Lessons learned from water
Youth look at state Mackenzie River basin at Alberta knowledge fair
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 9, 2016
EDMONTON
For two Fort Simpson students, the state of the Mackenzie River basin has never been more important.
SaNaeah Allen tests a design in Edmonton during the youth knowledge fair at the University of Alberta. - photo courtesy of Shanna Hagens
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Shaznay Waugh and SaNaeah Allen, both students at Thomas Simpson School, got a lesson in science - and gave one in return - to Edmontonians who dropped by the Youth Knowledge Fair at the University of Alberta, which ran from May 24 to 27.
The fair brought youth from the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, northern Alberta and Northern Saskatchewan to the university campus. Once there, youth delivered presentations and answered questions from judges and community members on the Mackenzie River basin.
Accompanied by supervisor Shanna Hagens, Waugh and Allen presented at the fair. They also had the chance to visit the University of Alberta Fisheries Research Centre, the Edmonton Art Gallery and the Telus World of Science, as well as participate in a tipi raising at the native studies building.
Waugh and Allen were hand-picked by Thomas Simpson School to attend the fair after standing out from their peers at the school when classes put together historical projects. While Allen focused his poster for the fair on the types of fish running through the Mackenzie River, Waugh combined philosophy, mining and science and titled her finished project "Quietus of Adam's Ale."
Focusing on pollution and the effects the mining industry have on the river, Waugh won first place for her compilation.
"I didn't expect to (win) but I was proud of my project," Waugh said. Although students were given the topic of the Mackenzie River basin, instead of choosing their own topic, Waugh said it's a topic she finds personally compelling.
"I think it's crucial that we understand pollution is actually a thing," she said.
"We have the science and technology to prevent it from going any further and damaging anything more but we're still not doing that. So I think, if I can make people aware of it, then that's great."
That enthusiasm made it easier for her to stand by while her project underwent public scrutiny. Professors from the university, along with participating peers, research partners and Global News were on-hand for the presentation, which Waugh said she developed from her own opinions as well as information she gathered from school and statistics from the Internet.
As for the river basin, Waugh says she was glad to advocate for reducing pollution and retaining Canada's water bodies in a province known for its oil sands.
"I think people should know the threat oil refineries and mining has on water. Once things like that are damaged, there's no way of undoing it - and water is very crucial right now," she said.
"It doesn't make any sense to pollute our main source of water for money, because that money will waste away."
As for Allen, finding information on the fish swimming through the river was not easy.
"It took me four days (to make my poster), because I was trying to search up info ... (and there) was no info on this," he said.
He eventually attended an information session on the river, where he took notes and collected information from pamphlets.
The knowledge fair was a part of Tracking Change, a new research initiative funded by the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada and led by the University of Alberta, the Traditional Knowledge Steering Committee of the Mackenzie River Basin
Board and the GNWT, among other partners.
