People Stories

Young woman from Rigolet — stories of protecting land and water

Photo: Emily Wolfrey with some of the youth and elders who gathered to talk about their stories as land and water protectors.

Emily Wolfrey of Rigolet did what it took to get to New Brunswick last month to participate in a gathering of youth and elders. While there, they talked about their stories as land and water protectors.

“I travelled on skidoo from Rigolet to Goose Bay (about a six-hour ride) and then I caught my flight the following day to go to Halifax. When I got to Moncton (New Brunswick) we drove to Fredericton,” Wolfrey said during a phone interview.

A group called United for Mining Justice (www.unitedforminingjustice.com) organized the event which took place Feb. 15 to 18.

Wolfrey told the gathering about the mega hydroelectric project at Muskrat Falls and about how her role as a land protector led to her arrest in October 2016.

She told them about how high methylmercury levels are poisoning her people’s food. “We never, ever had to go and buy our meals from the store. We always lived off the land.

“But now people are a bit nervous to live off the land because of the methylmercury,” Wolfrey said. Wolfrey […]

Water Warriors and Other People Stories

Summary
Article Name
Young woman from Rigolet — stories of protecting land and water
Description
Wolfrey told about the mega hydroelectric project at Muskrat Falls and her arrest in 2016. She told how methylmercury levels are poisoning her people's food. "We never, ever had to ... buy our meals from the store. We always lived off the land. But now people are a bit nervous ... because of the methylmercury."
Author
Publisher Name
Labradorian
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

2 days ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

2 days ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 days ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

1 week ago

Developing state water roadmaps is essential

New turnout facility from the California Aqueduct on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. Officials say the…

2 weeks ago

Migration Matters: Breaking Down Barriers to Migration

Over the past century, humans have constructed major transportation infrastructure like highways, bridges, railroads, and…

3 weeks ago