Winter camp season has come to an end and the camps were a great success! Two groups of 11-14 year olds gathered in Hay River this week to participate in the Hay River Fish Camps – two over night camps with Shawn Buckley, owner of Great Slave Lake Tours.

Shawn is a third generation commercial fisherman who shared his expertise about winter net fishing. The youth got to try each step of the fishing process and many got their hands dirty pulling the fish off the nets. We also had a chance to learn from Rose, Ecology North Education Program Manager, about the watershed in the NWT and how it affects the fish in Great Slave Lake as well as the climate in Canada. We had many great discussions about the environment and how youth can work to protect the environment in their Territory. It is such an inspiration to hear such young people discuss their environment.

The youth made awesome fish print tshirts to take home with them and had fun getting creative with different colours and patterns. Despite the cold temperatures and little shelter out on the lake, there were few complaints – what great Northern Youth!

Many thanks to all the youth who participated and to Shawn and Rose for sharing their expertise! Stay tuned for a recap of the Inuvik Camp and information about our summer programs! And a special thanks to all of our supporters who made this camp possible, especially Dominion Diamonds and MACA for their continued support!

If you’d like to see more pictures, check out our full albums on the Facebook page!