Supporting a Seasonal Round Knowledge Hub

The seasonal round is a year-round system of harvesting and stewardship practiced by West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations across their ancestral territories. It relies on the predictable movement and availability of plants and animals, including moose and caribou, at specific times and places. Today, the seasonal round is adapting to the challenges posed by climate change, industrial legacy impacts, and shifts in wildlife dynamics.

This Knowledge Hub builds on the success of the Indigenous-led recovery of the Klinse-Za caribou herd, a globally recognized model of conservation. As caribou management transitions from emergency measures (like wolf reduction and maternal penning) to long-term habitat restoration, community leadership remains central. However, these efforts may bring trade-offs for other culturally important species like moose. Understanding how moose, caribou, and predators coexist in a changing landscape is critical.

To monitor this transformation, the project is deploying a large network of remote cameras across Klinse-Za habitat. This will allow researchers and community Guardians to track changes in species distribution and abundance over time, providing key data to guide decisions about where and how to support different species across the landscape. Indigenous knowledge and community values shape the interpretation and application of this research, ensuring it reflects the Nations’ visions for the land.

Importantly, this work supports the restoration of relationships between people, land, and wildlife, while protecting the flexibility and resilience of the seasonal round. As climate and ecosystems continue to shift, so too will the harvesting practices that have sustained these Nations for generations. Through this collaborative, knowledge-braided approach, communities will maintain influence over local ecological futures—safeguarding not only biodiversity, but also cultural continuity and Indigenous self-determination.