Environmental Education Projects

Informing youth, other Gwich'in beneficiaries and the general public about co-management of renewable resources in the GSA is an important part of the Board's activities. The Board has initiated several programs to help youth learn about renewable resources and encourage them to pursue careers in environmental fields.

School Environmental Programs
GRRB staff are active in schools throughout the GSA. In the past, staff have participated in Career Quests, class presentations and special events like forestry and wildlife week (including Nature Day). Staff have also assisted as instructors and in program development for the Natural Resources Technology Program at Aurora College (Inuvik).

The Board also sponsors outings on Gwich'in Lands, for example canoe trips with overnight camping, for youth and elders. All programs help to increase knowledge and appreciation for the land and for Gwich'in traditions.

Student Trainee Programs
Each year the Board offers a number of job training positions to Gwich'in community members. Trainees gain a unique perspective on how the GRRB helps to manage renewable resources in the GSA. Work experience encourages future success in their field. The positions include:

In the past 10 years, the following people have worked for the Board in trainee positions:

Nature Day Program
Teaching kids about wildlife, fish and forests is an important part of the GRRB’s activities. Encouraging young people to develop a deeper understanding and respect for the land and its resources is important since they are the future caretakers of the GSA.

Each June, staff at the GRRB and other volunteers run the Nature Day Program for the grade three students in Aklavik, Inuvik, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson. Through active outdoor activities, students can learn more about wildlife, fish and forests.

Jàk Park Northern Forest Interpretive Trail
In collaboration with ENR and the Town of Inuvik, the GRRB enhanced an existing trail at Jàk Park. A brochure pointing out marked features along the trail was also developed which focused on features unique or significant to the ecology of northern forests and cultural elements, such as, traditional and present day use of forest resources by Gwich'in members.

Jàk Park Northern Forest Interpretive Trail Guide

Other Educational Programs
Environmental educational projects can vary from day activities to longer overnight tenting and/or trekking/canoeing. Each program centers on collecting information about the biodiversity, historical use and traditional ecological knowledge of the GSA. For example, GRRB staff and summer students spent a month in the Rat River area surveying and identifying birds, mammals, fish and vegetation.

In addition, a group of elders and youth from Fort McPherson hiked (and used boat/canoe) part of the area, through Rat River Pass, over the continental divide and down the Porcupine River to Old Crow in the fall of 2005, to relive their experiences and share their knowledge of the pass as a traditional use area. GRRB staff interviewed people from Fort McPherson who have traditionally used the area.

Rat River Biodiversity, Cultural & Historical Assessment

A two day On-the-Land camp was held at Summit Lake with elders and biologists. This trek encouraged participants to learn more about the land, traditional skills, plants and wildlife.

Fish Dissections, March 5th-7th, 2008
DFO organized a fish dissection workshop at the elementary school in Inuvik (SAMS). Amy Thompson, GRRB Fisheries Biologist, was invited to volunteer and help find fish donations for the dissections.

This workshop was structured to have four booths. The first was a fish identification table where the students learned the names of local fish and how to identify them. They also got to look at otoliths under a dissecting microscope. Amy worked at this booth for the last day.

The second booth was a fish tagging and dissection table. Amy worked at this booth for the first two days. Here, the students learned how to insert floy tags into fish and why mark-recapture studies are important to collect information of fish populations. Then, Amy and the students extracted the otolith from a whitefish and a loche for comparison. If time was permitting, they then dissected the rest of the fish and identified the anatomy. The students were the most interested in opening loche stomachs to see how many fish were inside. In one loche stomach, they found over 40 tiny fish!

The third booth (run by Jonathon with DFO) was a fish measurement table. Students had the opportunity to weigh and measure fish.

In the last booth, all the students gathered together while Wade, Jonathon and Amy spoke about conservation, co-management and the importance of not littering. This initiative was a huge success. Wade Norman (DFO) and Amy were interviewed by CBC North. The plan is to continue this workshop and expand it into the surrounding communities.