Welcome to the Aboriginal Boreal Conservation Leaders Project. This website consists of two partnering components: the Aboriginal Boreal Conservation Leaders series, and a Volunteer/Employment Recruitment program.

As Manitoba's boreal forests consist of a primarily Aboriginal population, conservation efforts benefit greatly from the knowledge and experience of individuals who have lived and breathed community life in Manitoba's northern boreal. We believe this project, through the sharing of personal interest stories and posting of employment/volunteer opportunities, will increase Aboriginal involvement in Manitoba boreal wilderness protection efforts.

Latest Story:

Melissa Hotain

Melissa Hotain

by Chanda Hunnie

Melissa Hotain, from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, is a mother of twin boys, and grandmother of two. She believes in the importance of revitalizing a spiritual kinship with the natural world. She has dabbled in many employment areas, however, never finding herself fully content, she chose to seek more challenging and meaningful ways to dedicate her time. In 1995 Mrs. Hotain applied to the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) program and was one of the first to be recruited. She is now the Environmental Policy Analyst for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. “It was something that was more grassroots; somewhere I could make an impact. Here I could change attitudes and change my own attitudes too.” As an Environmental Policy Analyst, Mrs. Hotain’s objective is to review the environmental policies that affect First Nations, and determine how they can be improved. She explains, ...