Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Environmental pollutants and disturbances can have a variety of adverse effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through acidification, alteration of nutrient availability, and eutrophication. In recent years, Indigenous communities in rural and northern Alberta have observed changes to plants of cultural importance, and overall forest ecosystems; these changes appear be affecting traditional hunting and gathering activities. Within the Peavine community, there are concerns that these changes may be attributable to numerous developments that have occurred on their lands in the last 50 years including a dam, local recreational area, and oil and gas developments. However, it is unclear if these developments are causing these changes or if there are other drivers. To address these concerns, NAIT has combined its expertise with traditional knowledge from the Peavine Métis Settlement. Directed by our Indigenous community partner, this applied research initiative will assess how land disturbances resulting from industrial processes affect both the distribution and vigor of plant species as well as the potential for these species to accumulate potential contaminants of concern. In this initiative, soils and vegetation will be analyzed across a range of potential site types (industrial sites, recent wildfires, and sites with no recent history disturbances) with past and current potential to support a variety of traditional native plants. Questions that we aim to address include: - How do land disturbances resulting from industrial processes affect both the distribution and vigor of plant species? - How does soil chemistry affect the growth of specific traditionally significant plant species? - Do specific traditionally significant plant species uptake contaminates such as heavy metals, pesticides, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the soil and, if so, in which plant tissues are they stored? Data collected through this initiative will help determine how traditional native plant species are differentially affected by a variety of environmental and industrial processes in various ecosites. Results will also assist in building internal capacity at Peavine Métis Settlement for an Indigenous community-based environmental monitoring program (ICBM). This will help form a basis for ICBM knowledge transfer and capacity-building within other Indigenous communities, providing a strong foundation for ICBM program sustainability in Canada.