Typically, this time of year, as the mornings sharpen and autumn settles over Mi’kma’ki, I’m preparing to harvest moose to feed my family through the winter. This year is different. While herd numbers are encouraging, we still lack the deeper data needed to confidently support a harvest. Our Nation has chosen to refrain. That is not a loss of tradition. It is responsibility. We are the voice of the moose. This year, we are content to let them simply be moose, undisturbed in their remote autumn home range. There will be other harvests. Our responsibility is ensuring there are always moose for the generations to come.