MEDIA / SPONSORS

Release – Camp Manitowabi 2008

Release, March 11, 2008 – Earth Day Hydro Panel

PSA – Boreal Forest Network, Boreal Action Project, Forest of the Northern Lights, Awareness Event,
April 3, 2008

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Buy your tickets on-line!!!

Camping and food is free. Registration fee is $25.00. There is no charge for children to attend the camp.

Pre-registration is recommended in order to determine numbers for food and workshops.

Payment can be made in cash, by cheque, money order, or by credit card (VISA, MC). Service charges may apply.

To register call THE TICKET LINE @ 1.204.480.8565 or email borealaction@gmail.com.

If you are interested in attending and cannot pay the full fee, please contact Susanne McCrea @ 297.0321.

BOREAL ACTION PROJECT

205-180 Market Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 0P7
204.297.0321
borealaction@gmail.com

www.taigarescue.org
www.borealkids.org

www.borealaction.org
(coming soon)

Camp Manitowabi, a program of The Boreal Action Project, was conceived to bring urban adults and youth together with youth and Elders from Indigenous communities, primarily on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg, to discuss methods of furthering mutual goals to preserve the environment and to support Indigenous led direct actions.

CAMP HISTORY AND MISSION

Camp Manitowabi was developed in 2005 to address concerns that arose when neighbouring Indigenous communities began to employ blockades as a campaign tactic to preserve their traditional territories.

During camp of 2007, organizers and trainers were asked to witness three potential direct actions thereby underlining the need for safety, security and media capacity building in communities.

In the fall of 2007, Hollow Water employed a blockade to halt cottage lotteries and protest the lack of meaningful consultation on other development on their traditional territories.

Communities like Grassy Narrows asked the Boreal Action Project for support to help ensure the safety of blockaders and supporters. They also asked for media support to help get their message out. These are supports that the Boreal Action Project has provided from the outset – arranging speaking events and tour stops, hosting meetings and press conferences, writing and distributing press materials, publishing on the internet, researching chain of custody and other actions.

Marginalized communities have always faced challenges in getting their voices heard. Remote Indigenous communities have the added challenge of getting a message out from places where cell phones don’t work and few reporters will visit. There are also cultural issues around messaging, since Indigenous custom involves storytelling and the ‘sound bite’, we are so familiar, with is foreign to this custom and cutting to the chase is a disrespectful practice.

Camp Manitowabi provides an intensive capacity building program for Indigenous community members to learn how to develop relationships with reporters, work on camera interview skills, video tape, record and post stories on the internet, as well as, take hard skills training, like climbing. Sessions on safety, legal rights and discussion about our experiences learning to de-escalate the potential for violent response are essential material at camp.

The camp offers a close up look at community life, culture and values for local activists and activist-minded participants from urban settings. It offers a technical, safety, legal support and the benefit of its direct action experience to community members as well as offers information that is not readily available in remote places.

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GARY RAVEN
Camp Host

Elder, Hollow Water First Nation

Gary is an Elder of the Hollow Water First Nation in Manitoba. He organized and is director of Anishinabe Turtle Island Protectors, who have worked hard to protect the East side of Lake Winnipeg from roads, logging and other development. He is on the Board of Directors for the Manitoba Model Forest program. He is the founder and Director of the Soaring Eagle Environmental School in Hollow Water for furthering education towards protecting and monitoring their traditional territories. He has worked to bring an understanding of Indigenous needs of intact forests and wildlife habitat in his traditional territory.

A recent decision by the Manitoba Government to stop the proposed construction of the controversial BiPole 3 high voltage transmission line is partly because of this collaborative work over more than a decade of campaigning.

Gary holds TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) of his area and strives to pass on the old knowledge to his students through his teachings.

He is a pipe carrier, sweatlodge conductor and spiritual leader, wise in plant and sacred knowledge, and hosts many elders' gatherings amongst others in his area.

He is featured in the June 2002 National Geographic article on the Boreal Forests.

Gary is hosting Camp Manitowabi at Raven's Creek which features 9 teepees, 16 canoes, a cook house, an outdoor stage, fire pits, and emergency phone and internet service. Raven’s Creek is a 3.5 hour drive from Winnipeg and it is close to several other communities on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg, including Sagkeegn First Nation.

Gary graciously allows us to use his land for cross cultural gatherings and welcomes guests of all backgrounds.

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STEERING COMMITTEE AND TRAINERS

SUSANNE MCCREA
Boreal Action Project

Camp Coordinator
Communications Strategy and Media

Founding member and director of the Boreal Action Project, Susanne has been the communications director at the Boreal Forest Network since coming on board to organize the biennial Taiga Rescue Network conference, in 2000. In 2005-2006, she taught communications at Red River Community College, in Winnipeg. Susanne was the director of the local Green peace office for the entire decade of the 90’s. During that time, she developed many coalition activities and began to develop what is now a very good international and grassroots network, as well.

She is on the current board of Taiga Rescue Network, a pan boreal network with about 200 members in Scandinavia, Europe, Russia and North America.

With a background as a radio reporter, arts promoter and performance artist, organizer and activist, Susanne has a unique blend of skills to bring to the table.

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DAVE NICKARZ
Boreal Action Project

Facilitator, Direct Action Circle Discussion
Coordinator, Direct Action Role Play

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
www.seashepherd.org

Dave has been a campaigner, researcher and activist for fifteen years. He spends part of every winter on the ocean with the Sea Shepherd’s campaigning to stop Japanese whaling and the maritime seal hunt, in Canada. Dave comes to camp, this year, fresh from the seal hunt, where he and 16 other crew members were arrested and their ship was seized for taking pictures of the hunt.

He has a long association with the Boreal Forest Network, as a researcher and campaigner. He is a member of the Boreal Action Project steering committee and has done research and provided campaign support for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, as well.

Dave has facilitated large group discussion about non-violent civil disobedience at both the previous Camp Manitowabi events.

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THOR AITKENHEAD
Member at large
New Media, Communications Support

Friends of Grassy Narrows
www.friendsofgrassynarrows.com

Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement – Winnipeg
www.winnipeg.ipsm.ca

Thor is a founding member of Friends of Grassy Narrows/Winnipeg Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement and a noted Winnipeg artist. He has been involved in the camp since its inception. In 2003, he was camp cook and floating training support person.

He works in mixed mediums, from painting to electronic media, as film maker, editor, and experimental, new media, artist. His recent work includes contributions to a documentary film project on mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows, Ontario, and a bikes for kids project for Grassy youth.

Thor has given invaluable input into the program and will be on hand to give training support to the communications team at Camp Manitowabi 2008.

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TRACEY SHILLINGTON
Graphic Design, Communications Support

Simplelife Designs
www.simplelifedesigns.ca

Boreal Action is working with Tracey on the design of our upcoming new media web source borealaction.org.

Tracey has done design work on the branding of the Boreal Action Project. We are now working together to finalize the logo and design for our upcoming website, which will feature Boreal Action News, delivered through print stories, podcasts, in house produced video clips, photographs, links and a moderated hub for other groups and individuals to post their messages.

Together we have produced a mock-up of the website home page, enlisted a programmer and are now pitching the project to major donors and other potential funders.

Tracey will be on hand to talk about the power of an image to speak for itself. She will help explain the process that goes into branding a campaign, or organization, using our experience together on the BAP project as an example.

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Kimlee Wong M.
Indigenous Communities Outreach Coordinator

Kimlee and Susanne have worked together on many collaborative occasions. Kimlee is a Winnipeg activist, originally from, nearby Sagkeegn First Nation.

Kimlee and three generations of her family participated in Camp Manitowabi, in 2007. After that event, Kimlee offered her services to spread the word about what we were doing at our 2008 camp to community members in Hollow Water, Sagkeegn and other neighbouring communities.

We have developed a communications strategy to ensure attendance by local Indigenous Peoples by changing the language and reducing the amount of information on posters and written materials to make it more meaningful to the average person, who doesn’t think of themselves as an ‘activist’, and by having people who live there going door to door on reserves with a hand out written specifically for that audience.

Entertainment and music are a universal draw and help people to find common ground. The Saturday night music event will be advertised.

Local crafts people will be invited to set up booths and sell and demonstrate their art to the crowd.

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PAULETTE LAFORTUNE
Main Stage Event Manager
Communications and Media Support

Sweet Spot Productions
www.mysweetspotproductions.com

Co-founder, JUST Community Market Co-operative
www.JUSTcommunitymarket.com

Paulette LaFortune has work experience and expertise in business and finance, advertising, marketing and promotions, health, education and training in the public sector, as well as in the hospitality and entertainment sectors.

She is currently developing her production company Sweet Spot Productions with a focus on event management, education and training, and improving the quality of life for Manitobans.

Paulette has an Honours Diploma in Fitness and a Desktop Publishing Certificate from George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario. She has years of professional development training as well as volunteer experience in the areas of fundraising, production and public relations.

Paulette has been supporting the music scene in Winnipeg for several years. Currently, Sweet Spot Productions is working with various artisans in the city and rurally to promote art, culture and community development. In 2007, Sweet Spot Productions partnered with Rik Leaf, Founder and Artistic Director of JUST Artists — an emerging category of socially conscious writers, musicians, painters and poets committed to improving the world through their artistic contributions.

She has been hosting "The Sounding Board" open mic in the city for the past 15 months and hopes to start a radio program this year on CKUW 95.9 FM, University of Winnipeg community radio. She is also co-producing the monthly Down Town Coffee Ground at the Red Road Lodge with Director Suzanne Stobbe, daughter of Dave Stobbe, co-founder of the Back 40 Festival.

The rest of her time is spent working with JUST Community Market Co-operative, a newly formed marketing co-op that promotes ethical food producers, businesses and artisans. She is a co-founder and active member.

Paulette is organizing the Friday night songwriters' circle and the "Music With A Message" Saturday night main stage event at this year's camp.

She'll also be working with Jamie Christie, the volunteer caterer, who is also a member of JUST Community Market Co-operative, and Elder Gary Raven in sourcing local foods.

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JAMIE CHRISTIE
Volunteer Caterer
Food Choices Workshop Facilitator

Indigenous foods is the theme Jamie has chosen for the food at camp this year. She will source wild foods from local Indigenous hunters, trappers and gatherers, as well as from farmers growing Indigenous crops in our immediate area.

We thought it would be a challenge to do this so early in the northern growing session. We didn’t expect much variety. Then Jamie showed us the menu she had produced. It made all of us think about the food that is available close to home and what our food choices mean to the environment and to the economy of the producers of our food.

Jamie has been an organic food caterer in Winnipeg for several years. She is a feature at many local events held by activist and arts communities.

She is also a member of JUST Communit Market Co-operative based in Starbuck, Manitoba.

Jamie has also agreed to help facilitate a large group discussion on food and food choices. Stacey Klassen, formerly of Sunflower Organic Food Co-op, vegan Dave Nickarz, trapper and hunter, Gary Raven, and Paulette LaFortune, Co-founder of JUST Community Market Co-operative have agreed to share their perspectives to set the tone for a respectful sharing circle on the subject.

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DON SULLIVAN
Landscape Photography Workshop, Field Trip Leader

Photographer
www.manidooabi.org

Don Sullivan, Executive Director of The Boreal Forest Network, is an experienced nature photographer and outdoorsman. He has been recreating and working in the community of Hollow Water for many years and knows the territory well. Don is the guide and leader on the photography overnight. He has compiled a list of equipment and program for the event.

Early June is a good time to see some young, as the breeding season is well underway. This requires extra caution on the part of photographers and will prove to be a valuable learning experience.

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LISA WALDNER
"Not Quite Nature" Project Coordinator

Photographer
www.thephotofrenzy.com

Lisa’s photographic skills have gained her local and international recognition. She has photographed many prominent people and holds a position with a select photography crew at The Winnipeg Folk Festival.

She is also a natural organizer and this year launched a retrospective collection of photographs from three decades of this renowned music festival.

Lisa has developed a camp Manitowabi workshop component to the Not Quite Nature collaboration she is working on with the Boreal Action Project.

Not Quite Nature uses photography as an advocacy tool by contrasting the beauty and power nature with the destruction of human impacts on her landscapes.

One product of the project is to produce a guidebook for photographers to learn to lessen their impacts on the environment while shooting nature photographs. We have heard from tourism centres, particularly in the north where the season is short and natural places are more fragile, that there is a great need for this type of a guidebook. It will be provided to these tourist locations free of charge.

Lisa has organized an overnight canoe trip and photography workshop to begin to educate photographers on these points and to work in collaboration on the Not Quite Nature guidebook.

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JONAH O'NEIL
"Not Quite Nature" Workshop Support

Photographer, Editor
www.cre8ery.com

Jonah is a professional photographer, back country hiker and activist-minded editor. He is also the editor of the local Manitoba Eco-network publication, the Eco-Journal and has developed many contacts in the environmental community, as a result.

Jonah will assist Lisa Waldner in the nature photographers’ overnight canoe trip and photo shoot, offering tips and gathering information for the Not Quite Nature guidebook for photographers on how to be sensitive to the flora and fauna they are photographing.

Jonah will be a valuable asset on the trip.

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STACY KLASSEN
Safety and Field First Aid Coordinator

www.borealkids.org

Stacy has experience with Direct Action as a former Green peace activist. Stacy and Susanne worked together on the Great Lakes Beluga Tour, in 1991, which culminated in the International Joint Commission meeting in Traverse City, MI. The pair, along with two others, chained themselves to a truck on the railway tracks at the Canadian Pacific Forest Products chlorine bleaching plant in protest of the chlorine byproducts it discharged. The action was one in a series throughout the Great Lakes. It received national coverage.

Stacy is also a mother of two. She is applying her energy to researching and implementing a Boreal Action Project speaking and workshop delivered environmental education program for children and youth in Winnipeg. The program would utilize borealkids.org, the joint project of the Boreal Forest Network and the Boreal Action Project.

The team she has put together for camp workshops includes, a registered nurse, a representative of the Canadian Peacemakers Team, Elder and camp host Gary Raven and others TBA.

She is currently consulting herbalists to create a tea bar at camp to compliment the field plant identification excursion she has planned. Stacy also has a background in organic food. She co-founded and managed Sunflower Organic Food Co-op, in the nineties.

Her background in organics, direct action and interest in herbs offer another unique skill set to our steering committee.

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WILLOW ASTER
Early Childhood Development Professional
Local Activist

Willow holds a teaching degree and currently uses her teaching experience to run an alternative-minded daycare from her home. Her clients include environmental educators, activists and artists.

Willow is leading a BAP committee formed to find ways to strengthen our activists’ community support for one another. The committee came together after the tragic suicide of one of our own; Friends of Grassy Narrows founder, Dave Brophy, last summer.

Willow will be there to listen and compile ideas from participants and to offer her invaluable experience in distressing techniques through yoga and mediation.

Willow employs these natural techniques with children in her daycare.

Back by popular demand - yoga sessions for children and adults with Willow.

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SHIRLEY THOMPSON
Assistant Professor, Natural Resources Institute
University of Manitoba

Education

B.Sc.(Hons.) University of Waterloo, Canada, 1988
M.Eng. Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada, 1993
Ph.D. Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling Psychology, OISE/University of Toronto, Canada, 2002

Research Interests

Environmental Service Delivery: Adequate infrastructure is necessary for ecosystem health, resource conservation and to reduce climate change. Built environment (infrastructure and management of resources including food and waste) is studied at the nexus of food security, environment, health and community development in Aboriginal communities. Many Aboriginal communities (First Nation reserves and communities with large Aboriginal or Métis populations) lack adequate infrastructure and food production and distribution facilities (e.g., greenhouses, gardens, livestock or hunting arrangements to ensure local food security) in the northern prairies (Auditor General of Canada 2003; INAC 1997; Frideres and Gadacz 2005; Gelinas 2005; Miko and Thompson 2003; Thompson 2004). Interdisciplinary methods applied have so far included: a survey administered through the Northern Association of Community Councils, case studies of four successful programs, interviews with key informants, and three workshops with focus groups.

Food security and the social economy: Food is part of the social economy (Thompson, 2007, Carmichael, I., J. Quarter, and S. Thompson; Isla and Thompson, 2003; Isla, A., S. Molloy, A. Miles, S. Thompson and D. Goldin Rosenberg, 1996). My food-related research projects presently includes looking at the social economy of food (e.g., farmer's markets, community gardens, community shared agriculture, etc) and two students studying country food and food security in northern, Aboriginal communities in Manitoba, as part of a northern SSHRC funded project. These are participatory research projects where action plans for food security are being developed with communities considering implementing community gardens, land use, food co-operatives and the present access to food through Northern stores and hunting/gathering. We are working with the Northern Association of Community Councils to document the change fostered by their work on the Northern Healthy Food Initiatives. I also developed and teach each year a graduate course that focuses on food security as an ecosystem health and environmental justice issue.

Waste management: Dr. Thompson and Scott Nicol recently won the best new paper on a Montreal Protocol Related Topic in the Policy Category for the paper called "Policy Options to Reduce Consumer Waste to Zero: Comparing Product Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility for Refrigerator Waste". Dr. Thompson has recently successfully completed a two year research project with Environment Canada that involved three graduate students, a national survey and finalizing the Canadian loadings methodology to comply with the International Protocol for Climate Change. Environment Canada adopted our improved methodology (Thompson et al, 2008; Thompson et al, 2007). Environment Canada credits our work in their 2007 report. Furthermore, Dr. Thompson has managed several research projects including a$48,000 project with the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro (Tanapat and Thompson 2004; Thompson and Tanapat 2005) on landfill gas.

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