Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 14/01) - A group of Weledeh Catholic school students are learning a little more about life in the wild, thanks to the school's outdoor club.

Last week, North Slave senior wildlife officer with Renewable Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development Raymond Bourget was on hand to teach the students in grades 6 through 8 about the merits of using a compass, and identifying animal tracks at Niven Lake.

"It's basically to get them interested in the environment," said Bourget.

"If they have fun doing it, they're more likely to continue into the future, and be more conscientious of the environment."

Teaching intern Kyla Fennig said the club has made several visits to Niven Lake already this year, and the students have been finding the forays more rewarding.

"It's only a 10- minute walk from school," said Fennig. "Our first time here, the kids were able to get within two feet of the beaver that lives here.

"So a bunch of the kids have been coming back looking for it." The object of last Tuesday's exercise was to learn to navigate around the lake using only a compass. Along the way, Bourget pointed to a variety of animal tracks that criss-crossed the lake.

He talked about the differences one should look for. For instance, a wolf has four toes as opposed to a bear's five.

One set of tracks in particular, had one youngster buoyed with excitement.

"I like to see foxes," said Grade 6 student Dani Guerrero, as the group followed the tracks to a rocky outcrop.

"I was in Spain this summer, and I didn't see any there, but since I got back I've seen 10 already."