Shawanaga Species-At-Risk

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Shawanaga Species-At-Risk Keep up to date on all things species at risk (SAR) at SFN by following along with Shawanaga First Nation Species-At-Risk Team!

shawanagaspeciesatrisk.ca
https://linktr.ee/sfnsar

Chii-Miigwetch to all who came out recently to gather Minoomin or "wild rice" in the Naiscout River at the end of the Ma...
09/15/2026

Chii-Miigwetch to all who came out recently to gather Minoomin or "wild rice" in the Naiscout River at the end of the Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon). This traditional practice includes knocking the rice into both the canoe and the riverbed, helping it continue to come back healthy in the future. We began with ceremony and finished with tired arms but full hearts. It was a very special day; some folks were even paddling down for the first time since they were kids. The Healing Centre & Lands staff will be looking to canoe again every year with community to make sure everyone can have this experience and connect with the land.

Join Shawanaga’s Healing Centre & Lands Department for a paddle to help harvest, conserve, & restore Minoomin this Thurs...
08/31/2026

Join Shawanaga’s Healing Centre & Lands Department for a paddle to help harvest, conserve, & restore Minoomin this Thursday, Sept 3 at 10. DM or email for details. *roughly 2 hour paddle each way.

Aanii!Today's Awesiinh Thursday, and we are talking about the northern watersnake known as Nibi Ginebig in Ojibwe. while...
08/06/2026

Aanii!
Today's Awesiinh Thursday, and we are talking about the northern watersnake known as Nibi Ginebig in Ojibwe.

while they are common around our shorelines, they face great dangers from human harassment, habitat loss and boat traffic. because they are large, dark and excellent swimmers, they are frequently misidentified as venomous snakes and harmed out of fear.
they stay close to shorelines to find food, bask in the sun, and hide among rocks, logs, or shorelines debris when they need to rest!

Safety reminders!
please give our swimming neighbours their space! if you see one while boating or swimming, admire them from a distance so they can sunbathe and hunt in peace.
that's all for today!🐍

Aanii!Todays, Awesiinh thursday🐢 , and we are talking about the porcupine known as gaag in Ojibwe.while they are common,...
07/30/2026

Aanii!
Todays, Awesiinh thursday🐢 , and we are talking about the porcupine known as gaag in Ojibwe.

while they are common, they face a big danger to vehicle collisions. because they move slowly and love to lick roadside salt, our roads can be very risky for them!
Fun facts:
Did you know? that a single porcupine can carry over 30,000 individual quills on its back, sides, and tail.

did you guys also know? that they are great climbers and spend a lot of time high up in trees eating leaves, twigs, and bark.

Porcupines quills are also used for quill work art and embroidery!

Safety reminder:
please slow down when driving near the woods! make sure to watch out for our slow-moving friends so we can keep them safe.

Gaaway- quills
Gaag-porcupine
awesiinh-wild animal


07/28/2026

Mashikiki Mondays!🫐 🍓
Aanii, apologies for the delay this week.

Right now , our forests and patches are loaded with miinan (blueberries)🫐 ! Other than being a delicious snack, wild blueberries are packed with antioxidants that support heart and immune health.

As you head out to gather, please remember our wildlife neighbours. animals like black bears, local birds, and small mammals rely heavily on these patches to prep for the changing seasons. in keeping with our responsibilities to the land ,remember to harvest respectfully and leave plenty behind for others!
Miin- means blueberry
Miinaan- means(plural) blueberries

What are your favourite Berries this summer? share a picture of your harvest or your favourite trail in the comment below!

Aanii!Awesiinh Thursdays!🐢 Meet the Eastern musk turtle also known as the stinkpot!These guys are super aquatic and bare...
07/23/2026

Aanii!
Awesiinh Thursdays!🐢

Meet the Eastern musk turtle also known as the stinkpot!

These guys are super aquatic and barely ever leave the water. you'll usually find them hanging out in shallow lakes, marshes, or slow moving rivers with soft, muddy bottoms. unlike other turtles that love basking out on open logs, stinkpots prefer staying low and hiding under floating plants.

they got their nickname for a reason - when they feel threatened, they release a strong skunk like musky odor from scent that glands on their shell to scare predators off. They also have incredibly long, flexible necks that can stretch all the way back to their hind feet, making them look a bit like miniature snapping turtles. if you're trying to spot one, look for highly arched, dark brown to black shell and two bright yellow stripes running down the sides of their head and neck.

Anyway, that's all for todays post! let us know if you've ever run into one of these little guys in the comments.

Aanii! for our first Mashkiki Monday, we wanted to share what we learned about cedar that is also known as Giizhik in Oj...
07/20/2026

Aanii! for our first Mashkiki Monday, we wanted to share what we learned about cedar that is also known as Giizhik in Ojibwe, this medicine is a part of the four sacred medicines.
did you know it stays green all winter? it sits in the north direction and is used for healing, purification and you can make tea out of it!

in ceremony's people use it for smudging to clear out negative energy and get a fresh start. you'll also see a lot of families hanging little bunches over their doors to invite good energy into their homes. if your feeling under the weather, you can even steep the branches and leaves in hot water for a vitamin rich tea to help you heal!

if you are out looking for it, you can spot it pretty easily! look for a cone shaped tree with flat, fan-like needles that feel soft to touch. cedar loves water so you will usually find it growing in damp wetlands and shorelines or even along stream banks.

giizhik is just the beginning of our summer series! we are wrapping up todays post, but get ready because Awesiinh Thursday spotlight drops later this week.
lets us know if you can guess what animal it is!🐍 🐢 🦅

Awesiinh Thursday!meet the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake!🐍 for our very first species, we are looking at an important s...
07/16/2026

Awesiinh Thursday!
meet the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake!🐍
for our very first species, we are looking at an important species at risk. the eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, known in Ojibwe as zhiishiigweg! which means "the rattling snake".

Right now, it is peak summer season for these snakes to be active. July is gestating season for them and are spending lots of time basking on warm rocks to heat their embryos, while males are actively travelling for mating season.

Because they are a very at-risk species, it is important that we protect them. they are actually shy, peaceful neighbours!
these snakes prefer to spend their time tucked away in quiet wetlands, and rocky shorelines.when they are out on land, they will use their rattle as a warning sound to let you know exactly where they are!

in fact, just yesterday our SAR team found a rattlesnake right on the road by the band office! so we did a full survey , checked up on it to make sure it was healthy and relocated it to a quiet marsh away from traffic.

Aanii! The Shawanaga species-at-risk team is starting a new weekly educational series on our page, run by our summer stu...
07/16/2026

Aanii! The Shawanaga species-at-risk team is starting a new weekly educational series on our page, run by our summer students. They have been doing some research and wanted to share notes, photos, and some the Ojibwe language that they've learned.

Starting today, we will be posting on Mondays and Thursdays with two themes:

🪴 Mashkiki Mondays: we will be sharing different traditional medicine plants found around Shawanaga, along with their cultural uses and how to say them in Ojibwe.
mashkiki- meaning medicines.

🐢 Awesiinh Thursdays: Thursdays will be all about our local wildlife conservation. turtles and snakes will be our main focus here, but we will also be highlighting our other species and animals like fish, birds, bats, wolfs and more! along with cool facts and safety tips. Awesiinh is an Ojibwe word for (wild) animal.

The Maamwi initiative has helped advance avian research across eastern Georgian Bay through the installation of MOTUS to...
03/24/2026

The Maamwi initiative has helped advance avian research across eastern Georgian Bay through the installation of MOTUS towers. These help to track the movements and migration patterns of small flying animals (like birds and bats) throughout the region. Alongside this work, the Georgian Bay Land Trust has spent the past three years researching two important bird species, the prairie warbler and the eastern whip-poor-will, to better understand local habitats and guide conservation actions.

Learn more about the project by the Georgian Bay Land Trust through newly developed Story Maps (https://arcg.is/1Cji5i2)!

We are grateful to the Canada Nature Fund Community Nominated Priority Places for funding the initiative and making it possible.

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Nobel, ON
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