Establish Presence and Authority

Why is professional conduct important and what can it look like in practice?

Presence and Impact of Indigenous Guardians

How guardians conduct themselves can impact how much influence they have. Guardians must be prepared to interact in a professional and responsible manner with visitors to your territory and community members alike in order to influence their behaviour and ensure rules and regulations are followed.

Generally a few simple strategies will go a long way toward bolstering the role your guardians play and the public’s response to them.  See the Tipsheet below:

Tipsheet

Tips for Professional Conduct for Guardians

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Some strategies to maximize impact and effectiveness of guardian efforts:

  1. Look professional. Wear uniforms and make sure that vehicles or boats that you travel in are marked and identifiable with decals or flags.
  2. Proactively engage with the public. Support your guardians in developing the skills needed to talk with visitors and resource users. Develop a one-minute ‘elevator speech’ about your program and encourage staff to practice it. Be clear about the messages that you want your guardians to communicate. Use every interaction as an opportunity to educate people about your Nation or community, your lands and waters, and the issues that you are most concerned about.
  3. Share and leave behind important information. It’s useful to have a brochure that you can hand to people that provides information about your guardian program. This simple gesture is a good icebreaker and an easy way for guardians to introduce themselves.  It’s also useful to have more detailed information about the important issues you are working on. This could be maps on fishing closures, hunting regulations you are seeking compliance with, or protocols on how you would like people to conduct themselves in certain areas.
  4. Be friendly, approachable and curious. When you work as a guardian, you will likely meet a lot of people. As an ambassador, your job is to be respectful and approachable, and to share relevant information with the people you meet. Share information about who you are and what your role is, ask and answer questions, and collect information from visitors if this is part of your data collection or monitoring work.  
  5. Stay calm in the face of conflict. Although many, if not most, visitors and resource users in your territory will be interested in talking to you and learning more about your program and your community, there may be some exceptions. You will need to be prepared and confident about how to respond to people who aren’t interested in what you’re doing. They might be rude, disrespectful or confrontational. The safety and well-being of guardians working in the field is always a priority. It is extremely important that you stay calm and do your best to de-escalate the conflict. This means speaking clearly and calmly and not being rude back or resorting to violence. If it is not possible to de-escalate the tension, it is best to leave the conversation to avoid conflict and walk away from the situation. Some Indigenous Guardian programs have found it helpful to do training in conflict resolution in the field, ‘such as verbal-judo’ training. Other Indigenous Guardian programs have clear policies about how to address conflict in the field. See the 'Interacting with the General Public - Guardian Protocol' developed by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation.
Tipsheet

Tips for Professional Conduct for Guardians

To maximize the impact of your guardians’ presence on the lands and waters, try to make them recognizable. Many guardians who wear uniforms report an increased sense of respect and responsiveness from the people they are interacting with, including members of the general public and the community. Uniforms can be as simple as a hat and a jacket with your program name or emblem. Or, it could include standardized pants, shirts, and jackets for different seasons. See the Coastal Guardian Watchmen Network Uniform Policy for guidance on how to ensure that guardians adhere to a standard of conduct when wearing their uniforms. 

In addition to uniforms, vehicles (ATV’s, skidoos, boats, trucks, etc.) can be marked with decals or flags so that people recognize your guardians as they travel throughout their patrol areas. See the Flag Policy used by the Coastal Guardian Watchman Network to clarify the responsibilities and expectations for guardians when they fly a flag on their boat or vehicle. 

Official identification cards similar to what conservation or fisheries officers carry can be carried by guardians and presented when approaching people. Alternatively, official letters that provide detailed information on what guardians are authorized to do on behalf of the community can be presented.

To maximize the impact of your guardians’ presence on the lands and waters, try to make them recognizable. Many guardians who wear uniforms report an increased sense of respect and responsiveness from the people they are interacting with, including members of the general public and the community. Uniforms can be as simple as a hat and a jacket with your program name or emblem. Or, it could include standardized pants, shirts, and jackets for different seasons. See the Coastal Guardian Watchmen Network Uniform Policy for guidance on how to ensure that guardians adhere to a standard of conduct when wearing their uniforms.  In addition to uniforms, vehicles (ATV’s, skidoos, boats, trucks, etc.) can be marked with decals or flags so that people recognize your guardians as they travel throughout their patrol areas. See the Flag Policy used by the Coastal Guardian Watchman Network to clarify the responsibilities and expectations for guardians when they fly a flag on their boat or vehicle.  Official identification cards similar to what conservation or fisheries officers carry can be carried by guardians and presented when approaching people. Alternatively, official letters that provide detailed information on what guardians are authorized to do on behalf of the community can be presented.

"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."

Ernie Tallio, Nuxalk Guardian Watchman Manager
Quote

"We found that when our Guardian Watchmen started wearing uniforms and carrying our CoastTrackers, everyone took us a lot more seriously..."

Community resource

'Interacting with the General Public' Guardian Protocol - Taku River Tlingit First Nation
Community resource

Uniform Policy - Coastal Guardian Watchman Network

The 'Coastal Guardian Watchman Uniform Policy' shared by the Coastal Stewardship Network is provided to member Nations who wear Coastal Guardian Watchman (CGW) uniforms while out on patrol. It describes why CGW wear the uniforms, who can wear the uniforms and the responsibilities and conduct of those who are wearing the uniforms. 

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Community resource

Uniform Policy - Coastal Guardian Watchman Network
Community resource

Flag Use Policy - Coastal Guardian Watchman Network

The 'Coastal Guardian Watchman Network Flag Use Policy' shared by the Coastal Stewardship Network is provided to Coastal Guardian Watchmen crews who display the flag on their boats or vehicles. It describes the purpose of the flag, who can use them and the responsibilities associated with displaying the flag.

Read more
Community resource

Flag Use Policy - Coastal Guardian Watchman Network