Thousands of trees planted for Siksika Nation Shelterbelt Program

The vast prairie landscape on Siksika Nation is made up mostly of grasslands and brush—the view over the horizon occasionally interrupted by tight clusters of trees along coulees where the Bow River winds through the territory.

Located about 100 kilometres east of Calgary, Siksika Nation has been a traditional gathering place for the Niitsitapi, the Blackfoot people, since time immemorial.

Today nearly 5,000 residents call the Nation home.

The bounty offered by this land served as an important source of nourishment for the Niitsitapi before colonization. But industrial activity and extreme weather left large swaths of the territory open to the elements, without the shelter, protection and food sources trees previously provided.

"If you take a drive from Calgary, come this way, you see all these farmers, they all have nice trees around their houses. Then you drive into Siksika...there's no trees,” says Elder Rufus Pretty Young Man, who sits on the Siksika Elder Advisory Group.

Project Forest, an Alberta-based organization partnering with Indigenous communities, conservation groups and the corporate sector on reforestation projects, launched the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Program two years ago.

EPCOR is contributing to this work with financial assistance and volunteer support. Employees also joined Project Forest staff for a community celebration at Blackfoot Crossing on Siksika Nation in late May, assisting with the distribution of thousands of seedlings to families for planting in yards and gardens outside their homes.

“In the Indigenous worldview, we are all connected,” says Candace MacLachlan, Senior Advisor with EPCOR’s Indigenous Relations team, describing how the partnership with Siksika Nation and Project Forest celebrates the longstanding history of this area.

“It's really nice to be able to make a difference in something outside of your work realm, says Kevin Visser, Associate Director with Commercial Operations for EPCOR, reflecting on the feedback he’s received from Siksika members on the program.

Siksika Land Management and Elders provide guidance on the types of trees for the shelterbelts, which include traditional species, like Poplar and Caragana, as well as culturally-significant trees and shrubs such as Mountain Ash and Saskatoon berry shrubs.

Depending on their location, the shelterbelts serve different purposes. Transportation shelterbelts are planted along roads to make them safer and more accessible, particularly during long winters as the trees provide a barrier against heavy snowdrifts.

“They’re going to capture a lot of that snow in the field and it will not get across the roads and that’s going to make transportation throughout the Nation so much safer,” Toffan explains.

Cultural shelterbelts will provide traditional land use and harvesting opportunities.

 “Treaties and the land and the animals and the fish - everything’s connected. And this provides that opportunity for stewardship for the individuals and families planting the seedlings,” says MacLachlan. “Knowing they will plant it on the land to bring back the animals, the vegetation, the environment, it’s such a nice holistic approach to everything.” 

"All the trees that are brought in will be good for Siksika,” adds Elder Pretty Young Man. “With your help, I'm sure we'll have a good, good crop."