Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority

In 1996 the Pikangikum Elders made the decision to pursue the Whitefeather Forest Initiative. After two years of working through the Economic Development office at the First Nation, it was decided to establish a separate corporation to undertake the Initiative planning work. In 1998, Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation was established to support the sustained focus that would be required to acquire a Sustainable Forest License.  As the late Chief Louis Quill noted at the time:  ‘Band Councils come and go.  Our Elders are our decision-makers.  They will guide the planning of the Whitefeather Forest Initiative.’  This separation of day-to-day politics from planning related to the Initiative and the intense guiding role played by Pikangikum Elders was critical to sustaining momentum during the seventeen years that was required to acquire the Sustainable Forest License for the Whitefeather Forest.

The forestry planning mandate of Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation was fulfilled in May 2013 with the issuance of a Sustainable Forest License (SFL) for the Whitefeather Forest.  The SFL was issued to a new corporation, the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority.

During the period of the development of the inaugural Forest Management Plan for the Whitefeather Forest, a process to restructure the Initiative for enterprise and ongoing resource management planning (to implement the Keeping the Land approach) was carried out.  A Limited Partnership corporate structure has been established for enterprise.  The Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority was established as a non-profit corporation to hold the Sustainable Forest License on behalf of the people of Pikangikum and to enter into future resource stewardship partnerships with the Government of Ontario and other potential partners. Pikangikum Elders are maintaining their core governance role in this new arrangement.

Pursuant to its Articles of Incorporation, the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority is already active in fulfilling planning responsibilities in a number of areas including:

• Forest Management Planning (including GIS)
• Dedicated Protected Areas Management Planning
• Leading Research and Development projects to achieve the best-end and highest-value uses of resources including forest products Value Chain Optimization Research and Development projects
• Strategic Access planning to support resource-based enterprise in the Whitefeather Forest
• Dialogue with outside parties
• Management of technical services related to planning

Although the Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority is primarily focused on tasks related to the Whitefeather Forest Initiative, it can provide services to others in the following areas:

• Sharing skills, knowledge and expertise related to Community-Based Land Use Planning
• Translation and transcription related to resource issues
• Co-ordination and support for research activities related to the Whitefeather Forest Initiative

Contact Information

• Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority
  Alex Peters, President
• Head Office
  Pikangikum First Nation
  Pikangikum, Ontario P0V 2L0
  Tel:  (807) 773-9954
• Red Lake Sub-Office
  P.O. Box 422
  138 Howey Street
  Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0
  Tel:  (807) 727-3320
  Fax: (807) 727-1142

• Enterprise Vision
• Customary Land Uses
• Commercial Forestry
• Non-Timber Forest Products
• Tourism
• Minerals
• Whitefeather Forest Community Resource Management Authority
• UNESCO World Heritage Site Project