'Complete drainage' of lake cuts off Cree hunting territory near Waswanipi, Que.

The Cree First Nation of Waswanipi in Quebec is advising land users to exercise caution and avoid the area around Lake Rouge after the lake drained with no apparent warning and caused some landslides in the area. 

Last week, William Dixon, a Cree tallyman from Waswanipi, received a notification from a friend that the roads leading to one of his campsites had collapsed. William's great-nephew Manoel Dixon then investigated and found the lake drained and the land around their trapline had collapsed. 

That's cut off access to several hunting campsites.

"It looked like it was just a washout at first. But once we got there, we noticed that it was big," said Manoel. "That's when we knew it was like a landslide — it was huge. The lake was completely gone. 

"This trapline is where we've hunted for many years, my grandparents and their grandparents. It's our land."  

Dixon says that his father, great uncle, and grandmother are devastated. 

"It's a big impact for a lot of families. It's something really concerning, especially for us, the next generation that's going to be hunting, fishing in these lands," said Dixon. 

Irene Neeposh, the chief of Waswanipi, called for an emergency meeting with the Cree Nation Government to seek support for further investigation into the cause and possible impacts on wildlife.

"It's so unprecedented. We've never seen anything like this. My mom is 86 years old and lived off the land, and she says she has never seen anything like this, ever," said Neeposh. 

In a public notice issued this week, the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi says it's not clear what caused the sudden and "complete drainage" of Lake Rouge, but it "may be related to post-fire land conditions, snowmelt, or recent rainfall." It says the lake has drained toward nearby Doda Lake. 

Neeposh says that a small plane is being sent out to survey the situation. 

"It looks like a natural disaster. The lake is completely drained," she said. 

"It didn't even use a river course. It punctured through a row of little lakes and ponds. It didn't use its natural course, it created a different course to drain itself," said Neeposh.

Neeposh and Manoel Dixon are worried about where the water will go since Doda Lake connects to several lakes, including Lake Waswanipi.

"All of our traditional camps that might be downstream from these locations, it's something that really worries me. Especially our historic sites as well," said Neeposh.

Neeposh says she's still waiting for a response from the Quebec government about the situation. She hopes to combine traditional knowledge and science to understand what happened and determine if there's any ongoing risks in the surrounding area.

"Any people who use the land, just to be mindful that such things are happening now, whether it's in response to the forest fires or industry exploitation — just to be mindful when it's thaw season," said Neeposh.

"Just advance with caution, make sure you let people know where you're going and try not to go alone if possible."

The First Nation's public notice advises extreme caution "when travelling near lakes surrounded by forests affected by recent wildfires of major forestry operations." 

'The water doesn't know where to go'

Manoel Dixon believes that forest fires and deforestation might be the cause of what's happened. He described how a significant forest fire in the area two years ago destroyed many trees, and logging companies the following year removed the burned trees and constructed new roads in the affected area. 

"I'm thinking that there's too much water, and the trees also drink the water. When there are no trees, the water doesn't know where to go," he said.

"When you don't have roots to the ground, the soil gets soft. When they cut down the trees, that had a big impact on where the water could go."

Manoel was relieved that no one was around when the ground shifted and the lake drained.

"Everybody was safe. I'm glad that everybody's okay," said Dixon

"I cannot say it's a bad thing. I cannot say it's a good thing right now. But the land is going to take time to heal."

Neeposh believes that taking action now is a way to fulfil their responsibility as stewards of the land, but is still waiting for a response from the provincial government. As a chief, she emphasizes that the Cree Nation Government fully supports Waswanipi's efforts.

"We'll definitely have to come up with a plan to mitigate the situation to see if there's any hope of restoring," said Neeposh. 

Winschgaoug (Cree)18:30Tallyman William Dixon is concerned about the recent landslide on his trapline this spring

There was a landslide at Lac Rouge on the Westside of trapline W-26, in the Waswanipi area. The debris from the land slide drained into a lake where there was plenty of sturgeon and fish. The trapline belongs to William Dixon. Willam and his family are devasted by the impacts of the landslide. His family was hoping to harvest some sturgeon to smoke this Spring. He says he's concerned about the lake where his family fished. We spoke with William.