Forum Peak, Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada / Wikipedia

Parks Canada and the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council are joining forces in a project to preserve land in Southern Alberta. Called the Blackfoot Guardianship of the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies, the work will be Siksikaitsitapi-led, with help from Park Canada staff from Waterton Lakes National Park.  

This project is the first in Southern Alberta, and will have Blackfoot Guardians working on the ground to monitor their sacred land. The area they'll be working ranges from Waterton Lakes National Park in the south to the Livingstone Range area in the north.

Particularly, Blackfoot Guardians will be handling biocultural monitoring of trails and roadsides. They'll also be monitoring air and water quality as well as be a presence on the landscape, sharing stories and culture with visitors.

 “As stewards of these ancestral lands, the Blackfoot Confederacy takes great pride in this opportunity to ensure the continued health and vitality of our environment," said Jack Royal, Chief Executive Officer Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council, in a release. "This project is not only a commitment to preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the Blackfoot territory but also a testament to the strength and resilience of the Blackfoot people. We look forward to a future where our lands thrive, protected by the watchful eyes of our guardians, for generations to come.” 

“Blackfoot Peoples have been stewards of the lands and waters in this region since time immemorial," said Ron Hallman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada Agency. "The Blackfoot Confederacy Eastern Slopes Guardian program will offer solutions on climate change and biodiversity loss while safeguarding the natural spaces we all depend on. Parks Canada is pleased to support this initiative both in and around Waterton Lakes National Park.” 

The Indigenous Guradianship program started in 2017. Guardians initiatives are fundamentally about conservation, and they back Indigenous communities as they take the lead in protecting ecosystems, building sustainable economies, and staying deeply connected to their lands—funding for these initiatives can be seen as an investment in Indigenous rights.

This map shows areas where Indigenous Guardians are working throughout Canada now, and where they plan to be in the next 5 years.