While ice travel has long been a vital form of winter transportation in Eeyou Istchee, climate change is creating dangerous and unpredictable conditions.
Ice safety was one of the biggest topics of discussion at the first regional climate change forum in 2018 and it remains a concern constantly raised in community consultations for adaptation planning. Recent years have seen greater efforts to test ice thickness, provide markings for safe trails and regularly communicate the latest conditions.
“They say with global warming, the Arctic is getting warmer faster than the south,” said Ronnie Snowboy, ice monitor for the Cree Nation of Chisasibi. “I can feel it already. Once I went to my camp way up north, the more we went north there was less ice thickness.”
Working in this field for about the last five years, Snowboy uses little more than a simple drill, measuring stick and traditional knowledge. Besides checking the trails three times a week on his snowmobile, he’s assisted by land users sharing updates and Elders discussing ice conditions on the bush radio.
The general advice for community members is to wait for land users to visit their camps in December and then stick to those tried-and-true trails. As shorter and warmer winters are becoming the new normal, Snowboy said they aren’t getting as many -30°C days and the ice is often noticeably softer.
“We’re using the same old trails we’ve used since the dogs were running,” said Snowboy. “A long time ago we used to travel on the ice in June. Now it’s three weeks earlier. Two years ago, it rained in March and we couldn’t travel on the winter trail.”
Snowboy had just returned from his camp on January 12, opening the bush trail but not yet grooming or marking it. There are three primary trails used by people whose hunting ground is on the north side of Chisasibi – the newly opened bush trail, another used in the fall and early winter, and a third called “the spring trail” that’s on the saltwater ice.
In addition to climate change, hydroelectric development is a major factor in water and ice conditions, resulting in more freshwater flowing into James Bay from La Grande River which then moves northward. Freshwater freezes faster than saltwater and melts earlier, so is less reliable than the saltwater black ice.
“When there’s high tides there’s usually some water on top of the ice, especially near the shores, so the ice cracks at high and low tide,” Snowboy explained. “During the holidays when it was really blowing, all the snow was blown into the bushes. The tide was really high so it’s almost only ice there, very slippery.”
Snowboy reported rough winds where the winter trail approaches the treeline and not much snow on the tundra. As snow is insulating, its presence suggests thinner ice. Snowboy recalled travels with his father seeking areas with deeper snow because there would be less ice to chop.
Brownish snow is a clear sign of dangerous ice, as highlighted by Waswanipi’s public safety department. The community’s river ice was announced safe for travel on January 12, with residents also advised to travel near the safety markers and inform family members about their travel plans.
Underwater currents are another factor in regions such as Wemindji’s offshore islands. George Natawapineskum has taken up the role long held in the community by his late father Billy, sharing announcements about ice conditions and warning youth about what to watch out for.
“Between the islands, there are currents that hardly freeze so we tell people to avoid them,” said Natawapineskum, local Cree Trappers’ Association and public safety officer. “Back when I started hunting with my dad, there was more black ice. Since there’s more freshwater from the river up north, there’s less black ice.”
While ice on the north side of Wemindji’s islands previously remained until June, now it’s usually good until April. The spring melt is more significant, with “a whole body of water from the Chisasibi side” coming down the coast.
Natawapineskum works with the CTA’s Stephanie Varty to study ice changes through satellite aerial views. They recently published a digital GIS map showing skidoo trails, campsites and thin- ice areas, a project completed over two years with the help of tallymen and land users.
“I get the land users to let me know and sometimes we use satellite images to look at where it’s open water,” said Natawapineskum. “Then I post it on our local websites. When it’s sunny and clear we update it. The CTA is still working on an ice safety video.”
The Cree Nation’s environment department produces ice-safety videos and collaborates on related studies to better understand how to adapt to changing realities. On October 30, they accompanied researchers from McGill University to install an ice-safety buoy in Lake Mistassini.
Ice monitoring has also been one of the variables tested for the offshore eelgrass research conducted by the Eeyou Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project, in collaboration with University of Manitoba researchers.
With the 2022 report “Climate Change in Eeyou Istchee” suggesting an average warming increase of 3.5 to 6.5°C by 2050, particularly in the winter months, Cree people are already preparing alternatives to the ice trails that have long been a seasonal necessity.
“Some of the guys going up north hunting were thinking of making a trail for the four-wheelers where we would drive on the land only,” said Snowboy. “We could use it in the springtime too, so we won’t have to go on the ice. I think soon we won’t be able to go on the ice, maybe in 10 years.”