This month TNCC collaborated with Skeetchestn Indian Band, Skeetchestn Elder Terry Denault, and environmental educator Sue Staniforth, to share cultural knowledge and learnings with Skeetchestn youth through fun activities, teachings and more.

During the field day, the group visited Deadman Lake and Deadman Falls where they learned about the native plants, water and trees.

After Terry welcomed everyone, Sue led a sensory warm-up activity when the group arrived at Deadman Falls Lake. This engaged the youth in the environment around them to help “wake up” all five senses after the bus drive to the lake.

Using paint chips, Sue handed out colours to each of the participants with the goal of finding a piece of nature that matched the colour chip.

Terry spoke inspirationally to the group about the importance of the role youth have in protecting the land from the current and future effects of climate change. Terry also talked about ways Indigenous Knowledge and western science can be incorporated together to help us learn from new perspectives.

Terry led a nature walk around the Deadman Falls Lake and identified various plants sharing their cultural, nutritional and medicinal values.

At the second stop of the Field Day, Terry shared with the youth the significance of Deadman Creek Falls to the Skeetchestn community.

Sue led the final activity about the different parts of a tree and their roles in a tree’s system. Each youth picked a part of the tree to represent in a group activity that brought these concepts together.

Thanks to Wildlife Habitat Canada for their support of TNCC’s “Connecting With the Land: Youth Elder Field Days” project.