As Director of Lands at Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN), Lana has led work to manage the impacts of oil and gas development in the Nation’s territory. Working with the community, Lana laid the groundwork for a framework for land and water management that is based in both Dene knowledge and values and scientific approaches to ecosystem management and responsible, informed land use in the territory.

In developing the framework, Lana established community-led research and water monitoring programs, collaborated with governments, industry, NGOs and academia, and created a community databank that is used in impacts assessment, regulatory and policy review, land use planning, and legal actions that have resulted in the prevention of over-extraction of water for fracking and the protection of threatened caribou in the territory.

The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative helps communities to “count” these natural assets and assign a value that’s equivalent to the service a human-built asset would provide. By counting nature as an asset, municipalities can make a strong financial case for protection and conservation, while relying less on engineered assets.

The POLIS Water Sustainability Project, based out of the University of Victoria, works to drive innovation in water law, policy, and governance. The POLIS team has led research influencing BC’s Water Sustainability Act. Today, they work with researchers, local governments, First Nations, and funders to make policy recommendations, support watershed governance, and build capacity for community water protection.