A group of First Nation elders is demanding an immediate ban on spraying of herbicides in Northern Ontario forests.

In a release, the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Elders Group, representing Native communities across the North Shore of Lake Huron and beyond, said it is “putting all responsible governments on notice” through a registered letter demanding any aerial spray project approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in the region be “immediately cancelled and stopped.”

Raymond Owl, a member of the TEK Elders Group, said his organization is fed up after many attempts to negotiate with federal and provincial representatives on the environmental issue.

“We started this four years ago, and we’ve run out of patience,” he told Postmedia. “We’ve had demonstrations; we’ve tried to negotiate. But it’s like talking to a rock.”

Owl said the application of herbicides on traditional lands to promote the growth of replanted forests “comes down to a treaty issue,” as First Nations inhabiting the Robinson-Huron Treaty area were “never consulted on spraying.”

The Robinson-Huron lands span a vast area, including North Bay.


“It’s about five million acres, from the height of land to Lake Huron, and from Sault Ste. Marie to past North Bay,” said Owl.

Foresters argue the chemicals used to knock down inferior species competing with planted conifers are less toxic than table salt and won’t impact insects or mammals, but Owl and his fellow elders believe the herbicides kill far more than weeds.


Owl said ongoing issues of bears coming into communities to scavenge for food may well relate to the destruction of natural foods in sprayed areas.

“You might see lots of blossoms on the blueberries but it takes a bee to pollinate the flowers, and if they’re getting killed, you don’t get the berries,” he said. “A bear will only eat grass for so long. That’s what brings them into town, because they have nothing to eat.”

Owl added it’s not only First Nations people who are concerned; many non-natives who have camps adjacent to reforested areas, or who hunt and fish on Crown land, have also expressed alarm at the spraying and reached out to his group in solidarity with their cause.



“We also have support from five municipalities along the North Shore,” he said. “Massey gets its drinking water from the river, and they’re spraying farther north, so that’s a concern for them. But the province won’t listen to them either.”

The elder said a meeting of First Nations leaders was held recently in Cutler, on the North Shore west of Massey, and his group received the backing of the Union of Ontario Indians and Assembly of First Nations to be the lead on the aerial spraying cause.

If spraying goes ahead in the meantime, the Ojibwe elder said his people have information on which blocks are identified for herbicide treatment, and will make sure there’s a human presence there to disrupt the undertaking.



Indigenous peoples in what is now Canada collectively used over a thousand different plants for food, medicine, materials, and in cultural rituals and mythology. Many of these species, ranging from algae to conifers and flowering plants, remain important in today's indigenous communities. This knowledge of plants and their uses has allowed Aboriginal peoples to thrive in Canada's diverse environments. Many traditional uses of plants have evolved to be used in modern life by indigenous and non-indigenous peoples alike.
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17-year-old jingle dancer used her role as head young lady dancer to bring attention to the over 1,000 missing and murdered indigenous women in the United States and Canada.

 Three years before Tia’s 2017 tribute at the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuqueque, Métis artist Jaime Black created the installation piece “The REDress Project”.

She collected over 600 red dresses, which were installed in public spaces across Canada to draw attention to the high number of missing and murdered indigenous women.

Inspired by that project, Tia called for dancers to wear red dresses to participate in a special old-style jingle dance at the 2017 Gathering of Nations.

To start off her special, Tia Wood sang to the crowd from the center of the arena as jingle dancers dressed in red ringed the stadium floor shoulder-to-shoulder. Her voice is as beautiful as her championship jingle dance style!

After the singing performance, Tia danced solo to the first song, making her way to the middle of the ring of dancers. Many of the dancers put together their red dresses overnight so that they could take part in the special.


Immediately after the dance, Wood, who comes from a family of singers and dancers, wrote on her Facebook page, “this was such a dream come true to witness all these red dresses and energy? I’ve always dreamt of putting this special on and I did. I’m so grateful I got this opportunity. Aiyhiy. In honour of the missing and murdered indigenous women.”


As lawyers, tribal members, and families continue to advocate and work for justice, Tia hopes the Gathering of Nations special will help heal those devastated by violence against indigenous women, as it has healed indigenous people for generations.
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First Native American astronaut in space. A 13-day Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station, a trip including three spacewalks for Herrington totaling nearly 20 hours.

Fifteen years after that life-changing journey, Herrington decided to write a children's book, Mission to Space, rather than an autobiography, in hopes of showing children — especially Native American kids (he's an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation) — that dreams can come true, no matter where you start in life.

"I played astronaut as a kid. I used to sit in a cardboard box and dream I was going to the moon," Herrington recalls. That dream is what kids connect to, he says, and why he wrote a book full of colorful images of him on the shuttle, in space and training for the journey, as well as of Chickasaws celebrating the feat.

"This is not a stereotypical Plains Indian on horseback with a war bonnet," he says. "This is a Native person who's proud of where he comes from, who's gone through a collegiate career and professional career, but still honors where he came from."

A children's book is a natural step for the astronaut, who has spent much of the past decade working on children's and tribal issues. In 2008, he rode a bike cross-country, visiting reservations and NASA Explorer schools, and telling his story of self-motivation and supportive mentors pushing him to places he could never have imagined as a kid.

On the ride, he fell in love with a woman from Lewiston, Idaho, and he moved there in 2009. His passion for working with kids drove him to get a Ph.D. in education at the University of Idaho in 2014, and he's currently working with Rosetta Stone to preserve the Chickasaw language. In fact, the last two pages of Mission to Space — which he'll sign and discuss at Auntie's on Saturday — are dedicated to translations of Chickasaw terms for English words like "astronaut," "gravity" and "spacewalk."


Herrington's excitement about his space travels comes through in the book, and even more so in conversation. Asked how he describes walking in space to us Earth-bound folks, he describes how "your mind will play tricks on you in space."


"It will flip you upside down instantaneously in your brain, because gravity is not telling you which way is down anymore," Herrington says. "Your body doesn't have that sensation of being pulled down. So if you're looking at something, your mind will say, 'That's right-side up.' But you know full well you're upside down. The first time it happens, you go, 'Whaaaaa?' It's weird."


Herrington's space career was cut short when Columbia, the Space Shuttle mission after his trip, exploded and killed seven of his friends — including Spokane's Michael Anderson — a year later in 2003, putting the program on hold. Then he was diagnosed with osteoporosis, putting him at risk of breaking his back on the trip. A short dalliance with commercial space travel took him out of NASA, and its failure ultimately led to that cross-country bike trip. But the memory of space remains as fresh now as when he exited the shuttle for his first spacewalk.


"There are times during a spacewalk when you kind of stop and go, 'Wow, you are here. Hey, there are the Bahamas, right beneath me,'" Herrington says. "And then you go, 'Well, that was cool' and you get back to work because you're not there to sightsee."

His memories of his space travels are hair-raising and enthralling, and they may still make it into an autobiography for adults. Just not yet.


"My story is not really done, and I don't want it to be just a 'space book,' because then you end up on the 'space' shelf," Herrington says. "I want it to be a story about this journey that includes this segment of my life that changed my life, but also the things that came before and after, that made me who I am. And hopefully it's a story that resonates, not just on the 'space' shelf."
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The four-year-old pit bull was surrendered to the shelter because his family were moving and couldn't take him with them.

"He immediately let out this painful whimper once he realised this was really happening," a volunteer said on Facebook.

"He is so hurt and sad and he just wants them to change their minds.

"This sweet, sensitive soul needs help fast. He looks like he's been crying with tears."

Video of him crying in the shelter went viral after being posted to the Saving Carson Shelter Dogs Facebook page, having clocked up nearly 100,000 views and 2600 shares since the start February.

"His tears are my tears. Ugh," said ninaalenabeatty on Instagram.


Usually this happy guy loves kids, other dogs and even cats, but when he was left behind at the shelter his tail stopped wagging. Not even cookies would help, with the four-year-old refusing to take a treat.

But there is some good news. This little guy has been adopted.
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A controversial liquefied natural gas (LNG) project planned for Canada's west coast has been cancelled. Pacific NorthWest LNG announced the project would not proceed "amidchangesin market conditions".

Canada authorised the project last September despite concerns over its potential contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The major energy project would have seen LNG exported to emerging Asian markets.

The cancelled initiative was one of the largest resource development initiatives in the country. Tuesday's decision was made by Petronas, the Malaysian oil and gas company leading the project, as well as its partners.

"We are disappointed that the extremely challenging environment brought about by the prolonged depressed prices and shifts in the energy industry have led us to this decision, said Anuar Taib, chairman of the Pacific NorthWest LNG board said in a statement.

Mr Taib also said Petronas and its partners will continue to develop natural gas assets in Canada.

The C$36 bn ($28bn/£22bn) project would have seen a natural gas liquefaction and export terminal constructed on British Columbia's northern coast, as well as a new pipeline.


The terminal would have been built on Lelu Island, which sits at the mouth of the Skeena river near Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

There were worries over the potential threat to an important salmon habitat alongside concerns over greenhouse gases.


The controversial project sparked protests by some of the First Nations in the region. Other communities supported the LNG terminal because it would have injected millions of dollars into the local economy and created jobs.
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Dozens of people, both Native Americans and supporters are riding on horseback from Colorado to South Dakota.

It's being done to bring support to the Lakota Sioux Indians, some of the proudest and poorest Native Americans in the nation.

They first gathered Saturday at Buffalo Bill's grave site five miles west of Golden to reconcile what they say is a history of "broken treaties and lost lands" of the Native American people.

"We've asked riders to come in with pledges," said David Ventimiglia, Executive Director of Tipi Raisers, a Colorado non-profit that aids native peoples.

They're going to ride 400 miles over 22 days to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, home of Oglala Sioux.

"Pine Ridge is the poorest place in the United States and we're building homes on Pine Ridge. Some of the riders here are living in really difficult conditions," Ventimiglia said as he prepared riders to mount up.


"Right now we're just staying in a camper, it's a little 20-foot camper," said rider Waylon Belt who lives on Pine Ridge.

"My cousin helped me attach a tin shed."

"Get the word out to everybody that we're all human beings and if we can help each other out it would be a better world for a lot of people," said rider Steven Driver himself a Native American.


"Since my great, great grandpa was the Chief Red Cloud it just makes me feel like I'm more a part of my culture," said his daughter and rider Maria Driver.

Her mother said she is a direct descendant of the famed Lakota warrior Red Cloud who led the Oglala people for 40 years. But the ride will be anything but easy.


"You got to deal with the weather the hot weather it can drain a person but you still ... but you just gotta' put that out of mind and be strong and look towards other things," said Steven Driver who says he prays for most of the ride.

"In this day even with experienced riders 400 miles and three weeks on a horse is enormously challenging," Ventimiglia said.


They’ll be riding like some of their ancestors whose only support was the nature around them instead of the vans full of supplies following this group.


“I believe that indigenous wisdom can help us figure out how to live in a way that's more sustainable.”

The riders will reach Cheyenne, Wyoming July 29 to take part in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade. They arrive in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on August 12.
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"We will not allow any damage to our forest, rivers, mountains, or biodiversity, which help regulate the global climate and are a source of life for our culture and spirituality."

Indigenous leaders Manari and Gloria Ushigua from the Sápara nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon delivered a letter this morning addressed to the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China before the United Nations in New York, in which they call on its state-run oil companies to abandon drilling plans on their rainforest territory.

Their action occurs on the same day that Ecuador faces scrutiny from the U.N. Human Rights Council during the body's Universal Periodic Review of the country. The letter is available here (Spanish version here).

The Sápara are adamantly opposed to oil extraction in their territory, and they have long been a key voice for preventing previous drilling projects in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Andes Petroleum, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC) and SINOPEC (China Petrochemical Corporation), holds two oil concessions to blocks that overlap entirely with Sápara titled territory and at the headwaters of their extensive lands, which extend to the Peruvian border.

The blocks are located along the southern border of Yasuni National Park, widely considered to be the most biodiverse place on the planet, and also overlap the nomadic territory of two indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation.

To date, Andes Petroleum and the Chinese government have failed to respond to several letters denouncing oil extraction plans in Sápara territory and deeper into Ecuador's remote eastern rainforest.


"We were never consulted nor gave our consent for the drilling project slated for our territory by the Ecuadorian government. We have a right to say no, and we reject oil drilling in our territory. We will not allow any damage to our forest, rivers, mountains, or biodiversity, which help regulate the global climate and are a source of life for our culture and spirituality." said Manari Ushigua, President of the Sápara Nation.
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Dozens of veterans processed into the main tent while musicians played traditional music on drums and chanted.

Most of the veterans were dressed in a combination of military and tribal attire, and many carried eagle staffs -- large sticks decorated with beads and feathers that carried special significance to the holder.

Linda Woods of the Traverse City, Michigan, area, said she carries her staff for all of the women who've served in the military. She said one of the 45 feathers on her staff, which is topped with a real eagle's head, is dedicated to Lori Piestewa, a Hopi woman and a U.S. Army soldier who was killed in action in 2003 during the Iraq War. Woods served in the Air Force as a switchboard operator during the Vietnam War and was the only native female veteran there on Saturday.

One by one, all the veterans took a turn at the microphone introducing themselves and placing their eagle staffs in flagpole bases lined up on the side of the stage.

Andy Jackson, a volunteer on the tribal council, said attendees keep the eagle staffs together to represent that the veterans who've died are also gathering with them.

Woods was emotional when it was her turn to speak.


"It is such a beautiful honor to be here," Woods said.

The gathering took place near Cantigny's entrance on ground that had been softened by overnight rains. In addition to the veterans and their families, others honored the occasion as well. Wheaton mayor Mike Gresk read a proclamation recognizing the gathering.


Around the grounds, there were signs posted with facts about American Indians and the U.S. military.

One said 400 Navajo servicemen were recruited to be code talkers during World War II and were part of every Marine Corps assault in the Pacific theater of the war from 1942 to 1945. Alfred Newman of Kirkland, New Mexico, was one of the code talkers who attended.


Another sign said an estimated 12,000 American Indians served in World War I -- even though they weren't granted citizenship until 1924.

Also on Saturday, retired Maj. Gen. James T. Jackson, the director of Vietnam War Commemoration, presented pins to all Vietnam veterans at the gathering. The gathering will conclude Sunday afternoon with the retiring of flags and colors.
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A wildlife park is celebrating the birth of a litter of Eurasian wolf pups - the first to be born at the park in 47 years.

The curators at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire recently welcomed the surprise arrival of five mischievous pups and have released a heart-warming video of the adorable fluffballs frolicking in the woods.

The park's mammal keepers weren't expecting a breeding success quite so soon as wolves can take a long time to bond and females only come into season once a year.

Wolves generally pair for life. After a gestation period of approximately sixty-two days, the alpha female gives birth to a litter (usually between four and six cubs).

At birth, the pups are born blind and deaf and are reliant on their parents for survival. After eleven to fifteen days, their eyes open. Cubs develop rapidly under the watchful eye of their mother.

At five weeks, the pups are beginning to wean off their mother's milk but cannot immediately fend for themselves and require considerable parental care and nourishment.


The pups are the first to be born at the park in 47 years, prompting excitement in the area and among wildlife lovers

Black wolf howls to the prairie thunderstorm and rains. Zephyr (meaning "light or west wind") is a beautiful black male with a prominent nose and a feisty personality.

Ancient cultures paid great attention to the events in the Sky Nation and put much faith and trust in Thunder Medicine.

In all traditions it was the Thunder beings who were the Creators. They were the ones that governed Nature and all life by sustaining balance and destroying imbalance which is the cause of suffering.

The storms, that are the gift of the thunder beings, wash away the negative energy and tensions of the world and the greater the world’s need, the stronger the storms must be to clear away all the obstructions to peace and harmony. A rainbow always represented a clear path to renewed life on earth.

The Cherokee gave human attributes to the Thunder God and called him “Asgaya Gigaei” which meant “Red Man”. He is of a red color as it represents lightning. The Cherokee, being a mountain people, saw the heavy thunder clouds gather at the lofty peaks and the red lightning flash below in the valleys. To these ancient people the flashes seemed like the moving limbs of a giant half hidden human-like deity. Thus, the Red Man.

In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing and fertility.


The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni ("gap-tooth") and Tanngnost ("tooth grinder"). Lightning flashed whenever he threw his hammer Mjollnir.

A man rescued a stranded octopus at Cyrene Reef in Singapore and the grateful mollusc thanked him for his kindness.

 After recovering, the little octopus moved towards its rescuer and placed one of its tentacles on him for some time before swimming away.

"We spent our Holidays at the red sea. While walking along a lonely beach we saw a stranded Octopus in the sand. We were not sure if he is already dead. So we pushed him back into the water. He needed some minutes to recover, then he swam away.

We are sure that this Octopus came back to thank us for saving his life. It's amazing how intelligent animals are." said octopus rescuer.

Found worldwide in the shallow waters of tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas, the common octopus is a fascinating creature.

Octopus arms have a mind of their own. Two-thirds of an octopus’ neurons reside in its arms, not its head.


Octopuses have blue blood. To survive in the deep ocean, octopuses evolved a copper rather than iron-based blood called hemocyanin, which turns its blood blue.

Beached octopus thanks rescuer

An enormous adult humpback whale was filmed breaching fully out of the water off the southeastern coast of South Africa.

The massive whale propels its full body out of the water, like it's some kind of fit young dolphin or something.

This humpback whale was clearly having a, well, whale of a time.

Scuba diver Craig Capehart captured breathtaking footage of the 40-ton adult breaching completely out of the water off the coast of Mbotyi in southeastern South Africa on July 8.

He shared the magnificent video to YouTube on Thursday, and it’s going viral. Capehart said that he and three other divers were on board an inflatable motorboat looking for sardines so they could track the predators that they attract when the humpback whale breached nearby.

 “It seems that never before has a recording been made of an adult humpback whale leaping entirely out of the water!” he wrote in the video’s description, while also describing it as “a very rare event, indeed.”


“Dolphins and even great white sharks have been seen flying out of the water, but this is a first for an adult humpback whale,” Capehart added, although this has not been confirmed.