Algonquin Avenue Public School held an interactive event to recognize National Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing Day.
The school received visits from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries unit, K9 Unit, and Enforcement Unit, as well as the Northwestern Ontario Fur Trappers Association, Thunder Bay District Health Unit, and Skyline Falconry.
Students learned about a variety of topics including environmental protection and various types of animal furs, also being educated on skills such as archery and fishing.
Principal of Algonquin Avenue Public School Darren Lentz says educating students on the environment is crucial if we want them to preserve it.
“Anytime we can get kids interested in the indoors, that’s such an important thing,” says Lentz. “Whether they be hiking, biking, hunting fishing, trapping, doing anything outdoors, we want them to build a relationship with the outdoors and learn to love it, and they’ll learn to protect it. That’s what we have to do in the end and we have to teach kids how to do that. It’s an awesome opportunity to get community partners from in and around the area to come in and share their love and knowledge of the outdoors and connect that back to the curriculum back in the classroom.”
Conservation Officer and Canine Handler with the Minister of Natural Resouces and Forestry Andy Heerschap said the event helps kids understand the environment and the regulations we have in place to protect it.
“It’s important for kids to understand the job that we do,” explains Heerschap. “It helps people relate to the rules, and there’s lots of rules and regulations when you’re hunting and fishing, and if we’re out talking to kids early on then it just helps them relate to why we’re enforcing the rules and why they’re in place.”
Heerschap brought along a service dog with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry named Rex, who helps locate evidence at crime scenes and track missing people, also being a great way to get kids engaged with the educational aspects.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit was also involved, making a three sisters soup for students.
Karling Draper is a Registered Dietician with the health unit and say the idea was to help kids understand more about good, fresh food that you can grow yourself.
“Everyone was given a sample along with a biscuit, it gives them the opportunity to try something new, maybe they’ve never seen it before, maybe they’ve never tried it before, new flavours, new vegetables, things like that,” says Draper. “Really it’s just an opportunity to talk about things we can grow in our area, things that we might incorporate into our diets, things we can make at home.”
Draper says getting kids to try new, healthy foods is important and that it can take multiple exposures for a child before they are comfortable with adding it to their diets.
Stations were set up across the school, all public health and safety guidelines in place and followed.
