Virtual Campfire Series

On November 19th, 2020, Steven Nitah (CRP Leadership Circle), Stephen Ellis (Senior Advisor, Thaidene Nëné), and Larry Innes (CRP Domestic Law and Policy Stream Lead) shared stories of the negotiations, establishment, and implementation of Thaidene Nëné, and described the Łutsël K’é Dene laws at the heart of the initiative.

This webinar provides a detailed understanding of the legal, governance, and financial innovations that make Thaidene Nëné an outstanding example of Indigenous-led conservation in partnership with territorial and federal governments on Turtle Island (Canada).

On November 4, 2020, Elder Joe Martin, Eli Enns, Gisele Maria Martin, and Terry Dorward shared the story of Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks. This session explored the origins of Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks from its origins in 1984 to present-day governance, key partnerships, and a unique financial model, this webinar will provide attendees with lessons and tools that gave this IPCA life and momentum.

On October 22nd the CRP and the IISAAK OLAM Foundation hosted a webinar exploring models and practices for Land and Peoples Relationship planning, and how this planning can inform IPCA establishment, including choosing how to govern.

The webinar was facilitated by Steven Nitah (CRP Leadership Circle) with Joe Copper Jack (Yukon Land Use Planning Council), Russell Myers Ross (Dasiqox Tribal Park), and Marilyn Baptiste (Former Chief, Xeni Gwet’in First Nation and CRP Leadership Circle).

On October 13, 2020 Elder Larry McDermott (CRP Elder’s Lodge) and Larry Innes (CRP Domestic Law and Policy Lead) hosted a discussion with Dr. John Borrows (Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Law); Dr. Aimée Craft (Associate Professor, University of Ottawa); and Rayanna Seymour- Hourie (Staff Lawyer and RELAW Manager, West Coast Environmental Law) on the legal underpinnings of what is now known as Canada, including the Doctrine of Discovery, the concept of terra nullius, etc., how colonial laws have impacted relationships to the land; and, pathways forward.

On October 9th from 2-4 p.m. EST, we hosted the first webinar in the IPCA Governance Webinar Stream. CRP Leadership Circle members—and former members of the Indigenous Circle of Experts—Steven Nitah, Marilyn Baptiste, Lisa Young, and Eli Enns along with Elder Larry McDermott and CRP Research Lead Monica Mulrennan spoke to the role of relational worldviews in IPCA governance and introduced the governance and partnership models outlined in the Indigenous Circle of Experts report: We Rise Together (2018).

On September 29th at 1 p.m. EST, we hosted a dialogue with CRP Leadership Circle member Lisa Young and Elder’s Lodge member Albert Marshall, Tuma Young, Director of the Indigenous Law Institute at Cape Breton University, and Clifford Paul, Moose Management Coordinator from Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources on Natural Law and Indigenous legal systems; contemporary expressions of Indigenous laws in stewardship and conservation; and the ways the revitalization of Indigenous legal systems are challenging dominant legal narratives in Canada and contributing to the transformation of conservation practice.

On April 3rd, 2020, the CRP held its first virtual dialogue in this series on the importance of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hosted by members of the CRP Leadership Circle and CRP Elders Lodge, the purpose of the dialogue was to create a space to reflect on the renewed urgency of Indigenous-led conservation during these challenging and uncertain times. For more information, read our blog post here.