The Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) community-based monitoring program combines Indigenous Knowledge and science to monitor changing conditions in the Peace-Athabasca Delta region. The program uses innovative data collection tools to promote education and adaptation to environmental change within the community.
 

At the heart of the MCFN’s traditional territories in northeastern Alberta is the Peace-Athabasca Delta, a large freshwater delta that supports a diversity of plants and wildlife. The delta is intimately linked to MCFN culture and identity. Hunting, trapping, fishing and other harvesting practices have sustained the MCFN community for generations.
 

With the rise of industrial development and increasing impacts of climate change in the region, MCFN Elders and community members are concerned about the health of the Peace-Athabasca Delta. To address these concerns, the MCFN Government and Industry Relations Department
established a community-based monitoring program in 2008. The program is driven by the MCFN community and is focused on environmental change indicators informed by Indigenous Knowledge and science, including the health of wild foods, water quality and quantity, and the safety of winter travel conditions. MCFN Elders, along with the Chief and Council, provide guidance for the program. MCFN members are employed as Environmental Guardians to conduct monitoring and research activities.
 

The program uses innovative tools, such as a smartphone-based application that enables community monitors to record observations in an electronic field book during site visits. The application also tracks the routes used to reach monitoring sites, which provides insight into the safety of snow and ice conditions throughout the year. Monitoring data is stored in a data management portal linked with other platforms and databases the MCFN uses, improving access to information. By using these tools, the MCFN promotes education and adaptation to environmental change within the community and educates decision makers about changing conditions in the Peace-Athabasca Delta.