July 2022

Local foragers hope to restore New Brunswick’s harmed forests, starting with mycorrhiza

“Over time, the region’s forests have been repeatedly clearcut, decimating New Brunswick’s Acadian forest and affecting biodiversity and freshwater ecosystems. According to a study published by researchers at Oregon State University, since 1985, over three million hectares of forests have been clearcut in Eastern Canada, resulting in vast reductions in tree species diversity and the loss of between 33 and 104 million birds.”

Read about one forest regeneration effort in New Brunswick, HERE. The author is Harrison Dressler, a researcher and writer working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

Elder leads medicine walk for young minds

Kirsten Leclaire-Mazerolle, from Natoaganeg First Nation, is a researcher and writer working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN. Today she published “Elder leads medicine walk for young minds,” in the NB Media Co-op, about students learning about Mi’gmaq culture, traditional healing plants on cultural teaching hike.

Read Kirsten’s article HERE.

NB’s English-language newspapers regularly favour industry, pro-nuclear perspectives on small modular reactors

Followers of the RAVEN project are aware of our many concerns related to SMRs – so called small modular nuclear reactors. Part of the larger problem with their introduction in this province is the lack of reliable coverage in the media about SMRs. A new article analyzing this coverage is HERE.

The analysis and article were prepared by Harrison Dressler, a researcher and writer working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

Commentary: New Brunswick’s unchecked timber industries have left our forests in ruin and our people without land

Harrison Dressler’s latest article in the NB Media Co-op tells the story of Babalu Eye Anu Shabazz and his father and their struggle to foster ecological diversity in rural New Brunswick. Here’s a quote:

“Before 2001, you could mill all your own wood and build your own house,” Baba Shabazz explained. “Now, all of a sudden, in New Brunswick, people can’t afford to stay on their own land – which is a continuation of the legacy of Canada. You see this theme being repeated. People try to steward their own land. They’re used to create resources, and later they’re pushed off so that someone else can eat off of that.”

Read the full story HERE. Harrison is a researcher and writer working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

Fate of internationally educated nurses in post-pandemic New Brunswick uncertain

“Nurses were the arrowheads in the fight against COVID-19 in New Brunswick. They were (and are) the province’s first and most important line of defense. They were (and are) victims of the virus. The virus has taken a toll. By April 2022, nearly 700 nurses, many needing medical care, had been out of work at some point because of being infected with COVID-19.”

Read the full article HERE, in the NB Media Co-op, written by Faith Timipere Allison. Faith is a doctoral student at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

New Brunswick’s media coverage of small modular nuclear reactors silences Indigenous perspectives

In stories about SMRs, corporate media–reporters, journalists, and editors in New Brunswick’s mainstream English-language press–have almost totally ignored Indigenous perspectives.

Read the full article HERE in the NB Media Co-op.

Harrison Dressler is a researcher and writer working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

Bird habitats are being destroyed. It’s time for a change

“At its best, the Acadian forest, with its mix of softwood and hardwoods, makes a home for diverse plant and wildlife communities, including lynx, moose, deer, flying squirrels, and many, many species of birds, even though only a tiny fraction of the original Acadian forest remains. As our forests have been degraded, so have the habitats for the birds that find a home there.”

Read the full article HERE by Christine Jean, working out of the Human Environments Workshop (HEW) funded by RAVEN.

Time to rethink the common burdock, a ‘nuisance’ plant that’s actually a viable food option

As food prices rise, we may need to assess the way we look at our food. This includes looking into alternative, viable food options. Burdock, normally seen as a nuisance by the common gardener or landscaper, is a surprisingly versatile plant. It’s astonishing to most that it is a completely edible plant.

By understanding the growing cycle of the plant and what parts are most choice and when, burdock can easily find its way on to your dinner table.

Read the article HERE by Dallas Tomah in the NB Media Co-op. Dallas is currently working out of the Human Environments Workshop funded by RAVEN.