Moose Lake Home and Refuge
Moose Lake Home and Refuge
Moose Lake is one of the few remaining refuges for Fort McKay residents and surrounding First Nations. Open pit oil sands mines surround the Dene, Cree, and Métis community of Fort McKay on three sides, with the closest less than four kilometers away. Recent aggressive industrial development within their traditional territory has placed unique significance on the historical settlement at their reserve at Moose Lake, 80 kilometers from Fort McKay.
Moose Lake has become what most community members consider their “last refuge”. The next wave of oil sands development is proposed at the border of this reserve, causing tremendous concern and resolve among Fort McKay community members to address the potential impacts. In response, the community funded a cumulative effects study to assess the implications of “business-as-usual” oil sands development on environmental and social indicators over the next 100 years. With this disturbing new scientific research in hand, they have stepped forward with a plan to reduce the effects of Oil Sands development and protect their way of life.