K鈥檃hsho Got鈥檌ne guardians Twyla Edgi-Masuzumi, John Tobac and Buddy Gully pulled more than 300 fish out of the waters last week, distributing them to community members in the Northwest Territories who often struggle with the high cost of food.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very expensive to live here 鈥� There鈥檚 a lot of people struggling out here,鈥� said Edgi-Masuzumi.

Gathering food for communities is just the start of the work they do: they locate missing boaters, help with hide tanning and language camps, started their own water-monitoring initiative and are working to revitalize the trails their ancestors used to travel on.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e walked thousands and thousands of miles, and just having that feeling of walking in their footsteps is amazing,鈥� Edgi-Masuzumi said.

But their work through the Indigenous Guardians program, while fulfilling for them and their community, isn鈥檛 always secure.

Now, thanks to a $375-million conservation fund, she said their work will be able to continue for years to come.

The Our Land for the Future fund is a collaboration among government, philanthropic organizations and Indigenous peoples that includes $300 million from the federal government and $75 million from private donors. It鈥檚 the largest single investment in Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship to date in the territory.

That fund, announced on Nov. 14, will be used for Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship, ecotourism, traditional economic activities and climate research, among others. Money is expected to begin flowing out of it by mid-2025, and it鈥檚 expected to support hundreds of jobs per year over 10 years.

It鈥檚 the product of more than 20 Indigenous nations, government and philanthropic partners working together, and was no easy feat, said Dahti Tsetso, the deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.

Her organization was approached to help with the partnership table, and tasked with outreach.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a bit of a journey to get here, but it鈥檚 really exciting to have got to a point where we鈥檙e ready to sign,鈥� Tsetso said.

鈥淲e know that the return on investment for these dollars will be much greater than the investments themselves 鈥� We know what kind of impact these investments will have within our communities, across our regions, across the territory.鈥�

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the fund will be transformational for the region that is feeling the brunt of the climate emergency.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a real need to address it,鈥� he said in an interview.

鈥淎nd what we鈥檙e seeing is Indigenous Peoples 鈥� who are the true custodians of their land 鈥� having control over what they need to do to preserve and protect their land.鈥�

The fund can be used to establish new protected and conserved areas identified by Indigenous governments, which Anandasangaree said will move the government closer to its goal of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030.

鈥淭he signing of this landmark agreement marks a historic milestone in nature protection in the North and is a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration and a shared commitment to safeguarding nature, and building a conservation economy,鈥� Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement.

鈥淲ith our support to Indigenous leadership in conservation, we are ensuring the protection of these lands, as well as creating cultural and economic opportunities for our children, grandchildren, and all future generations.鈥�

For guardians Edgi-Masuzumi, Tobac and Gully, those generations are always at the front of mind.

Edgi-Masuzumi said that is what drives her.

鈥淲e all have kids, and we want nothing but the best for them,鈥� she said.

鈥淎nd to keep them on the land, passing what we learned onto them鈥� It鈥檚 like we鈥檙e making our own little history, and they can carry that for us when we鈥檙e not in this job anymore.鈥�

鈥擝y Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press