“It’s about asserting our presence on the land. The general public sees us out there in our uniforms. I can’t overstate the value of that. Now Indigenous and non-Indigenous people come to us to report issues. So does the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.”

“The Wild Horse Ranger Program played a significant part in strengthening Xeni Gwet’in’s role in asserting control over the territory…The Rangers’ primary strategy was diplomacy.”

"We found that when our Guardian Watchmen started wearing uniforms and carrying our CoastTrackers, everyone took us a lot more seriously. We get more respect and responsiveness from the people we approach in the field."

“Our goal is to educate people before confrontation happens in the field. We post signs with traditional territory boundaries and contact numbers. Our first goal is to ensure people understand our expectations around being in the territory.”

“Kaska Dena Guardians will be out monitoring high use areas, collecting information and handing out brochures with information on Kaska Dena, checking for signs of wildlife, and talking with hunters about culturally sensitive areas. They will be informing hunters about Kaska Dena Traditional Territory and encouraging respect of the environment in the hopes of alleviating potential land use conflicts with hunters. As well, the Guardians will report on any activities of wrong doing."

“We have a position, regardless of what the provincial and federal laws are up there. We have our own position in terms of hunting on the coast. So if we see hunters, we ask them to leave.”

 “We want to be able to manage and take care of our own resources… Now with this new resurgence with the Guardian Watchmen Program, we are looking after the resources and starting to take care of what we used to.”