Gary Pritchard
Gary Pritchard stands on rocks beside a river in Curve Lake First Nation. (Photo Credit: Gary Pritchard).
Gary Pritchard~Giniw (Golden Eagle) is a Conservation Ecologist and Indigenous Engagement/Placemaking Specialist from Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario. Gary is the owner of the Four Directions of Conservation Consulting Services, and specializes in restoring aquatic systems, and other damaged habitats around Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
In this episode, Gary shares his journey into the world of Indigenous-led conservation, challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and his hopes for the future of the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership.
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Full Transcript
Kristy Tomkinson
Hello, kwe’, boozhoo, taanishi, oki, atelihai , chachim hihak kwaa, bonjour and welcome to Community Connections – a collection of stories from the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership that explores relationships that strengthen our work to support and elevate Indigenous-led conservation across what is now known as Canada.
My name is Kristy Tomkinson and I will be your conversation guide.
In this episode, I am speaking with Gary Pritchard.
Gary ~Giniw “Ginu”(Golden Eagle) is a Conservation Ecologist and Indigenous Engagement/Placemaking Specialist from Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario. Gary is the owner of the Four Directions of Conservation Consulting Services, and specializes in restoring aquatic systems, and other damaged habitats around Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation.
So, make yourself some tea, get comfortable, and join us.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, so thanks again Gary for joining us for community connections.
I think we'll just start off with you introducing yourself for us today.
Gary Pritchard
Ok, so my name is Gary Pritchard. My Indigenous name is Giniw, which means golden eagle, and I was asked to watch over the lands and water of our territory and that's what I do. I come from the Otter Clan, which is a clan that actually deals with Indigenous and settler relations and ironically that's what I actually do when I am not teaching.
I am the owner of the Four Directions of Conservation Consulting Services, and I am a conservation and restoration ecologist with especially in aquatic systems, and I usually spend most my time restoring damaged habitats around Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation where most of my family is from. And that's pretty much what I do and yeah, glad to be here.
Kristy Tomkinson
And so, how did you come to this work? Could you tell us a little bit about your journey to where you are now?
Gary Pritchard
Yeah, so we moved off reserve actually when I was about 8 years old, and we moved to Peterborough because it's the nearest town from Curve Lake and my dad was actually starting his own company and it was just easier to be more accessible to various places.
So, we moved to east city in Peterborough, which you know is pretty known for people for Trent University to go to and a lot of our neighbors were actually either Trent University professors or actually MNR employees, that's back in the day when they were called MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) employees, and they actually knew I had a fascination and curiosity about nature as well as the Indigenous side of, you know, they saw my grandpa, my grandfather, my father teaching me so they actually just evolved me when I was 16 into like the Ontario Parks and Parks Canada and eventually the MNR.
And when I was twenty, I graduated from Fleming College and I actually got a full-time job at the Union of Ontario Indians, that was before it was Anishinabek Nation, and I moved up north and I worked for them for five years and I eventually became a consultant afterwards. And that's kind of how it all started.
I started, I’ve been doing this now 20-some years, even though I just turned 40, and then I got a degree along the way too and so yeah, that's kind of, it just happened. And I’ve travelled to over 300 different First Nations, I’ve been a part of the drinking water dilemma for quite some time, I helped write the national water study, been a part of a lot of the major negotiations around nuclear waste in First Nations, some of the larger mining projects, understanding Indigenous rights around that, and now I’ve moved home to use some of that knowledge I gained from all these different committees I worked with to help my community in their understanding of environmental challenges we have.
Kristy Tomkinson
Mhm, and so how did you come to know the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership?
Gary Pritchard
So, some of the members I already knew personally whether they're like neighbours or just people I knew from different jobs I’ve worked at. And then I actually got to meet Robin at an Ontario Nature event and then we and I met Eli Enns as well and we started talking about different processes, and then eventually I, over dinner I got told that I’m gonna join the CRP and which I was really excited about. And then like that's one of the things that I often find, especially in the roles I’ve played in my career, I’m the only Indigenous person in a non-Indigenous entity, typically driven by, I hate to say it like this, but old white men, right? I am supposed to be the one that knows everything and it's a very scary and lonely and stressful place to be in.
So, when we started getting these groups together it was a bigger, it was the ability to actually see other people who were in this spot, but also actually to have another vector to talk about or vent some of the challenges we're having. And then that's actually I’ve transferred that into my company, where every Friday my entire staff is, you know, we have Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working for my firm and we vent about some of the challenges because especially for the non-Indigenous people this is eye-opening I guess I would say to what Canada really is. And so, I learned that from that process of the CRP to actually translate that to make a better business for my company.
I was really excited to be a part of it actually, and I’m actually looking forward to my younger staff getting to join as well. And I’ve actually said, like maybe next evolution of CRP is a youth circle as well to get more students and stuff involved right? Because a lot of my students I’m teaching right now in the CRP are like 'how do I get more involved here?' and I’m like 'I don't know. Let me ask Robin or let me ask you know Faisal'. But we should have that to have you know you just don't come to my course then come to another course, and that's the end of it. We need to have that continuation and then hopefully in person able to actually have some gatherings.
I've been doing Indigenous-led BioBlitzes, doing different Indigenous cultural teachings into western science, and that's actually what we asked for in the EA (environmental assessment) process too, in our territory, but we could teach that as well and have events and have some fun, right? Yeah, and you know that's kind of something that I’ve been thinking about too is like how do we I don't know want to say "recruit" new members, but just keep the ideas flowing.
Kristy Tomkinson
Mhm sorry you mentioned something about "BioBlitz"? You'll have to explain it.
Gary Pritchard
Yeah, BioBlitz. It's where we go out and a whole bunch of us get together who may or may not have any knowledge of anything and we actually inventory all the things we see. So typically, what I teach is that you know I looked for Indigenous plant medicines, I look for things that western science often doesn't choose. So, like you know, for us, poison ivy is actually a traditional medicine, but western people hate poison ivy, right? And same with like and then we also teach that everything has the right to a life.
So, a tick even though they're my personal kryptonite has the same right to a life as I do, right? And mosquitoes and things like that. So, it's really trying to shift that, you know, paradigm of like we're only looking for species at risk or what I often say, like the pretty sexier species, right? It's not, everything is valuable, right?
And we're actually getting some really neat results because we're using modern-day western science techniques like with E-DNA or I use camera trapping quite a bit too, and we just set up all these remote cameras through an area before we BioBlitz it and I see all the different animals that come in there while we're there and I’ve been able to capture bobcats just north of Barrie, we're getting bobcats, moose and all these different things right? We would not have seen that with present-day western science protocols alone. So, we're trying to teach people about stuff like that, right?
And then that actually helps validate some of our Indigenous knowledge, 'cause it's like you know, our harvesters are telling me right now 'we're not seeing any deer in our territory' in treaty 20. And I’m like, well, why is that right? And then, but western science is saying everything is fine, but the data I’m collecting with these cameras that actually some go right to my phone, I don't even have to go outside anymore, I just put them up and off I go. I get these photos sent to my phone every day, every morning when I wake up.
So, we're able to actually say, yeah, there's a lot of moose displacing the deer, or these bobcats are running around we've never had bobcats before. What does that mean? And so, it's really creating that holistic picture.
Kristy Tomkinson
And so, you were saying that you're taking some of the sharing circle mentality or some of the community mentality from the CRP into your own work, so I’m curious to know what learning circles or streams are you involved in as part of the CRP?
Gary Pritchard
Oh my goodness, quite a few.
So, a lot of it's to deal with the overall how do we create IPCAs and what does Indigenous governance over lands look like? I haven't been to a meeting in a while, but ultimately, the Bio-cultural Indicators working group and then just the overall Indigenous Circle when we get together, we just gotta talk about things. So, there's about three things that I go to, and I also chip away at whenever Allison or Robin needs me and I’m also teaching in the governance certificate as well.
So now that you say that I seem to do a lot, but I feel like I do nothing but, it's that it's that piece, right? It's like how, like it’s fun to be involved in, and it's not tiring work. It's actually important work. So, it's, because it actually helps us.
So, I find I learn stuff when we all get together to help my community and the communities I work with and so it's important to be a part of those circles. Because like you know we, I’ll use an example the other day: we had a rights and resources committee meeting, which is like basically we're Curve Lake's circle of experts. 'Ok, we want to start doing Indigenous land trusts.' I’m like, 'hey, by the way, did you see this report?' there's a report apparently that you're a part of it that I didn't know you were a part of that Ian was a part of that we need to get Ian here to talk to us about, you know, and at least we know these things are happening and there's a bigger group we can now draw on.
So, you have these First Nation groups able to come to this group as part of that conversation, and that's important too. We need to actually work on that piece a lot more is actually to have, can other First Nations draw on all of our expertise? I think that would be a takeaway message, because like I’m like, and I’m just as bad because I’m like, I know this is happening, but I’ve been so busy with other things that it's taken me away from those bigger conservation things that we should be working on.
But that's the other issue is like as Indigenous people we have a lot of projects happening that take away from the positivity, right? We have a lot of negative projects to shift our gears and the CRP is that nice balance of these are allies which we can trust their information and we just need to expand that out to the broader community.
Kristy Tomkinson
What do you think would help facilitate that to ensure that those circles are interacting more and engaging more?
Gary Pritchard
I think it'll be easier once COVID is over to be 100% honest and we're able to actually kind of take this show on the road, right? We were kind of doing that, and Robin was a part of it too, and we're going to different communities, and we just need to start doing that again and we can't do that really until we're able to collectively, right? Because that way too, like we can get together and say, ok, this is the data we have and Treaty 20, here's what we got, right? How could CRP help us with that? And that's kind of the next evolution.
It's been stalled because of COVID. I really believe, like you know, once covid is over, I think we have the opportunity to get better at it. It's just we're at that I call it, the project 'pauses' because we've taken it as far as we can in a virtual, because like I don't know about you guys, but I’m completely zoomed out. Like it's like I’m, I have three sets of pods I use every day, so I rotate them for meetings, to meetings, to meetings, right? So, like the fact that I burned out three pod batteries, like 3 earpiece sets of like that's a lot of meetings. So, all First Nations are feeling that right? And that's the challenge, right?
We like those in personal, and also too we like to take you out in the land and show you what we're talking about. And so, like ok, be like, hey, you know Kristy, here's our, let's go up here and actually, this is where we want to do an IPCA. The other challenge I find is too that we have a lot of non-Indigenous people coming to us and saying 'this should be an IPCA.
We want this to be an IPCA.' and we're like 'man, what the hell are you talking about? We haven't been there in 100 years.' right? Like 'cause like, in my territory, we, because of the way that a treaty was interpreted, the government kept us off our land for 100 years even though we had rights so they had to do this big public apology, but then we're like we haven't been there in 100 years. We have been over here though, and these areas are still important to us.
So, we need to relearn that area. And the fundamental of IPCAs is that we actually need to delineate them ourselves. We're not saying they shouldn't be protected, but we're not there yet as a community to say that's an Indigenous protected area.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, it's important that it's led by the community, and it goes, it needs to go through that process first, then it takes some time.
Gary Pritchard
Oh, for sure and that's a that that's the thing too, right? We have a lot of people, I say it's like the space race, we're very much like who can get to the moon the quickest, right? Who can get the first Ontario IPCA accepted right? And that's important to people and I get that, but it's like we need to take a pause because it's, it is for the betterment of community, not for a non-Indigenous NGO.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, those things take a lot of time.
So, I’m curious to know if there's a specific relationship or connection you've built with an individual or an organization through the partnership that has helped to strengthen your work?
Gary Pritchard
I believe people have reached out to me, to help strengthen their relationship with community.
I think I lean on everybody equally where I I’m able to actually call up any of the CRP members and ask questions and we kind of have that open dialogue. I wouldn't think I’ve developed one relationship more than others. I've maintained, I would say I’ve been able to maintain those relationships I’ve already established and I get to check in with them more frequently than I’ve had in the past.
I wouldn't say I have established new ones, but I think people will establish new relationships with me to create an educational platform on how to work and engage with community. But definitely I’ve been able to maintain those relationships that are usually once a year it's probably I talked to them, it's probably now once at least every few weeks I can talk to them. So, it's more about a relationship maintenance which was actually appreciative during covid.
Kristy Tomkinson
And so, when people are approaching you are you able to then connect others outside of the partnership in like to the partnership's work?
Gary Pritchard
That we try a lot. So sometimes it's like 'ok we have a project, this is what we want to do, can you help us?' and they'll sometimes retain our firm to do that. It just depends on what they're coming with, what they ask. Sometimes it's like just call here, call these people right now and you know off you go. So, we're at least able, like people find we're very approachable to come to, and that's why I actually like they need to know who they can kind of come to ask those dumb questions, right? I you know it's and, and I don't think they're dumb questions at all, but they just, they just need a place to actually kind of get resources, right?
So, what I would like to see on the CRP website more is not just hot links to work that is happening but actually reports. Because I’m often saying 'well, just go to the CRP website." you know, I’ve seen like this little tab and then I was like I’ve never clicked on it 'cause I just know the person who wrote that so I can go to that person and get it. But others can't get those resources. So, we need to actually keep maintaining that on the CRP website. You know 'cause there's a lot of stuff people have questions on.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, it's something that we're, it'll be continuously built upon and added to because it's such a new area and there are a lot of questions, so there's we're still building on, as things are happening, we're adding more and more resources to it. And I was wondering if there are connections that you'd like to make with an individual or an organization, but just haven't had the chance to? So, like crown government representatives or the private sector ENGOs or nations.
Gary Pritchard
Yeah, I would actually like to see more of a dialogue between like Ontario Nations because we usually get the, because there's very much a divide between Ontario 'cause we're the oldest colonial treaties versus other areas, and we often defer like, 'oh, just do what BC is doing' like I wish right? And we just can't.
So there needs to be more community-based, I think we do a good job with NGOs but more nation to nation. Like just in like internalizing. Like let's get all of Mississauga Nation together instead of just four out of the seven communities. Let's try like what are our priorities as Mississauga Nation, right? Similar to like Grand Council and Treaty 3.
Let's get them all together to have a conversation and have those treaty and same types of Indigenous people together who have that shared governance. We don't do that. I think that's maybe it's something we should do. Like is just, you know like I understand, like the work that Clint's doing, I understand the work that Marilyn is doing because I talk to them all the time, right? Like and you know, and they actually swing by my home, and we have conversations. And it's like I’d like to see more like what is the priorities of Mississauga Nation?
And how is that reflected in in protection of governance versus, you know, just Curve Lake's or Hiawatha’s? But like does this feed into, you know, the collective governance of the Mississauga nation or the Chippewa nation? How is that working right? Like 'cause I don't have that answer and people ask that question to me a lot. Like 'is this working for just your community?' and I’m like, well, I’d like to see it benefit all of ours and maybe that helps our community with, you know we have like I know, like Mississaugas of the Credit have harvest rights, and I’ve heard those conversations a lot where we're going to allow them to come and harvest in our territory.
Well, maybe that will help facilitate those other almost nation and I don't wanna say nation-to-nation, but a community-to-community relationship building. Because some of our committees are still very fractured because of the Indian Act, because of just past land claim fightings and financial fightings, right? Like we had a big, there can be challenges with like different land claims and how much each community gets and we need ways to mend those fences. So, we need to work on that for sure.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, hopefully we can, you know, facilitate that as part of the partnership in any way that we can. So, I have one final question for you and it's around, so the CRP Elders Lodge shared with us the Seven Grandmother/Grandfather Teachings to frame our governance structure, and so we're always curious to know how these teachings continue to weave into our work and our community. I just would like to know which are present for you in your relationships and connections, and in what ways are they present?
Gary Pritchard
Well, I definitely think love has come back up because some of the work we've done, especially in the world environments consulting. I'll reflect on this in this way: we, even as Indigenous like rights defenders, we still are part of the colonial system; that kind of the conveyor belt of environmentalism. And we, you know, and I was saying this to my staff and to my family, my brother made the same point the other day and he's like 'man non-Indigenous people really like to cycle through a project fast, don't they?' and he builds houses right? So, he does houses.
So, he's like the non-Indigenous government believe I can build a house in five days with twenty guys and I said, 'no you can't do that, you know that', and I see the same ideas with these EAs (environmental assessments) and these environmental work. They think they can cycle through them in 30 days, and I have all the answers and I had, you know, especially this time of year, it's winter like we are in the field on Saturday and I’m like 'yeah, that river is frozen just as I suspected', right? And you know, and we drove through a blizzard to get there, and so we still have that challenge.
But the other one is that always speaks to me is humility that we need to really look at humility a lot more and we need to be reporting on what didn't work and just like own it a little bit more, right? We never see reports on 'oh, we really sucked on that one, and here's why we sucked.', right? And that way you know, and that to me is something like it's funny as an Indigenous person and as a business owner, I often talk to my, I talked to my staff, whether you know I’m the CEO but you know, I talked to this the youngest biologist we have, she's from Six Nations, as if we're equal and you know 'what do you think? Am I doing the right thing right now?' when I do this 'cause I need to know what you think where we don't do that in western culture, but then we also don't say 'ok that didn't go well', right?
We just pretend that never happened and we keep moving forward and we need to report on those. Like if we're going to make reports, ok, this is what not to do, right? Did you know this happened over here and we can kind of word it and wordsmith it into a way that we don't say you know group x did this, but this is what the outcome was and we can create those platforms for knowledge transfer that way and that that would really, you know, help with the process I think.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, frame it as a learning instead of a failure.
Gary Pritchard
Mhm. You know it's not like we do everything perfect, but it's just understanding that right? But then do it so it saves another person the heartache really. Like you know I, I’ve seen people misstep and then I I have to get brought in as a company similar to a lawyer to have stick handle that and that's not where I want to be either right? We just should be like, 'ok, we've screwed up, sorry.' what can we do to make it better? And then let's tell people that we did that wrong so people you know are aware and that's something we could work on I think as a group. And educate, I think that would be the teaching I would say that's where we're at next is accepting that we're we, we're human and we screw up.
Kristy Tomkinson
Well, thank you so much Gary. That's all the questions that I have.
Gary Pritchard
Oh, ok, no problem.
Kristy Tomkinson
Unless you have any final thoughts around your connection to the CRP and the relationships that you've been able to build or maintain as part of that partnership. If you have any additional thoughts now is the time
Gary Pritchard
Yeah, I think like you know the next evolution of us all, is actually all of us getting back together. We need to do some just conversations around like some of the challenges we're going to have as First Nations people moving forward. About like different levels of identification and what does that mean to our work we're doing? We need to just get back together and actually, you know, I just rekindle our friendships with each other 'cause it has been a virtual platform.
People actually have not seen me in two years, some people, and they only see this little picture of me. That's all they see 'cause I don't have a camera on this computer, so we just need to go through that process and not let the fact that we need to do business get in the way of reigniting those relationships.
Kristy Tomkinson
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too.
Miigwetch and thank you Gary for joining us today.
That concludes this week’s story on Community Connections. New episodes will be released biweekly and you can find all episodes on our website at www.conservation-reconciliation.ca.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our community members who have made this series possible, including Heather Patterson and our guest contributors. The music for this series is called Moonrise and is produced by Reed Mathis.
If you are enjoying this series and are interested in sharing your stories of connection, please email us at crpinfo@uoguelph.ca
Thank you and tune in next time to Community Connections.