Date: 05/07/2005

Number: 1

Greetings from Mushkegowuk - the homeland of the Cree People. We are the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program students working with Professor Sam Conroy on our elementary Science and Technology curriculum. We live in Moosonee and Moose Factory Ontario at the mouth of the Moose River at the southern end of James Bay. Here is how we know it is spring in the north-

Ice out of the community this year- April 18, 2005 - it was very quick this year and only took two days for the ice to leave us. This is not a good sign- the elders say that when the ice goes out quickly and the snow goes away early the geese will not come. This spring's goose hunt in the lower James Bay area was not good.

Geese returned the first week of April. When Easter is early the geese come back early. We have been with our families in the spring goose camps but the hunters report there a less geese this year in the southern part of James Bay

We saw our first garter snake on May 4 at the quarry in Moosonee.

Robins are back and have been here for a couple of weeks.

Pickerel (walleye) started spawning May 4.

Beluga whales have been visiting us since the first days of May.

We have traded our winter boots for rubber boots because it is very muddy right now (there is a lot of sand on the island and it is saturated with water)
bears are out of hibernation (around May 1)

Sam saw a butterfly on Sunday May 8 down by the riverbank

Moose River, ON

Latitude: 50.5 Longitude: -81.2

Observed by: Sam (Eileen)
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