Yellowknife (June 30/03) - Three generations of Kugluktuk's Pederson family have served as Canadian Rangers.

Baba Pederson is a master corporal in the Rangers. His father has retired and his son is a new recruit.

"We're a very cost effective way for the military to have a presence up in the North," he said in a recent interview.

"We're the ones that live here on a daily basis and we know the land. We're in the neighbourhood and we can get on the scene pretty fast."

Pederson said the relationship between the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Rangers is one of exchange.

"We learn a lot from them and hopefully they learn a lot from us," he explained.

The Canadian Rangers have been standing on guard and asserting Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic for almost 50 years.

"People are coming through our North. The Navy can't get to the North most of the time and the Air Force doesn't have the planes to do it so it comes down to the Ranger on the ground," said Capt. Conrad Schubert, administration and public affairs officer for the Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters in Yellowknife.

Once the call comes in from a ranger, an officer from the Canadian Forces will be sent to the Northern community to investigate the suspicious events and to interview witnesses.

To keep the rangers skills sharp, an instructor from Northern area headquarters in Yellowknife travels to each community in the North every year.

New rangers are sworn in and everyone is taught about first aid, navigation, communication and surveillance. They are also taught to recognize Canadian aircraft and ships.

The response from regular force or reserve people who have come up to the North and trained with the rangers has been very positive.

"We look to them for their skill of being able to live out on the land," said Schubert.

"For Canadian Forces soldiers to be able to live on the land, they need to have trucks, ships and ultimately aircrafts. A ranger can load up his kamotiq, go out onto the land and stay there for weeks."