and reinforce Inuit culture and traditions. Its focus on the themes of cultural negotiation, policy making, and the role of tradition will be welcomed by educators and researchers in Inuit and First Nations communities across the North and anyone interested in the history of education in Canada.

 
Heather E. McGregor is a researcher who currently works for the public service in Nunavut. 

Release Date: May 1, 2010 | $85.00 Hardcover | ISBN: 9780774817448    

Release Date: Jan 1,2010 |$32.95 Paperback | ISBN 9780774817455

Order online at www.ubcpress.ca and quote code 7448-50 to receive a 50% discount off hardcover

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