Hello and Boozhoo from the Fort Frances Stewardship Youth Rangers!
This last month of the program has flown by with so many exciting projects! With the only “rain day” being our last day, we were super busy for the entire month.
Although we didn’t get a lot of rain, we certainly learned a lot about water!
With the expansion of the Ogimaa Binesiiyog Stewardship Youth Ranger (SYR) Partnership Program to Kenora District this year, our two SYR teams from Fort Frances met up with our new team in Kenora to discover just what goes on at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA).
The Fort Frances and Kenora teams worked together to set out a net to gather and examine minnows. The ELA staff helped to identify the catch of the day and described their ongoing research on fish populations, lake chemistry, and watershed management here in Northwestern Ontario.
To learn more about how MNRF protects water resources in the Fort Frances area, the rangers went out with technical specialists Laura Edgington and Tanya Wilson to do a mock shoreline inspection.
We learned what to look for in a project proposal, as well as how to orienteer through the forest using a map and a compass. A challenging part of the day was to locate survey pins using metal detectors–not always so easy!
For the big picture, we had visitors from across the border who work with the Rainy Lake-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board of the International Joint Commission.
Pam Tomevi and Jolene Simon, who also work with the Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District in Minnesota, came to tell us about all that goes into managing boundary waters.
Simon gave us some hands-on experience using an Enviroscape model to demonstrate the impact that pesticides, farming, construction, and deforestation can have on downstream environments.
We could see there are many factors that come into play when trying to keep our rivers and lakes clean and healthy.
We also brainstormed ideas on how we can have a positive impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Overall, it was a very informative afternoon!
During our diversity workshop with Walter Fordham, we learned about what makes us unique, what makes us different, and the many factors that make us all special. The workshop helped us learn more about ourselves, how to interact better, and appreciate diversity in the workplace.
It was a fun, eye-opening day that definitely helped us all come together as a team.
We had a chance to see real teamwork in action when we visited the Vedette Lake Forward Attack Base. We met with Aerial Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch (AFFES) staff to find out more about Ontario’s fire program.
Community Fire Officer Bobby Bird showed us what fighting fires really entails and let us practice handling, strangling, and melon-rolling fire hoses. We were so lucky to have the chance to check out the helicopters and chat with a pilot before they suddenly were called out to action a fire.
This showed us first-hand how busy our firefighters really are and the important job they do.
A little closer to home, we worked with Terry Kawulia of the Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists to help with the extension of the Cranberry Peatlands Interpretative Trail in the Township of Alberton.
Through a grant from TD Friends of the Environment and in partnership with Rainy River District Stewardship, locally-sawn cedar and tamarack will be used to extend the boardwalk out into the open, undisturbed area of the bog.
After some trail maintenance and site preparation, the rangers worked hard in the hot weather to carry out enough lumber to extend the boardwalk an extra 100 feet.
We are proud to have helped out with this project and looking forward to seeing the final result!
Always a favorite, our rangers set off to Mine Centre to work with Brian Love of the Fort Frances District Trappers Association to learn about pine martens and build nesting boxes.
Once constructed, rangers safely installed the boxes and recorded GPS co-ordinates. The locations then were mapped and sent to Love for his future work studying the pine marten population in our district.
For the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society’s annual fall fair in Emo (one of our most popular local events), the rangers pitched in by painting fences, putting up tents, and hauling shavings to the animal barns.
Then during the fair, rangers helped out at the gates, with grounds maintenance, and also in the small animal barn, making sure the animals were well-hydrated and taken care of.
We also had an outreach booth where rangers were on hand to talk to the public and promote our program.
It doesn’t end there, though. One of our new partnerships this year was a visit to the Rainy River Elk Farm on La Vallee Road North, where we learned about the actual practice of elk farming and elk breeding, and also were able to get up close and personal by feeding the elk.
Former MNRF biologist Bill Darby shared his knowledge of red-headed woodpeckers and showed us the enclosures he has created to restore their habitat.
During our last week, we were able to learn about the duties of MNRF conservation officers from Andrew Jourdain and Nick Lees of the canine unit.
Jourdain told us all about working in enforcement, and the importance of taking good notes and gathering evidence, while Lees introduced us to his new dog, “Raven,” and demonstrated the results of their extensive obedience training.
Lees explained how working dogs like “Raven” can be trained to sniff out particular odours depending on what district officers mostly look for (“Raven” is trained to find pickerel, deer, and gunpowder).
Although the rangers searched high and low throughout the compound, they only were able to find one thing while “Raven” found everything very quickly.
We wrapped up the season with our Stewardship Youth Ranger barbecue at the United Native Friendship Centre in Fort Frances. We’d like to thank all the parents, family, and friends who came to hear about all the projects we worked on and learned from this summer.
Finally, the Fort Frances and Kenora teams came together for the Ogimaa Binesiiyog Youth & Elders Summit in Onigaming, where we shared our stories with elders and partners from the surrounding communities.
Thank you to everyone for sharing ideas, giving advice, and your well wishes for the continuing success of our partnership.
Miigwetch!
