The land now known as Alderville First Nation was once home to Haudenosaunee — Iroquoian peoples settled in agricultural villages. The Haudenosaunee used traditional burning practices to clear the land for agriculture and grazing. When Ojibway peoples arrived in this area, they saw the Haudenosaunee fires reflected in the waters of Rice Lake and Lake Ontario and called the area Pemedashkotayang, Lake of the Burning Plains.By the late 1850s traditional burning practices had slowed, and the growth of European settlement and agriculture around Rice Lake had essentially eliminated the natural ecosystems in the area. Fast forward 140 years and over 100 acres of land on Alderville First Nation was slated for development. In 1999, local biologist, Elder, and artist, Rick Beaver noticed a mix of rare plant species on the site that are specific to two endangered ecosystems: Tallgrass Prairie and Black Oak Savanna. Rick brought this information to Chief & Council, who declared the area a natural history site and protected it from development indefinitely. What was then a series of old agricultural fields has been transformed over the past 20 years into a thriving grassland restoration site with an abundance of plant and animal species. Mr. Beaver was instrumental in the preservation, conservation and restoration of what we now know as the Alderville Black Oak Savanna (Alderville BOS). The lands managed by the Alderville BOS now extend of 200 acres and plays a key role in the future restoration of this unique eco-region by acting as a pristine source for native plants and seed.
The Alderville BOS developed the Mitigomin Native Plant Nursery to encapsulate native plant cultivation within Alderville First Nation restoration programs. “Mitigomin” is a Michi Saagiig word which translates to “seed from an oak;” a representation of the relationship between Alderville BOS and MNPN. The MNPN fills a gap between supply and demand in the Rice Lake Plains by cultivating plants from local remnant genetics through a combination of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science practices. The MNPN greenhouse was built using a Passive Solar design and a Ground-to-Air Heat Transfer system, making it a stand-out example of green building. Sustainable climate control allows the greenhouse to act as a platform to research seed quality, storage and dormancy, and the stratification processes required for native plant species to thrive.
Beyond producing plant material, the MNPN supports Youth engagement in environmental and restoration issues by developing teaching gardens at local schools, working with the Alderville First Nation child care center, and piloting a local Medicine Plant program. Through seed collection, storage, stratification and growing processes, the MNPN demonstrates the full circle of ecological restoration.
