CSL Courses:
Forestry 4251: Fish and Wildlife Practice (on hiatus - planned for 2011/12)
Research interests
Brian McLaren’s NSERC Discovery research considers effects of predators on culturally significant herbivores, emphasizing mammals used by indigenous communities. In Aroland First Nation, McLaren has initiated interviews with First Nations trappers and elders to understand traditional views of food chain dynamics in conjunction with ecological study.
I am working with Aroland and Ginoogaming First Nations, together with Mirella Stroink, Peter Lee, Peggy Smith and Connie Nelson. This work has focussed on access to wild foods safe for consumption as one of the priorities for Aboriginal peoples, whose traditional economy is threatened both by resource development and by conservation efforts steered to address a commodity-based economy or interest groups not from the north. Key graduate students in this project are Kyle Rogers, Joseph LeBlanc and Peter Rasevych. Key community participants include Rasevych (Ginoogaming) and Mark Bell (Aroland).
I am also working on the biology of culturally significant species in the Rainy Lake area, including beaver and lake sturgeon. Key graduate students in this project are Doug Vincent, Matt Lebron, Cam Trembath and Bill Halliday. Finally, I am developing an international project with Mexican, Canadian, U.S. and European partners. Student and faculty exchanges are planned to study sustainability of rural and remote communities. Together with Canadian partners at the University of Northern British Columbia, researchers at Lakehead University will be developing case studies of food issues in a northern boreal forest context.
Contact:
Office: BB 1005B
Phone: (807) 343-8686
E-Mail: brian.mclaren@lakeheadu.ca
Admin Powered by:  | 
|