outdoor recreation

research in action: wabakimi partners with lakehead for research and experiential learning

published in the chronicle journal, saturday, april 4, 2020.

世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛
canoeing in wabakimi - view of their backs

for over 20 years, dr. tom potter, professor in outdoor recreation, parks, and tourism (orpt) at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , has maintained a working relationship with wabakimi provincial park.
more recently, alexa haberer, a technologist in the orpt program, has also been involved.
each year, potter and haberer facilitate two-week research journeys for about a dozen third year undergraduate 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in the orpt program.

the journeys are the culminating project for their field exploration course. the trips have three main learning goals: expedition planning and preparation, which they undertake throughout the year; gaining experience in remote back county travel in the northwest ecoregion; and fostering first-hand data collection.

“i am extremely grateful to the staff of wabakimi provincial park who have been highly supportive of our work over the years,” said potter.

shannon lawr, park superintendent, wabakimi provincial park, along with shannon walshe, park biologist, work with potter and haberer to identify the types of data collection that 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 could do to benefit the park, as well as canoe routes through the park that need attention. for example, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 might document evidence of caribou, conduct a population study of beaver, identify and document plant species, or evaluate the state of campsites and portage routes.

“the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 ’ research and recreation-based activities, linked to our canoe routes, fill information gaps in terms of park operations and resource management,” said lawr.

“the partnership with lakehead also ensures the next generation of paddlers contributes to wabakimi’s future and builds understanding as to why it is such a treasure,” he added.

hannah terejko, a fourth year orpt and natural sciences student from brantford, ont went on last year’s trip, and echoes this sentiment.

“it is one thing to hear about a park and how amazing it might be, but to get to know it and connect to it like it is home creates respect, and drives the motivation to maintain its health,” she said.

following the journeys, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 compile comprehensive research reports that they present to the park. through the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 ' detailed investigations, they make meaningful and unique contributions to park planning and management. they also expand their own vision and knowledge of the cultural, recreational and biological aspects of the park.

“it's a joy for me to watch 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 organise and conduct their data collection, and revel in their research accomplishments as they travel through some very challenging areas and environmental conditions,” said potter.

during the trip, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 are accompanied by qualified guides, including lakehead faculty or staff. when possible, park staff members join the expedition group, too, which gives the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 a chance to learn from someone working in their field. the experts, however, encourage 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to lead. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 plan out their roles for the trip, rotating between leader, navigator, chef, head researcher, and assistant researcher positions.

“everyone gets a chance to do everything, so each gets a chance to let the leadership skills they’ve developed over the program shine,” explained haberer.

when asked about what she will take from the experience, terejko reflected on these leadership skills.

“being able to work with others and take initiative where it is needed, even in small tasks, can be more help to the group than it might seem, and is a great skill to bring into future jobs and careers,” she said.

potter also noted the unique opportunity for not only hands-on learning but personal growth.

“their projects encourage them to struggle more, see more, learn more, and appreciate more. and, they get to learn how challenging, exciting, and useful research can be,” he said.

photo description: 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 outdoor recreation 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in wabakimi provicial park summer 2019
photo credit: hannah terejko
story written by: phebeann wolframe-smith
story published in chronicle journal "research in action series" april 4, 2020

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wabakimi

阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 outdoor recreation

outdoor rec

outdoor recreation

ontario parks

experiential learning

community-engaged research

outd4370 sailing on superior

just prior to the start of fall classes, a fourth year elective class undertook a 12 day sailing experience along the north shore of lake superior. click here to see a video of their experience.

orpt 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 take part in international coastal cleanup day

on september 16^th, 2017, parks canada hosted the international coastal cleanup day along the shores of mountain bay, east of nipigon. the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 outdoor recreation, parks & tourism program joined the cause, prepared for a long day’s work and experiential learning.

chuck hutterli, a mountain bay area resident, has been a long-time ambassador for coastal conservation. he has been extracting nurdles, small plastic pellets, from local beaches for almost ten years. on january 21^st, 2008, a cp train derailed west of rossport resulting in three rail cars spilling their load of plastic nurdles. due to the tremendously cold and snowy weather conditions at the time, cp was unable to completely clean up the spilled pellets. with wind, rain and snowmelt, the nurdles made their way into lake superior. the result was the dispersal of nurdles throughout the area, where they still wash up on the shore. hutterli hosted the event at his home where we all 37 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 gathered to learn and understand the true impact these tiny plastic beads have on the environment. they learned how nurdles are meticulously removed from the sand and were given the choice to either remain in one location collecting nurdles or to be dropped off further away to clean the shoreline of debris.

after a delicious lunch, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 set out with one goal in mind; to make the area cleaner than when they arrived. some of the larger items found included a number of unusual objects, some of which are toxic to the environment. from cigarette packs, inhalers, to rusted empty oil drums, more than a dozen bags were filled to the brim. five kilometres of beach were combed, accumulating fifty pounds of trash and nearly 200, 000 nurdles.

the overall experience was extremely eye-opening. at the end of the day, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 better understood the impact humanity has on our waters. our oceans, lakes, and rivers are all fragile biotic zones which need our attention. in some areas in the world, fifty pounds of debris on a shoreline certainly does not stretch for five kilometres. the level of waste washed up on shore must be reduced significantly to see a positive change in our earth’s waters.

the outdoor recreation team can’t wait for next year! thank you, parks canada and chuck hutterli, for setting up an excellent initiative.