Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) Community Access Road
July 2022 update
Current and upcoming activities
Welcome to the Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) Community Access Road July E-Blast with updates on current and upcoming activities. This E-Blast features:
- Public Information Centre #3 in Thunder Bay and Geraldton
- Field Study Updates
- Upcoming Field Studies
- Indigenous Knowledge Program Update
- Meet with us!
Thank you for Joining Us!
The first Public Information Centre during the provincial Environmental Assessment / federal Impact Statement phase (PIC #3) of the Marten Falls First Nation Community Access Road was held on Monday, June 27, 2022 in Thunder Bay and Wednesday, June 29, 2022 in Geraldton. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us in person to learn about the project, discuss the Community Access Road with the Project Team and provide valuable feedback.
If you were unable to join us in person, you can view all PIC # 3 materials, including presentation boards, maps and fact sheets.
Field Study Updates
The first trip for the Fish Habitat and Surface Water field program and the second trip for the Breeding Bird Point Counts and Marsh Playback surveys were completed in July. Check out the related field program notices, watch videos and fill out Discussion Guides.
The air quality monitoring program was completed in May this year and the monitoring equipment has been decommissioned and removed from MFFN. The data collected from this field program will be used to characterize current air quality conditions within the study area. This program has been a success thanks to support from MFFN Community Member field support staff!
Upcoming Field Studies
Our field crews are continuing field studies throughout the summer and into the fall / winter seasons. There are a lot of moving parts when scheduling field programs, including helicopter availability, weather and on-going monitoring of COVID-19 situations. We appreciate your understanding as timelines shift.
Below is a high-level overview of upcoming field study programs and their approximate timelines*. You can also learn about the programs in the video links below and share your feedback in Discussion Guide links.
- Bird Autonomous Recording Units (ARU) Program: August 9 – 13, 2022
- Surface Water and Fish and Fish Habitat Program: August 15 – 26, 2022. Watch the video and fill out the Discussion Guide
- Groundwater and Geochemistry Program: September 1 – November 1, 2022. Watch the video and fill out the Discussion Guide
- Fall Aerial Waterfowl Migration Surveys: September 12 – 14 and 26 – 29, 2022
- Physiography and Terrain Program: September 26 – October 15, 2022
- Ungulates Remote Camera Check: October – November, 2022
- Caribou Mortality Investigation, if needed: October – November, 2022
*Timelines and programs are approximate and may shift; we will provide updates as required.
If you have any questions, comments or feedback on the planned studies, we would like to hear from you (contact information below).
The Indigenous Knowledge Program Continues
The Indigenous Knowledge Program is collecting relevant information on Indigenous Land and Resource Use and important cultural values in and around the proposed Community Access Road study area. The submission deadline for the Indigenous Knowledge Program Studies to inform the Environmental Assessment processes was June 30, 2022. While this deadline has passed, the Indigenous Knowledge Program will continue!
Indigenous Knowledge and information on Indigenous Land and Resource Use is invaluable. We continue to work with communities to share information and complete the Project-specific studies.
If your community has Indigenous Knowledge or information on Indigenous Land and Resource Use related to the Project that you would like to share please do not hesitate to reach out to Bob Baxter at 1-807-628-7553 or bbaxter48@gmail.com or Andrea Nokleby at 1-604-417-5332 or anokleby@dillon.ca. Learn more about the Indigenous Knowledge Program.
Meet With Us!
Please contact us at any time with questions or comments, or to schedule a meeting. Meetings can be arranged in-person in any community (adhering to health and safety protocols as required), in the Thunder Bay area, or online. We want to hear what you have to say.
Questions or comments? Contact us at 1-800-764-9114 or info@martenfallsaccessroad.ca.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MFFNCommunityAccessRoadProject/