Rebuilding Yunesit’in fire (<i>Qwen</i>) stewardship: Learnings from the land
William Nikolakis, Russell Myers Ross
Abstract
Yunesit’in First Nation is reclaiming fire stewardship after generations of suppression. Applying a “learning by doing” approach, Yunesit’in members plan and implement proactive fire practices to the landscape, which are low intensity cool burn fires driven by the needs of the landscape and community goals. Through a structured monitoring and evaluation process, the participants generate knowledge and science on fire stewardship; the outcomes are documented and mobilized in various ways, including video, photos, and peer-reviewed articles. The pilot program has initially been evaluated through four general measures: area stewarded (in hectares); people employed and trained (number and diversity of people employed); the level of planning, vision, and program sustainability (generating plans where fire is a tool to meet the goals in these plans, supported by carbon funds); and partnerships and knowledge mobilization, (fostering partnerships for knowledge production and mobilization). On these measures, the program is growing and is a success. A holistic framework is being developed by the community, which encompasses ecological, social, economic, and cultural indicators, including a health and wellbeing evaluation framework to assess the physical, mental health and wellbeing benefits for participants in the program. A holistic approach is critical for understanding the connection between people, place and the role that fire stewardship plays in mediating positive outcomes.