Year: 2001
Abstract:
The purpose of this report was to establish a baseline of current resource use in the region in order to deal with the increasing development and associated strains on resources. Resources forming part of the study include environmentally important areas, aggregate resources, agriculture, forestry, berry harvesting, hunting, trapping, fishing, cultural and spiritual locations, recreation, and military resource use. It is important to note that this study did not set out to represent traditional land use; however, because of the resources examined, there is some overlap. Eight per cent of respondents to the telephone questionnaire were of First Nations ancestry. A large number of Registered Fur Management Area Licence holders were also interviewed, some of whom were Aboriginal. The objectives of this baseline report were to identify natural resources present in the area and their level of use; outline resource management practices by examining existing government policies; and identify resources that may be affected by further development. The report authors present existing government policies, frameworks, organizations, and initiatives designed to deal with changes to resource use brought on by development, and then move on to discuss the results of the telephone questionnaire, which consisted of three different iterations. A total of 1873 households were contacted, and of this number 452 surveys were successfully conducted—the majority in Fort McMurray. The main text summarizes the results of the survey, while detailed results are provided in the extensive appendices. This report does not provide traditional land use per se, but provides a good deal of information on non-Aboriginal land use that provides a useful base for further comparative studies.
