Sapujiyiit Society Guardians
We use the SIKU app (developed by Arctic Eider Society) to monitor ice conditions that include roughness, smoothness, thickness, water or snow on ice, safety for travel, floe edge conditions and change, melt, and presence of cracks.
Marine mammals and fish which are important traditional food sources are also monitored throughout the year.
Much of the data collected by the Guardians is being used to create baseline environmental and ecological data to be owned and used by the communities for evidence of climate change and shipping impacts. We have a mandate to collect baseline information and Inuit Traditional Knowledge for incorporation into the bounds and parameters surrounding the proposed Southampton Island Area of Interest Marine Protected Area in Hudson Bay. Data sharing agreements with our research team ensure that location and personal data is kept anonymous when requested.
Foxe Basin Kivalliq North Sapujiyiit Society is an Inuit led, grassroots organization that services to facilitate community-led marine monitoring, plus collaboration with government and academic stakeholders to advocate for community-based solutions for climate change, mental health and poverty reduction. We are funde d by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Crown-Indigenous Northern Affairs, and the National Research Council to facilitate community-led marine monitoring, plus collaboration with government and academic stakeholders to advocate for community-based solutions for marine conservation.
Our Sapujiyiit Guardians program also provides land and water based search and rescue, towing, escorting, garbage collection, marine monitoring and are available for hire as field data collectors. We serve the communities of Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour and Naujaat, Nunavut, and have 4 Guardians per community employed full time, plus one Community Guardians Manager per community (12 Guardians total, 3 Managers).
Our program is uniquely suited to address issues that require collaboration between Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit Traditional Knowledge), and western science. Through our programs, our communities are kept safer and are able to save important resources, and our southern collaborators are able to facilitate more efficient and respectful collaboration.
Main program contact
Chelsi McNeill-Jewer
Email
[email protected]
Website
https://sapujiyiit.org/
Social media link(s)
Instagram @sapujiyiit_guardians
754 Southmore Drive,
Ottawa Ontario ON k1v 7a1
Canada