On August 13th and 14th, the Nechako Watershed Roundtable (NWR) hosted the second annual Youth Canoe Trip in partnership with Integris Credit Union, the Rivershed Society of B.C., Koh-Learning in Our Watersheds, the Fraser Basin Council, and the Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society. This canoe trip was a huge success with a total of 18 youth joining over the course of the weekend! The youth in attendance were all between the ages of 13-20 years old and were all from communities within the Nechako Watershed, including Fort. St. James, Vanderhoof, Saik’uz First Nation, Prince George, and Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.
Two separate groups of youth joined to paddle a 25km section of the Nechako River, ending at Riverside Park in Vanderhoof. Each day of paddling started with a welcome to the traditional territory of the Saik’uz First Nation, an icebreaker for youth to get to know each other, and a statement of intent for the day. The purpose of this trip was to connect youth to the land, the water, each other, and the community by encouraging them to explore their place in nature. Youth learned about the history of the Nechako Watershed, the cultural importance of the life the watershed supports, water monitoring and water quality testing, sustainable outdoor recreation, and the connection between environmental health and community health. The NWR would like to extend a huge thank you to every community and community member that made this trip possible. If you, or a youth you know, are interested in becoming part of the NWR Youth Engagement Working Group to help advocate for the health of the Nechako Watershed and make events like this happen, please email Jordan at NWR@unbc.ca.
Two separate groups of youth joined to paddle a 25km section of the Nechako River, ending at Riverside Park in Vanderhoof. Each day of paddling started with a welcome to the traditional territory of the Saik’uz First Nation, an icebreaker for youth to get to know each other, and a statement of intent for the day. The purpose of this trip was to connect youth to the land, the water, each other, and the community by encouraging them to explore their place in nature. Youth learned about the history of the Nechako Watershed, the cultural importance of the life the watershed supports, water monitoring and water quality testing, sustainable outdoor recreation, and the connection between environmental health and community health. The NWR would like to extend a huge thank you to every community and community member that made this trip possible. If you, or a youth you know, are interested in becoming part of the NWR Youth Engagement Working Group to help advocate for the health of the Nechako Watershed and make events like this happen, please email Jordan at NWR@unbc.ca.