Wolf research braids GPS, helicopters with Indigenous knowledge systems

A study on eastern wolves near Georgian Bay is taking a unique approach by braiding western scientific techniques together with Indigenous knowledge systems.

Wiikwemkoong's species at risk co-ordinator Theodore Flamand said he's been hoping to organize a project like this for four years. He's partnered with nearby communities, researcher Jesse Popp, who has roots in Wiikwemkoong, and the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MNDMRNF).

Popp is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous environmental science at the University of Guelph and head of that school's Wildlife, Indigenous Science and Ecology Lab. She said beyond eastern wolf conservation, the partnership will also show that different knowledge systems can work together to deliver stronger, more complete research.

"It's a really incredible opportunity to share that and to work together, and bring our strengths from different sectors," said Popp.

Scholars commonly use the term 'two-eyed seeing' to describe the weaving together of Indigenous and western approaches.

Eastern wolves, also known as timberwolves or Algonquin wolves, are a somewhat elusive species. Popp said there is a long history of eastern wolves interbreeding with other wolf species and coyotes; at present, researchers don't know for certain whether a genetically unique eastern wolf population exists in the area.

The wolves are known to exist in larger numbers near Algonquin Park, but their behaviour near Georgian Bay remains somewhat of a mystery. The eastern wolf is designated as of special concern under Ontario's Endangered Species Act.

Flamand said he has long wanted to know more about eastern wolves' seasonal patterns and how it's been changing over time. Flamand is wolf clan, which gives the research a deeper personal meaning.

"It's not an animal. We consider it as our four-legged brother of the forest, so I think that's one of the main things that we're looking at, to educate the outside world on our beliefs and on the way we see things," Flamand said.

Flamand said he could never have imagined using traditional knowledge with government researchers when he became Wiikwemkoong's species at risk co-ordinator in 2007. He said it shows that Indigenous perspectives can benefit western science, and vice versa.

The study is largely focused on the Point Grondine area, Wiikwemkoong's mainland territory across from the main reserve on Manitoulin Island.

Researchers have been building partnerships with nearby towns and First Nations on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, including Magnetawan, Shawanaga and Killarney. They've been listening to community members' stories of where they've seen wolves at different times of the year, and how their behaviours have evolved through time.

This serves as a baseline for the next phase of the study, which requires a bird's-eye view.

Hovering above the Georgian Bay coastline in a helicopter, a capture team looks carefully at the places where people have reported seeing wolf packs.