Meet Michel Durand: a land manager for over 15 years in the Abenakis community of Odanak, located south-east of Trois-Rivières, QC.
Michel is known and loved by everyone in the community. He chuckled telling us the story of his career beginnings with his old partner, as they were jokingly nicknamed “les compteurs de tortues” – the turtle counters – because their work on the land was so focused on helping flora and fauna to thrive.
Michel tours around the community to show off its environmental and community heritage which attracts many tourists each year. While a visitor might not have this at the top of their list, a major highlight and ongoing accomplishment for Odanak is the community’s new EcoCentre.
The Centre is a place for people to bring their unwanted renovation, construction, or landscaping materials, as well as old electronics and discarded domestic furniture and appliances. Hazardous waste such as paint, inflammables and battery chemicals can also be deposited and disposed of safely with partner organizations. The refuse is triaged and sent to appropriate recycling and upcycling facilities for more environmentally friendly sorting and management. Some metals, minerals, and components from electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones are highly coveted for recycling. The Odanak EcoCentre ensures that these materials get a second life.
And the EcoCentre is not just for the folks in town. Anyone in the surrounding communities can come to sort and drop off their reusable items, or their recyclable or compostable debris.
A few meters away from the Saint Francois River, a large pond is a breeding ground for many kinds of wildlife- including turtles. The conservation site is a safe haven for painted turtles and snapping turtles to lay and hatch their eggs in an area protected from land and water traffic.
Adjacent to a butterfly garden, the conservation site invites visitors to rest and meander by the river and learn about the W8banakiak’s history.
Another of Durand’s pride and joys is the bicycle path that runs through a wooded area of the community. The path is well-lit after dark and offers cyclists a safe and pleasant ride across town, without having to use the main road where speeding cars are a threat. The path is well-used by students because it leads straight to the local CEGEP, where Durand sometimes gives lectures on conservation, contributing to community and following one’s dreams.
Besides acquiring neighboring lots of land to increase the community’s surface area and potential, an up-and-coming is to build a women’s shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence. This women's center will be ideally situated right next to the Police building used for law enforcement training and classes, hopefully making the area even quieter and safer for the shelter’s residents.
Michel still has a few projects to keep him occupied, but his well-deserved retirement is approaching. Working with an incoming PLMCP student, Michel says he hopes this will mean a proper transition for Odanak’s Land Management succession—a fundamental and on-going concern for many Land Managers from coast to coast to coast.
Wliwni to Michel Durand. Photos by Michel Durand & Mackenzie Casalino.
Credits:
FNLMAQL 2024