Following in the footsteps of the legendary Dr. Henry Lewis - "Imagine the Fire"

Imagine the Fire by Duncan McCue of CBC's The National aired in June 2013 across Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2392591483/ http://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/duncan-mccue.html#.UvBCQVuYaAJ Filmed by Doug Tate of the CBC.

http://http://keepersofthewater.ca/ http://http://keepersofthewater.ca/gatherings/2012 http://keepersofthewater.ca/gatherings/2012/speakers http://keepersofthewater.ca/gatherings/2012/speakers/leverkus

In the press ...

Article by James Waterman in the Pipeline News: http://http://www.pipelinenewsnorth.ca/article/20120807/PIPELINE0118/308079951/-1/pipeline/where-the-buffalo-roam

In the press ...

Interview with CBC North which became broadcasted throughout British Columbia: http://http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/24/bc-bison-fire-endangered.html http://http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaknorth/interviews/2012/08/24/wood-bison-population-benefits-from-northern-bc-forest-fires/ http://http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/Daybreak+North/ID/2272131182/ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/24/northern-bc-fires-good-_n_1828584.html

Everything happens for a reason

Wood bison research team: Ranger Al Hansen, Dr. Helen Schwantje, myself, Wood bison cow and Charlie Dickie. Photo credit: Conrad Thiessen.

Charlie Dickie and Tyler Mattheis with a Wood bison cow

Charles Oliver Dickie. Everything happens for a reason. When I came home from my first semester at Oklahoma State I finally had the great opportunity to meet one of the last members of the Dickie family I had yet the pleausre to meet ... the very famous Charles Oliver Dickie. I had heard stories about this man but had never had the good fortune of crossing paths with him. I had just arrived home and went over for a fire with my good friend Lana and finally met Charlie Dickie. It was May 2010. Soon after, a porcupine exchanged hands (Stephanie Wilkie helped in the delivery of it). Then came an education in cutting meat, scraping and preparing moose hide for smoke tanning and meeting Cheyenne - a most beautiful and wonderful woman who is Charlie's younger sister.

Uncle Charlie with sweet Malea. My first lesson in cutting up moose meat - the traditional way and we had a really memorable time (Fall 2010). Not wanting to be out-competed in toughness, there was an eating competition that was held, however, I had to admit defeat to Charlie.

I was delighted to meet Charlie's sister Cheyenne.

As we worked our way through a couple moose hides with the sandhill cranes flying overhead and many stories exchanged as we scraped and tied and re-tied the hide, a wonderful friendship was formed.

Charlie soon accepted the position as research assistant on our pyric herbivory work. A position he was willing to do free of charge and for the long haul. From the support and kindness that he provided not only in the field but also at home, Charlie was not just my research assistant and my friend and my colleague, but he taught me how to be Dene and he also became my partner.

Working with the Wood bison and GPS collar retrieval/deployment.

Integrity check on the vegetation exclosures on the Liard.

Monitoring bison on the Alaska highway - recording herd size, location, etc, as defined by Conrad Thiessen, Regional Biolgoist, Fish and Wildlife Branch.

Charles is definitely the smartest person I have ever met in my life. We worked our way through range management papers and literature together. With thanks to Don Gayton, we gained exposure to Dr. Henry Lewis's work in Northern Alberta with the Dene and their traditional use of fire. Between Lana Lowe, Lands Director at Fort Nelson First Nation and her team, Charlie and myself, we submitted a proposal to Environment Canada's Aboriginal Fund for Species At Risk. We all thank Chief Dickie and the FNFN Council for their support in our work. Mussi. With our proposal out the door, the Dene Fire Project was born and we all sent good wishes with it for a positive review with successful funding hoping to come our way in Spring 2011.

Charlie provided all the editing and critical reviews of the proposal as well as pushing me with probing questions and great ecological discussions along with sharing knowledge of being Dene and lessons from life on the land. These teachings that Charlie shared with me will always be remembered.

A few weeks after Charlie and Lucas passed away, in September 2011, we received notification that our project was successfully funded by Environment Canada. The dream that Charlie and I had of continuing Dr. Henry Lewis's work would still become a reality because of everyone who believes in the work. Charlie's older sister Leloni Anne and his Aunt Eva Needlay, along with outstanding guidance and support from Katherine Wolfenden of the FNFN Lands Department, took on Charlie's role in the Dene Fire Project - "The Dene interaction with fire: a traditional perspective amongst recovering Wood Bison populations." See http://lands.fnnation.ca/ for more info or later blog posts. In February of this year (2012), we were invited to Ottawa to present our research. The dream lives on in Charlie's honour.

Eva, myself,Leloni Anne and puss-puss Charlie's dog. Following are excerpts from a poem for Charlie that I wrote by request of my good friends and family - the Dickies ... "I stand here before you today After a week that has taken my breath away No one could expect this turn On life’s path where we are here now to mourn. Yet, I urge all of you to celebrate and see The greatness and strength of our good man Charlie.

To many of you gathered here today Charles Oliver Dickie was complicated in many ways. Sometimes his actions were somewhat frantic Sometimes his words were harsh, full of antics. His list of things to accomplish for each day Were beyond what most would tackle anyway.

From chopping wood and big fire and stretching moose hide To being with his children and family – everyone outside (even if it was -30C) Outside to enjoy and learn some of the great wisdom he had to share He taught all of us many things – above all – just to care. A selfless man with a heart ready to give So much to do for him, so much to experience and live.

So much he learned and cherished from his many elders and teachers Yes he read the bible and listened to the preachers But I think for him, for this unique man He found solice and peace when his feet were on the land Out at the cabin and deep in the swamp grounds Is where he went when he wanted not to be found.

... And then there is a handful of us whom he chose To allow us to see through the thorns to the rose. For some crazy reason, for the best part of my life, He let me in too through all of his strife. Yet above all of us, this handful of hearts, He cherished Etsoo the most, his teacher from the start. ... And now before you I’d like to say A few personal words to Charlie on this special day: Today I sat in your space At your favourite place I felt the wind on my face Your dried moose meat was all I could taste.

I came to your home Where you spent so much time alone Out here on the land Devising your own plans ... I walked in your steps just for the afternoon Reliving the stories you told me when you were howling at the moon Seeing what you saw for your whole life on the river Down in the swamp where you became a giver A giver of yourself – your body and your soul To those who you let in, only a handful allowed on your patrol I realize it now and it will forever be That I was so honoured and blessed that in that handful was me. ... No one above you, greater than you for you gave me all you had But even more than to me, you were a brother, a grandson, a nephew and a dad To a family who loves you and always will We carry forward your memory and still We let you continue on your path To achieve all of your tasks. ...

Yet I feel my words are never enough When to me you gave so much stuff You taught me to be Dene, we were a team of skinning hide You became part of my research and yesterday with you – a piece of me died. No matter how we parted ways, no matter what words were exchanged I am thankful to have spent this past time with you because forever I am greater changed For having been loved by the most amazing, intriguing, intelligent, passionate man Who was nurturing, caring and had so many plans. It was and always will be my honour ...

May the heavens rejoice, may the Creator and the universe receive you in pleasure We send our love to you always, may your chainsaw always run smooth and your mukluks walk in strength and peace - setzeeyah forever yours setzoowah. All my relations. Mussi cho."

Family.

Charles Oliver Dickie ~ February 10th 1978 – September 4th 2011

Everything happens for a reason.

My friend Stephanie Wilkie aka Mama Beaver

Stephanie Wilkie and I at the rock cut on "Range Day" in Fall 2010. Stephanie Wilkie, R.P.F. and mother of two beautiful girls and partner to Nathan Mueller has had a positive influence of my life. Steph represented determination and dedication to forestry and to her family.

We always had great chats over our cubicle wall at the Forest Service and on this particular range day up at Toad River we had a lot of fun and saw a lot of good range things including caribou and porcupine sightings ...

Steph really showed me what it was to love your family and to give pure and honest love to all. Steph was also the only professional musician in our band. Her band name was Mama Beaver. Following is a poem I wrote for Steph that was read at the celebration of life that was held for her in Ontario: And the mother mourns from where the children were born Lost to us here on earth for she undergoes her rebirth The skies turned gray when she started to fly away Reminding us to be strong and carefree To love the life we live and all of us her love she still doth give A memory in all our hearts though our bodies now must part She will always be close to you and me She will always be a reminder to live and love gracefully And just how does life change? When the universe’s order gets rearranged? I tell those whom I love and will forever more My heart is with them – rich or poor I urge my family and all of you, good friends That we must live life to the fullest of all our capable ends To love those around and share our joyous sound Of laughter and of kindness though at times it may blind us All of these fair things of which to us Stephanie brings I thank the creator and your god For allowing us who knew her, let us applaud For this woman to us you brought Although all our own hardships we each fought She was always light, kindness and humility And she will remain so in our hearts and souls for eternity Stephanie you are the only beaver in our band Who could play music and be patient with all our grand Foolishness and carrying on Yet you still shared with us your beautiful song ... “Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise Take these sunken eyes and learn to see All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be free Blackbird fly Into the light of a dark black night ...” We are all better humans for having known you dear Stephanie May you rest in peace and may you forever be In our hearts and prayers and whatever means With us all always, on earth and in all of our sweet dreams. - Sonja, July 20th 2011 Stephanie passed away last July. It was a great honour to know her and learn from her. She is missed very much by those of us who continue walking the path.

Stephanie Wilkie on northern rangelands amongst prescribed fire and the Rockies. A beautiful spirit.

Land of the midnight sun

I don't know when May 2nd was over and where July 12th began but somewhere in that time, I flew home to Canada and back to the north country that I missed so much while I was away. After finishing Dr. Wilson's Biogeochemistry and Global Ecology exam, I packed my bags and Dr. Fuhlendorf and I were off to the airport via lunch on the way to Oklahoma City. I left OKC around 4pm and it was hot (approximately +25C). I knew what I was about to dive into and it just felt like a natural progression back into the world of range management and fire ecology as the Range Agrologist for what used to be known as the Fort Nelson Forest District.

I arrived in the homeland just as Prime Minister Harper was announced as the successful re-installed PM of Canada. I did get momentarily confused as I thought that Jack Layton had won. I had just had my bagel and steeped tea sitting on the floor under the stuffed killer whale outside of domestic security in Vancouver. Arriving at midnight in Prince George, I was greeted first by ice on the tarmack and about a -5C starry northern night and secondly by my very awesome and great friend Matthew Braun (P.Ag. with the Range Branch in PG as well as a MS student from the U of Saskatchewan and husband to the beautiful and awesome Julie Bergen). There are people in our lives who will never let you down and who will always have your back. These two humans are such people.

After closing my eyes for a few hours, I was heading out the door and off to my first day of the Ignitions Specialist class put on by the Wildfire Management Branch. About 30 of us were in attendance - all from the Forest Service and Parks/Ministry of Environment and all involved with prescribed fire in one way or another. It was an awesome 3 days of class and as always, I feel privileged and honoured to have the opportunity to work with the Wildfire Management Branch. The men and women that work in fire in our province are so knowledgeable and have given so much support and mentorship to me over the past 5 years that I don't really know how I will be able to repay their generosity. This course challenged me in ways that John Weir had set me up to be challenged after taking the Advanced Prescribed Fire class at OSU. It was an excellent course taught by outstanding instructors all from within the Wildfire Management Branch. After we submitted our homework and wrote our final exams, we were sent off on our way home and for me that meant a 10 hour drive back to Fort Nelson the next day ...

I remember Friday, May 6th very well. It was painful. I had no juice left in the tank. I had joked with friends and professors in Oklahoma that it would be a painful trip driving home by myself for a few reasons:
1. I had only driven a very small handful of times over the previous 5 months and none of that included long highway trips
2. I was already exhausted when I left Stillwater after finals and then had the week of the course to get through and try to keep my head above the water in course work that I knew would be more advanced then I had done before with fire
3. I would just want to get back to my home, my bed, my own space and the big country up north with very few people aroud.

And so I got 1 hour outside of PG and already had the urge to pull over and sleep for a while! Of which I was unable to do because every pull out was still piled high with snow and there was not enough room to get my truck in there! So I soldiered on to the Pine Pass and once I hit the mountains, I got my second wind. The Roches/Rockies always take my breath away. They are noblely regal and beyond beautiful. I wound my way through the pine pass and the snow that still lined the sides of the highway. As I rolled through Hudsons Hope I remembered 5 years ago when I made my move up north with my family helping me to do so.

Fort St. John was so close and my eyes were telling me that I they could not remain open for much longer and so I made myself wait one more day to get back to home and back to my north country life as it would have been foolish to drive the Alaska Highway in such a state of exhaustion. Thankfully Conrad Thiessen and Leslie Oliver had a free couch that night and I was able to meet up with them and Craig DeMars (Ph.D Candidate, University of Alberta) for the evening.

4am brought the sun shining brightly and made me think I had overslept till 9! I forced my eyes closed a little longer and by 6am I was on the road, headed north back home! Back to the community I love and the good friends and extended family up north. Back to Fort Nelson - BC's final frontier.

And when I got home, I had many questions but the first thing I did was walk into my house, look all around and remember it all and then I hugged my bed. And then I went to sleep for a long time. It was good to be home. It is where my heart is.