Mishkeegogamang First Nation

Natural Resources

Overview

Located in the heart of the boreal forest of Northwestern Ontario, Mishkeegogamang is surrounded by an abundance of natural resources:

 

 

  • Fish: whitefish, sturgeon, trout, pike, pickerel and perch. A few community members fish commercially, selling through the Freshwater Fish Marketing Board.
  • Animals: moose, black bear, woodland caribou, wolverine, beaver, marten, mink, fisher, otter, lynx, muskrat, and fox. Deer has not been common, but there are signs they may be coming back to the area.
  • Birds: Over 300 species of birds live in this area, including eagles, owls, hawks, pelicans, snow geese, swans, great blue herons, bitterns and snowbirds. Canada geese, mallard ducks, and loons are common in the lakes, and in the bush you could find spruce grouse, ruffed grouse and sharp-tailed grouse.
  • Minerals: There is active mining in the area for gold, diamonds. The Placer Dome Musselwhite mine site is located off #808 North 140 kilometers north of Pickle Lake.
  • Lumber: The logging industry is active in the area. In ongoing negotiations with logging companies, Mishkeegogamang seeks to protect the forests of its traditional homelands.
  • Blueberries: July and August are the months for plentiful blueberry picking.
  • Wild rice has been grown in the past, but is not grown now partly because of fluctuating water levels.
  • Trapping: Around 100 band members get trapping licenses each year. Beaver, mink, otter, lynx and muskrat are trapped, and the furs sent to auction houses such as the Fur Harvester's Auction of North Bay, Ontario, which sells furs all around the world. Mishkeegogamang First Nation has 39 trap lines radiating outward from the Reserves in all directions, east down the Albany, west to the west end of Lake St. Joseph where it meets the Root River, north of the Otoskwin River to Williams Lake and south to Savant Lake.