Indigenous-Led Conservation
Earthroots works to support conservation initiatives that are defined by and led by Indigenous communities. These efforts are grounded in Indigenous values and recognize the deep relationship between healthy lands, thriving cultures and strong self-determined communities. Indigenous-led conservation advances interconnected goals, from sustaining vibrant communities and protecting cultural heritage to safeguarding the ecosystems that support all life.
Grassy Narrows First Nation
Grassy Narrows First Nation is located in northwestern Ontario, about 80 kilometres north of Kenora and roughly 300 kilometres east of Winnipeg. The community lies within the boreal forest, along the English–Wabigoon River system, which flows westward into the Winnipeg River and ultimately into Lake Winnipeg.
This watershed has always been central to the life of the Anishinaabe people of Grassy Narrows, providing fish, clean water, and transport routes that connect to a wider network of lakes and rivers across Treaty 3 territory.
The people of Grassy Narrows, the Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek, have lived along the English–Wabigoon River for countless generations. Their culture, language, and way of life are deeply tied to the land and waters, sustained through fishing, hunting, and gathering. For centuries, this river system provided food, medicine, and spiritual connection.
Exposing Mercury Contamination
In the 1960s and 70s, the Dryden paper mill dumped massive amounts of mercury into the English–Wabigoon River system. The contamination poisoned the fish that had long been the foundation of the community's diet and economy. Families who once relied on commercial fishing and guiding were suddenly left without their livelihood. Worse, mercury poisoning has left deep scars on human health, causing neurological damage, chronic illness, and intergenerational impacts that continue today.
For decades, governments and corporations denied the scale of the crisis. Promises of cleanup and compensation were slow, inadequate, or abandoned, while families were forced to cope with the irreversible loss of health and culture.
Earthroots' Role
In 2017, Earthroots played a key role in revealing that the contamination was worse than officials admitted. Working with volunteers and journalists, we helped collect soil samples behind the old Dryden mill in areas identified by former workers as toxic dumping grounds.
The results showed dangerously high mercury levels in the soil, evidence of deliberate burial of waste. This discovery forced the Ontario government to acknowledge that it had known about the site for decades yet kept it secret.
Our work helped bring international attention to this injustice and strengthened Grassy Narrows' demand for full remediation.
Ongoing Threats
Research released in May 2024 confirmed that the Dryden Mill continues to discharge sulfates into the river system. These sulfates accelerate the process of mercury methylation, the conversion of mercury into its most toxic form, methylmercury. This discovery explains why mercury contamination is worse today than it should be, decades after the original dumping. Grassy Narrows continues their call for the immediate closure of the mill.
Mercury is not the only threat facing Grassy Narrows. Clearcut logging, carried out without the community's consent, damaged forests, wildlife, and traplines. Although Grassy Narrows won a landmark victory in 2018 when Ontario courts recognized their right to control logging on their territory, threats from mining exploration and industrial development continue.
Industrial pollution upstream also fuels the conversion of mercury into methylmercury, increasing toxicity in fish and wildlife.
Despite these hardships, Grassy Narrows has remained a stronghold of Anishinaabe identity and resistance. For decades, the community has fought for their rights, their land, and their survival in the face of environmental destruction.
Through ceremony, advocacy, and legal action, Grassy Narrows continues to lead one of the most important Indigenous-led environmental justice movements in Canada.
Standing in Solidarity with Grassy Narrows First Nation
Earthroots is proud to walk alongside the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation (Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek), amplifying their voices, providing financial and logistical support, and helping to ensure that their fight for land, health, and cultural survival resonates far beyond their community.
Grassy Narrows' Women's Drum Group
Through a formal services agreement, Earthroots is proud to support Grassy Narrows' Women's Drum Group, an inspiring collective that uplifts community voices and preserves cultural traditions through music and ceremony. By providing resources, amplification, and spaces for the group, Earthroots helps strengthen their role in cultural resurgence, environmental advocacy, and community well-being.
Each year they bring together women and children for ceremonies, workshops, and mutual support, and lead events such as the River Run in Toronto to raise awareness about environmental and social justice issues. The group also organizes monthly ceremonies, mentorship programs, community gardening, and other initiatives that nurture both individual well-being and collective cultural identity. Their work continues to be a cornerstone for preserving traditions, fostering solidarity, and empowering the next generation of community leaders.
Slant Lake Round House
Earthroots works with Earth Justice Action through a service agreement to support the construction of the Roundhouse Project at Slant Lake. Together we are helping to create a dedicated space for cultural gatherings, ceremonies, and community programs led by Grassy Narrows women.
By supporting this project, Earthroots contributes to strengthening cultural resurgence, preserving Indigenous knowledge, and fostering a safe, sustainable hub where community members can come together to celebrate traditions, share skills, and advance environmental and social justice initiatives.
Raising Voices
Earthroots stands in solidarity with Grassy Narrows through ongoing advocacy on critical environmental and social justice issues. This includes supporting the community's fight for mercury justice, amplifying calls for accountability and remediation of the long-standing contamination that has affected health and livelihoods.
Earthroots also opposes proposals for nuclear waste storage and harmful mining projects in the region, working to protect the land, water, and cultural heritage that are central to Grassy Narrows' way of life. Through campaigns, public education, and policy engagement, Earthroots helps ensure that the voices and rights of Grassy Narrows are heard and respected at every level.
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Grassy Narrows is under threat again!
