COLD LAKE FIRST NATIONS – Controlled burns are planned for Legoff and English Bay beginning Friday, Oct. 16, as Cold Lake First Nations works to bring back traditional Indigenous land management practices while improving wildlife habitat and protecting grasslands.

The prescribed burns are scheduled to take place through Oct. 19, weather permitting, and will be carried out by the Cold Lake First Nations Lands Department, Fire Department and Emergency Management team.

Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) and Thunderbird Collective are supporting the work as part of a broader effort to restore cultural burning practices that Indigenous communities used for generations to care for the land.

Bringing traditional burning practices back

Long before modern land management methods, Indigenous communities used carefully managed fire to maintain grasslands, improve wildlife habitat and encourage the growth of berries and other plants.

These practices also helped maintain the natural boundaries between forests and open prairie.

According to Cold Lake First Nations, traditional burning was largely restricted beginning in the 1930s, but there is growing interest in bringing the practice back.

Community Elders have shared that the Legoff area was historically much more open prairie before aspen forests began expanding into the landscape.

The upcoming burns will help address that change by reducing the spread of trees and woody vegetation into grasslands and agricultural areas.

Managing beaver habitat and wildfire risks

The project has several environmental objectives beyond restoring traditional practices.

One focus will be managing vegetation around selected beaver ponds. By reducing available food sources, the burns may help manage beaver populations that can damage roads and bridges.

The burns will also help protect existing grasslands by limiting tree and other woody vegetation encroachment.

While wildfire prevention is not the primary goal, Cold Lake First Nations says controlled burning can also reduce accumulated vegetation that could otherwise fuel future wildfires.

The project will give Indigenous communities an opportunity to share knowledge and demonstrate how prescribed fire can be used safely as a land management tool.

Residents near burn areas will be notified

The project plans prescribed burns in designated areas of both Legoff and English Bay.

Residents living near the burn locations will be notified in person, and local fire departments will also be contacted.

Cold Lake First Nations says the short notice is due to the need for suitable weather.

The forecast for Oct. 16 to 19 presents a favourable opportunity to complete the work, with planning already in place.

The burns will proceed only if weather conditions allow.

More cultural burning could take place in spring

The Lands Department plans to continue community engagement throughout the fall and winter to discuss the possibility of additional prescribed burns in spring 2027.

Any future work will depend on weather conditions and further planning.

Cold Lake First Nations says the initiative is an important step toward restoring traditional land stewardship practices and caring for the territory for future generations.

Community members can view the planned burn locations through the Cold Lake First Nations online mapping system.