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Coastal Wildlife Project

In response to concerns about changes in the coastal ecosystems in Eeyou Istchee, a Cree-led, collaborative research initiative called the Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project (CHCRP) was launched in 2016 and involved four coastal Cree communities of Eeyou Istchee. The CHCRP brought together four coastal Cree communities of the Eeyou Marine Region (EMR; Waskaganish, Eastmain, Wemindji, and Chisasibi), and an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers to better understand the decline of eelgrass, its effects on goose populations, and, consequently, impacts to Cree hunting practices. For information about the research activity from 2017 to 2022, please visit Past Work.

  • Start Date: January 1, 2025

Eeyou communities have observed and reported unprecedented changes in the coastal ecosystem over the last few decades, including declines in eelgrass, changing migration patterns of Canada Goose, and compromised traditional practices and food security. Through Phase 2 of the Cree-led Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project (CHCRP), this project brings together four coastal Cree communities, Niskamoon, Cree Trappers’ Association, EMRWB, and Hydro Québec, and an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers focusing on co-developping monitoring tools, while building long-term capacity for sustainable Cree-led monitoring so that communities and land-users can track changes in coastal wildlife and cultural practices into the future. 

Here are the different community-based tools and approaches to monitor Canada Goose: 

  • Land user-based measurements of geese body condition to know how healthy harvested geese are and how it changes 
  • Network of year-round monitoring stations with a trail camera and an audio-recorder to detect when and where wildlife species are using the coast and how it might change 
  • Annual drone surveys of geese flocks in key staging areas to know how numbers are changing 
  • Annual on the ground, drone and satellite surveys to assess the coastal habitat used by geese and other wildlife 
  • Participatory activities to document Eeyou knowledge, observations, and practices around wildlife and their habitats 
  • Training workshops with land users to build local capacity 

 The Coastal Wildlife Project has been awarded an NSERC Alliance grant, which will support research activities from 2025 to 2029. This funding will enhance our capacity to conduct collaborative, community-engaged research and contribute valuable knowledge to guide environmental monitoring and stewardship efforts in Eeyou Istchee (CHCRP_Wildlife_Handout). 

 

Academic Research Team

  • Principal Investigator Murray Humphries, McGill University
  • Co-PI Allyson Menzies, University of Calgary

Graduate students

  • Frédéric LeTourneux (NSERC post-doctoral fellow, McGill University)
  • Shelby Bohn (post-doctoral fellow, University of Calgary)
  • Samantha Delisle (PhD student, McGill University)
  • François-Xavier Grandmont (PhD student, McGill University)
  • Lilah Eldar (Master's student, McGill University)

Staff members

  • Manuelle Landry-Cuerrier (Research and Training Coordinator, McGill University)

Cree Partners

  • Niskamoon Corporation
  • Cree Trappers’ Association

Regional Partner

  • Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board

Industry Partner

  • Hydro-Québec