Young researchers from the Chisasibi Eeyou Resource and Research Institute (CERRI), joined by hundreds of knowledge holders across Canada, delivered impressive presentations to the Indigenous Health Research Summit in Kahnawake September 10-12.
With marine biologist Dante Torio, CERRI researchers Preston Sam, Collin Snowboy and Nicholas Chakapash presented three interconnected projects that respond to environmental challenges in Eeyou Istchee. Aiming to train young people from all 40 of Chisasibi’s traplines, the organization is hiring two youths each year.
Attending conferences “really boosts their self-confidence,” said Torio. “We had very positive feedback – some participants were saying [Snowboy] should start a podcast because his voice is so clear.”
CERRI is gaining recognition for its youth-driven vision. Among its 10 permanent staff, seven are local youths, while another two are assigned by the community’s band office to short-term contracts while employing three local students over the summer.
CERRI was formed from president George Lameboy’s decades-long quest to determine why eelgrass was declining on his trapline. Torio began postdoctoral research on Chisasibi’s coastline in 2016, assisting Dr. Fred Short from the University of New Hampshire, and then was hired by the organization in 2019.
Torio shared how traditional knowledge guides analysis of eelgrass beds, which are critical habitats for migrating geese, fish and other species. Through this “two-eyed seeing” paradigm, western scientific methods are bolstered by cultural knowledge that dates back generations.
“Elders can point you to a particular spot they know has changed a lot and then other areas that haven’t,” Torio explained. “The most likely cause of decline is starvation of nutrients and sediments. The organic silt that they need to grow is trapped behind the dam.”
Massive hydroelectric projects established upriver from Chisasibi since 1975 significantly altered the water flowing into James Bay. While Wemindji hasn’t experienced a severe decline, Waskaganish and Eastmain have similar absences of eelgrass and related sediments due to major diversions on their rivers.
“Eastmain is pure sand because of the reduced water flow and no more organic silt coming from the river,” said Torio. “We’re looking at different ideas for restoration. If there’s a way to stop sand from accumulating in those areas, eelgrass would most likely grow back. It just needs some assistance.”
CERRI’s coastal research has led to archaeological projects, fish population monitoring, climate-change analysis and community farming. Agriculture research assistants Sam and Snowboy delivered a presentation about creating a geodesic dome greenhouse in 2023.
“Fresh food is medicine and growing it ourselves is a way of reclaiming our wellbeing,” asserted Sam. “We’re expanding our agriculture projects, building new greenhouses, experimenting with cold-climate growing and exploring container farming to produce food year-round.”
A second greenhouse focused on food production was built this year and a hydroponics-based container farm will arrive this autumn. Sam said the dome is “where most of the magic happens” – a hub of experimentation, research and community outreach. Chisasibi’s new high school even has a rooftop greenhouse.
“We had day camp students during the summer,” said Sam. “We have an outdoor grow-bed where we’re testing potatoes and corn. We also have our raspberry plant.”
CERRI hosts workshops on soil preparation and germination methods. Tomatoes planted during one seeding activity for kids during April’s Earth Week are already taller than Snowboy, who is testing potential cold-climate crops like sunchokes.
“In the mornings, I like to see what’s flowering,” Snowboy said. “It’s the best time to pollinate them, because it’s a greenhouse so there are no bees. One of my wishes is to do plant breeding, continuing to grow crops here outside so they can get used to the climate.”
While the dome’s main pipe burst last winter, garlic planted outside survived. Despite mid-June frosts, Torio has grown onions, potatoes, cabbage and peas in his backyard garden. Although experiments growing rice in local waters have yet to succeed, pumpkins showed promise after the bay’s gusting winds were blocked.
“I’ve been asking Elders what they like to eat,” said Snowboy. “Some said rutabaga so I planted some – people can just come and pick some. We donated lettuce to a food pantry here in Chisasibi.”
Although he just started with CERRI in January, Snowboy said he’s always been interested in farming and had been studying native plants even before working there. Some young scientists studied in a McGill STEM program and professional development courses at Chisasibi’s new college.
There are also training sessions on equipment like ground-penetrating radar and drones, which were used for a recent survey of a former residential school on Fort George Island – also an opportunity to harvest rhubarb. However, CERRI still lacks facilities to conduct robust laboratory testing, such as for contaminants in wildlife harvests.
At the summit, Chakapash compared mercury concentrations in popular traditional foods. While brook trout, sculpin and whitefish were generally safe, lake trout often exceeded safety limits. Waterfowl breast meat was very low in mercury, but livers were to be avoided. He recommended avoiding merganser altogether.
Chakapash also accompanied Torio to a conference hosted by the Canadian Space Agency, discussing remote sensing of threats like algae blooms, shoreline erosion or forest fires. Torio believes this satellite imagery can help youth monitor the region’s vastness.
The summit was a milestone moment for CERRI and the youth shaping its future, a powerful reminder that local research matters.
“I want to keep building bridges between Eeyou knowledge and modern agriculture,” said Sam. “My dream is for future generations to see agriculture as something not imported from the south but as something we’ve always had the power to do here at home.”