First Nations

All UN Sites in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

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These two Prairie Provinces have a world heritage site, a tentative WHS, and two biospheres (plus the Int’l Peace Garden). Far from featureless, the boreal forest, First Nations cuisine, huge flocks of birds, polar bears, and even the sight of giant combines harvesting at sunset, indelibly mark my memory. While the transcontinental highway is comfortable, I pushed my electric vehicle to its limit, driving hundreds of miles to remote locations even on unpaved roads, digging out of snow and charging at places few EVs ever use. But it’s worth it.

World Heritage Sites

Pimachiowin Aki WHS is a First Nation area east of Lake Winnipeg encompassing forests, rivers and lakes with exceptional wildlife.

Wanuskewin tentative WHS is a First Nation cultural interpretive center and preserve near Saskatoon.

Biospheres

Redberry Lake is an important migratory bird sanctuary for whooping cranes and many other birds.

Riding Mountain is a wildlife management and environmental cooperation zone centered on the eponymous national park.

Bonus: Churchill is the best place to see wild polar bears.

Wanuskewin

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This tentative world heritage site in Saskatoon Saskatchewan offers a broad view of northern plains indigenous culture. While there are other sites that focus more on specific cultural aspects, like Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump or Writing-On-Stone, this site includes these elements and more all together. The exhibits here cover art, celebrations, ecosystems, language, and oral traditions, from ancient to contemporary, history and current creativity. I saw an original treaty #6 on loan here, one of the land agreements signed by the Canadian Crown and many First Nations in 1876. And the place serves as a community center, holding regular events, private and public, helping the culture continue to thrive. Walking the trails in the peaceful valley along opimihāw Creek, I felt connected to the place, the people who have lived here since pre-history, and their traditional way of life. Looking up at the sharp bluffs where bison were hunted, seeing the clearings, canoe launches, medicine trail, and out over the reintroduced bison paddock, you learn more from the experience than from reading. And the bison stew was delicious too!

Here are my visits to all UN sites in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve

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Georgian Bay is almost as big as Lake Ontario, but it’s still just considered a bay of Lake Huron. The Niagara Escarpment separates the bay in the form of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. Above are the Recollet Falls on the French River at the north end of the biosphere. Most of the famous explorers of Canada passed this way: Brûlé who lived with the Huron as a teen around 1610, Champlain and Mackenzie, among others. Radisson and his brother-in-law may have been the most consequential, as they realized the economic potential of Ojibwa fur trading canoe routes. Unlike the licensed voyageurs, the pair were outlaw traders, known as coureur des bois, ‘runners of the woods’. When the French declined to support their venture, they turned to the English and formed the Hudson Bay Company.

The south end of the biosphere is at the Severn River, where there’s an impressive canal/ boat-railway system for transiting small craft between Lakes Huron and Ontario. Much of the biosphere belongs to the Anishinaabek people, who call it the Mnidoo-gamii, the ‘spirit of the lake’. The lakeshore is well protected, remote and home to a great many species. As ages ago, boat is still the best way to explore this ‘30,000 islands’ area. Still, I managed to spot two black bears just outside the park where I hiked to the falls above. Fortunately I didn’t see any of their rare local rattlesnakes. Northwest of Georgian Bay, on Manitoulin Island, I saw a bald eagle, six sand hill cranes, and a variety of smaller birds. Georgian Bay is a lovely area, and I’m glad it’s protected.

Here are my visits to all UN sites in Ontario.

Southwest Nova

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Much of southern Nova Scotia belongs to this UNESCO Biosphere, and the at the center is Kejimkujik Lake, historic site and national park above. My cousin was instrumental in gaining early recognition for the area’s exceptional starlight and dark skies, making it a great place to stargaze. The visitor center has a couple beautiful birchbark canoes and exhibits on the First Nation people who have lived in the area since time immemorial.

Due to extreme fire conditions, the backcountry was closed during my visit, but a few lakeside trails were open. The lake was low, the air and forest dry, but the day was lovely and quiet. The climate change is even more visible to the north, and there were many fires burning in Newfoundland in September. The national park includes a seaside section on the southeast coast with nesting piping plovers on a (closed) beach from April to September, but the biosphere covers far more land, outside the core park, from Yarmouth to both southwest and southeast Nova Scotia.

Here are my visits to all UN sites in the Maritimes.