TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY - Kids attending Netsilik School in Taloyoak did their part for the environment the week of Aug. 24 by participating in the annual environmental camp outside the community.

Grade 2 students Luke Ukuktunnuaq and Leanna Kootook prepare to clean up the shoreline at Sandy Point outside of Taloyoak on Aug. 26. - photo courtesy of Mary Eetoolook

The five-day camp is a partnership with the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup project and the Vancouver Aquarium, according to Netsilik School principal Gina Pizzo. The partners provide gloves, garbage bags and other clean-up supplies as well as T-shirts for each participant.

This is the camp's 16th year, Pizzo said.

"It is a special week on the school calendar and is something the students really look forward to," she said. "We were fortunate this year to be blessed with great weather the whole week."

The entire staff and student body from kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in the cleanup, Pizzo said. The students hiked to Sandy Point about two km outside of Taloyoak and spent part of each day learning about the environment before cleaning up the site.

Activities were geared to each age group and included collecting and identifying plants, studying the geology and erosion of the lake's shoreline and participating in a scavenger hunt, Pizzo said. Students also constructed a traditional fishing weir called a haput and looked for fossils between cleanup sessions.

Eleven-year-old Aimo Keenainak said his favourite part of the camp was going rodding for fish, cleaning up and eating caribou stew. He said it is important to clean up the environment "so the birds could be better."

The group was fed a hot lunch of caribou stew and bannock prepared by retired teachers Kublu Tucktoo and Sarah Takolik each day, Pizzo said.

Ten-year-old Alishia Oleekatalik said students look forward to camp.

"We do it every year," she said.

She said she particularly enjoyed going for walks and drawing pictures of the land while at camp this year.

She said cleaning up the environment is important because of wildlife.

"Because the animals live in the Arctic," she said.

Oleekatalik said the group cleaned up garbage, wood and old tarps near the lake.

At the end of each day, the garbage was stacked for pick-up and students and teachers walked back to the school, Pizzo said.

Both Keenainak and Oleekatalik said they are already looking forward to next year's camp.