'Complete drainage' of lake cuts off Cree hunting territory near Waswanipi, Que.

Vanna Blacksmith · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 5:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The Cree First Nation of Waswanipi in Quebec is advising land users to workout caution and debar the country astir Lake Rouge aft the water drained with nary evident informing and caused some landslides successful the area. 

Last week, William Dixon, a Cree tallyman from Waswanipi, received a notification from a person that the roads starring to 1 of his campsites had collapsed. William's great-nephew Manoel Dixon past investigated and recovered the water drained and the onshore astir their trapline had collapsed. 

That's chopped disconnected entree to respective hunting campsites.

"It looked similar it was conscionable a washout astatine first. But erstwhile we got there, we noticed that it was big," said Manoel. "That's erstwhile we knew it was similar a landslide — it was huge. The water was wholly gone. 

"This trapline is wherever we've hunted for galore years, my grandparents and their grandparents. It's our land."  

Dixon says that his father, large uncle, and grandma are devastated. 

"It's a large interaction for a batch of families. It's thing truly concerning, particularly for us, the adjacent procreation that's going to beryllium hunting, sportfishing successful these lands," said Dixon. 

Irene Neeposh, the main of Waswanipi, called for an exigency gathering with the Cree Nation Government to question enactment for further probe into the origin and imaginable impacts connected wildlife.

"It's truthful unprecedented. We've ne'er seen thing similar this. My ma is 86 years aged and lived disconnected the land, and she says she has ne'er seen thing similar this, ever," said Neeposh. 

In a nationalist announcement issued this week, the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi says it's not wide what caused the sudden and "complete drainage" of Lake Rouge, but it "may beryllium related to post-fire onshore conditions, snowmelt, oregon caller rainfall." It says the water has drained toward adjacent Doda Lake. 

Neeposh says that a tiny plane is being sent retired to survey the situation. 

"It looks similar a earthy disaster. The water is wholly drained," she said. 

"It didn't adjacent usage a stream course. It punctured done a enactment of small lakes and ponds. It didn't usage its earthy course, it created a antithetic people to drain itself," said Neeposh.

Neeposh and Manoel Dixon are disquieted astir wherever the h2o volition spell since Doda Lake connects to respective lakes, including Lake Waswanipi.

"All of our accepted camps that mightiness beryllium downstream from these locations, it's thing that truly worries me. Especially our historical sites arsenic well," said Neeposh.

Neeposh says she's inactive waiting for a effect from the Quebec authorities astir the situation. She hopes to harvester accepted cognition and subject to recognize what happened and find if there's immoderate ongoing risks successful the surrounding area.

"Any radical who usage the land, conscionable to beryllium mindful that specified things are happening now, whether it's successful effect to the wood fires oregon manufacture exploitation — just to beryllium mindful erstwhile it's thaw season," said Neeposh.

"Just beforehand with caution, marque definite you fto radical cognize wherever you're going and effort not to spell unsocial if possible."

The First Nation's nationalist announcement advises utmost caution "when travelling adjacent lakes surrounded by forests affected by caller wildfires of large forestry operations." 

'The h2o doesn't cognize wherever to go'

Manoel Dixon believes that wood fires and deforestation mightiness beryllium the origin of what's happened. He described however a important wood occurrence successful the country 2 years ago destroyed many trees, and logging companies the pursuing twelvemonth removed the burned trees and constructed caller roads successful the affected area. 

"I'm reasoning that there's excessively overmuch water, and the trees besides portion the water. When determination are nary trees, the h2o doesn't cognize wherever to go," helium said.

"When you don't person roots to the ground, the ungraded gets soft. When they chopped down the trees, that had a large interaction connected wherever the h2o could go."

Manoel was relieved that nary 1 was astir erstwhile the crushed shifted and the water drained.

"Everybody was safe. I'm gladsome that everybody's okay," said Dixon

"I cannot accidental it's a atrocious thing. I cannot accidental it's a bully happening close now. But the onshore is going to instrumentality clip to heal."

Neeposh believes that taking enactment now is a mode to fulfil their responsibility arsenic stewards of the land, but is still waiting for a effect from the provincial government. As a chief, she emphasizes that the Cree Nation Government fully supports Waswanipi's efforts.

"We'll decidedly person to travel up with a program to mitigate the concern to spot if there's immoderate anticipation of restoring," said Neeposh.