Wildfires Have Threatened the Existence of This Tiny Northern Town. Here's How It's Fighting Back | The Walrus

"J ulian Canadien, a Dene man from Kakisa, Northwest Territories, is swarmed by black flies while he pulls weeds from the soil beneath his feet. The bugs don't bother him much. He's the only paid employee at the community garden, where his job is to prune and clear the rows of vegetables, water the produce, and churn the compost. And he likes his job."

"In the fall and winter, he heads out on the land for furs and food. He is a skilled trapper and hunter-pursuits that have sustained the Dene people in this region for centuries. The cultivation of plants, too, has been practised by Indigenous people in Northern Canada for generations. Foraging for berries and plant-based medicine, like rat root and spruce gum, is commonplace and has been part of the food system for as long as anyone can remember."

"But more recently, drought and wildfires have restricted access to traditional foods. In Kakisa, the water is so low that boats can't make it from the mouth of the river to the lake for fish or beaver. Moose are difficult to find because they're searching for a water source. Berries and medicines have been burned or clear-cut to make firebreaks."

Julian Canadien works as the only paid employee at Kakisa's community garden, tending vegetables and managing compost. He also hunts and traps seasonally, continuing Dene food traditions that include foraging for berries and medicinal plants. Recent drought and wildfires have reduced access to traditional foods: water levels prevent boats reaching lakes, moose move seeking water, and berries and medicines have burned or been clear-cut for firebreaks. Kakisa has about forty residents within one square kilometre and depends on Fort Providence or Hay River—about an hour away—for groceries, fuel, health care and emergency services, increasing wildfire vulnerability.

Read at The Walrus