Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, May 21, 2007

FORT GOOD HOPE - Being a Canadian Ranger requires many skills, and offers many opportunities.

For instance: You get to enjoy a lot of fresh air, carry a rifle and ride in helicopters from time to time.

On April 27 and 28, students from Fort Good Hope got the chance to be Rangers, as Chief T'Selehye school hosted two outdoor programs,

Teacher Sheldon Snow said one program was called "Take a Kid Trapping Day."

It involved approximately 20 students travelling in the wilderness and setting traps for animals like Muskrat.

Under the supervision of instructor Henry Charney, they also cooked food over a fire.

"It's all across the Sahtu, each community takes students on the land to teach traditional skills," Snow said of the program.

"It's to teach the kids their tradition: How to survive on the land, how to reap the benefits," he said.

Another trip was a ride in a military helicopter, which was organized by the local Canadian Rangers detachment.

"It's a very good career choice," Snow said, adding the local Junior Canadian Ranger squadron is quite popular.

He added more expeditions are planned for the future.

"The kids love it, and they really enjoy being out on the land. It was just amazing," he said.