Kara Pictou is an L’nu’skw born in Epekwitk (P.E.I.) and is a member of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, Mi’kma’ki. Kara holds a B.Sc. in Human Nutrition from Saint Francis Xavier University, and has worked closely with her home community of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation on many projects reclaiming traditional food and land-based education, particularly with Elders and youth, including her twelve-year-old son, Kingston who has been the utmost inspiration for her work. Kara’s background in Nutrition paired with her strong Mi’kmaq roots, has given her a unique perspective on the undeniable connection between the land and our food as it relates to adequately accessing traditional foods and practising her inherent right to fish, hunt and harvest traditional foods and medicines. Kara’s other areas of work experience include curriculum development, mentoring non-indigenous students, and has co-authored on various project research teams, most recently, for the purpose of an Indigenous Community Based Climate Monitoring Toolkit that encompasses the concept of Netukulimk and the guiding principle of Etuaptmumk into climate monitoring initiatives across the country.
Kara particularly became interested in climate change impacts as it strongly relates to the health, along with the social and economic well-being of Indigenous peoples as well as key species and ecosystems. She has worked in a variety of research and community-based climate monitoring projects, and has experience conducting traditional knowledge interviews and completing fieldwork for flood risk analysis assessment. Kara joined CMM in September 2019, where she has brought expertise on Mi’kmaw knowledge, climate monitoring, community engagement, skill development for Mi’kmaw youth, and facilitating an Elder-youth connection with opportunities for intergenerational knowledge transfer. Kara continues to look forward to another year as the Community-Based Climate Monitoring Coordinator by engaging as many youth and community members possible into the Mi’kmaw Climate Monitoring Initiative.