IQALUIT
Along with a productive winter field camp for first and second year students, the environmental technology program at Nunavut Arctic College, in existence since 1987, celebrated its 100th graduate this year.

James Taparti builds a snow wall to protect his camp from wind at the winter field camp for the environmental technology program at Crazy Lake near Iqaluit, held April 9 to 15. - photo courtesy of Nunavut Arctic College

Troy Netser of Coral Harbour was designated with the honour of being the 100th graduate. He was joined by seven other diploma graduates and two certificate graduates who completed the program this year.

Jobs after completion are almost guaranteed in this field.

"In terms of employability, it's actually very, very high," said instructor Daniel Martin.

"Almost all of our grads end up working if they choose to. The employment out of this program is fantastic.

"We have a lot of our students go on to work as wildlife officers in a variety of communities. There are those that work with the Government of Nunavut in anything from air quality analysis to water quality. One's actually going on to be the new research co-ordinator for the new CHARS (Canadian High Arctic Research Station) going up in Cambridge Bay.

"It's a large variety of jobs."

During the two-year program, students participate in four field camps. There's one each fall and one each winter.

"Through that progression they develop a variety of skills," said Martin.

The camps simulate the real-life world of working in the field.

During the first year, students develop skills related to getting along in camp life and making sure everything is planned correctly. The winter camp during the first year also teaches basic survival skills.

"So the first year is setting them up for dealing with the outdoors," said Martin. "They concentrate a lot on building survival shelters, leadership skills. They do their advanced wilderness first aid. We also do all our firearms training. They're fully certified."

Martin says it's not like camping with friends.

"It's learning how to work with people, splitting camp chores and all those things."

Second-year camps get into the nitty gritty of monitoring out on the land.

"For the fall camp, we're getting into data collection, collecting samples and doing basic analysis - things an environmental technologist would expect to do."

For the winter camp, students head out about 12 km outside Iqaluit to Crazy Lake, one of the longest-studied lakes in the territory.

"The students collect chemical and physical data on the lake," said Martin.

This includes collecting data on snow depth, black and white ice thickness, lake depth and zooplankton collection. They also learn how to use a state of the art hydro lab to collect pH, salinity, turbidity, and other physical and chemical measurements of the lake.

Martin says this year a snow survey of the Crazy Lake watershed was added, to help researchers find out how much water is contained in the watershed and will be added to the watershed when it melts.

This year a masters student from a southern university participated in the camp to better be prepared for Northern field work.

"He came up to learn a variety of skills with our students, learn how to do work up here."

Graduates find work

Government of Nunavut positions, such as wildlife officers, environmental protection officers, wildlife technicians, and many other positions,

In federal government departments such as Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada

With various boards and agencies such as the Nunavut Research Institute, the Nunavut Impact Review Board and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board

National and regional Inuit organizations

Private industry in mining and resource development

Source: Nunavut Arctic College

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