The plan was to demarcate the Muotkatunturi co-operative grazing grounds, so we headed southwest towards the state owned forests between private land and the Lemmenjoki National Park, where some logging had already taken place and some more was planned.

On the way to Gákkasjávri lake area Hansi was pointing out several places, including Kippalvaara hill, which is already designated for logging. At times during the sleigh ride there was a magnificent view towards the Maarestatunturit fell area in the Lemmenjoki (translation: love river...) National Park. At the lake we demarcated the coastline of the lake with signs in three languages (Sámi, Finnish, English), close to the summer boat harbour. We were also came by the ice fishing place for perch, where residents of Angeli and Pyhäjärvi as well as summer residents come to fish. A bit further off there was another spot for ice fishing where one is able to catch burbot, and Toini told us that there is also pike in the lake, and some years ago whitefish was introduced in Gákkasjávri lake. The opposite side of the lake is full of rocks and holes in the ground. There is a local saying that God has created the earth and the Devil has created Angeli, which is a good area for the wolverine to flourish with its rocks and thousands of hiding places. The wolverine is not exactly the a reindeer herder's best friend. Hansi told us that he once found a flock of 13 reindeer all killed by a single wolverine. The state pays compensation, but getting the compensation is becoming harder, since the dead animal has to be always found. It is difficult to find them especially in the summer, and once you find the corpse there has to be another person to verify your findings.

From Gákkasjávri we continued on a forestry road deeper into the (former) wilds. The edge of the road (which is not maintained in winter) is not logged, but behind them, some 30 meters into the forest you could see a harvested forest, where only seed trees were left standing. Nilla and Hansi reminisced back to 1975, when the road between Angeli and Inari was built. After this, the state became interested in the lands it owned in the area and started to systematically log them.

The reindeer herders - who move around the forests every day - find it difficult to understand how someone that doesn't know reindeer herding, or the area where it is practiced, could understand the meaning of the forest to reindeer and the livelihood that has developed around it. Everybody can understand that the forest can be exploited within reason, but reindeer herders see their whole livelihood being destroyed, together with the forests in one generation. They too, have the right to protest, but during the past ten years, even the organisations that are supposed to represent reindeer herding have failed to listen to the problems that the herders from Muotkatunturi co-operative have been experiencing. That is why, according to Toini, they are so pleased to work with an organization like Greenpeace, which listens to what the herders have to say. I hope that the signs we put up yesterday do at least some good in protecting the grazing forests of the co-operative.

-Satu

Demarcation near Angeli 15/03/2005

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