Hello and boozhoo from the 2017 Fort Frances Stewardship Youth Rangers!
We had a successful first two weeks and are excited that our season is underway!
The Stewardship Youth Rangers-Ogimaa Binesiiyog Partnership Program is supported through a partnership of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), Shooniyaa Wa Biitong Employment and Training, and the United Native Friendship Centre.
We have two teams, each composed of four rangers, an assistant team lead, and a team lead.
This eight-week summer employment program allows us to work on unique natural resource management projects in and around our community that benefit the environment.
This season is the fifth year for this program and there will be 51 Stewardship Youth Ranger teams across the province.
Here in the northwest, there also are teams operating in Atikokan, Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout, Terrace Bay, Armstrong, and Thunder Bay.
We completed a number of training courses involving both classroom and hands-on learning to ensure we are healthy and safe at work this summer.
We also helped conduct silvicultural effectiveness monitoring (the data collected helps determine how well a re-planted forest is growing).
We used our Global Positioning System and orienteering skills to track the tree plots, and helped collect data for the Fort Frances tree project database.
They collect information using Geographic Information System to locate trees and record their species and size, measuring both tree height and diameter.
The project is designed to help identify trees on municipal property, map their locations, and measure tree diameter and height.
The database is maintained by Rainy River District Stewardship Council and the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre.
At the Rocky Inlet ski trails, Elder Brian Smith taught us about the Anishinabe culture and language, such as how to introduce ourselves in Ojibwe.
We also learned about the medicine wheel and how to identify the medicinal value of various plants found in nature.
We then helped Mitaanjigamiing First Nation members install “beaver bafflers”–a humane way to manage heightened water levels caused by beaver dams.
To build them, rangers installed drain pipes through the dam, with one end in the deep part of the water body and the other downstream, far from the dam.
They work by “baffling” the beavers in that they can’t hear the running water, which they instinctively would work to dam up.
The bafflers allow water to flow through the dam and downstream, rather than creating a pond upstream of the dam.
This, in turn, keeps water levels stable and the beaver dam intact.
We also spruced up the Eighth Street ski trails in Fort Frances by clearing away brush, trees, and bushes.
We look forward to sharing more about our activities and accomplishments next week with you!
