N-CAMP Frolics in Kugluktuk

Jimmy Jacquard, Fisherman

From the desk of Jimmy Jacquard, Fisherman... errr... Road Warrior:

The third and last community consultation for the Nunavut Community Aquatic Monitoring Program (N-CAMP) took place in Kugluktuk April 10th-12th. What a great time to be in Kugluktuk, as the week-long activities known as the Frolics were happening. For those of you city folks (Iqaluit, I mean), the Frolics would be the equivalent of Toonyk Tyme, except that they last longer and there are more events. It was a great time of year to visit Kugluktuk as many people were out and about, which made it easier for us to spread the N-CAMP idea to key community stakeholders.

We were not surprised that everybody we spoke to was very excited about the N-CAMP idea. Providing such training empowers communities and makes them less reliant on outside agencies, and who wouldn’t like that? The Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO), the Hamlet, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA), the regional office of the Government of Nunavut's Department of Economic Development and Transportation (ED&T), individuals we spoke to from other various departments, and the general public were all in strong favour of offering such training.

Unlike in Coral Harbour and Igloolik, where the focus was more on developing the economic potential of the local fisheries, the residents of Kugluktuk have a priority that overshadows everything else. That priority is the Coppermine River, the very river that has provided drinking water and food to the Copper Inuit for countless generations. People from the community want to have the ability to test their river for contaminants, and to have the skills to ensure that the fish from the river are safe to eat. There are operating mines at the headwaters of the Coppermine and there is much more exploration and development underway, which is a cause of concern for residents of Kugluktuk. As passionately stated by an elder during our visit, “The river has always been the lifeblood of the community.”

Snowmobile races on the Coppermine as part of the Frolic festivities

Although the N-CAMP program will have a core set of modules for aquatic monitoring and data gathering, additional modules may very well need to be prepared to meet the needs and priorities of communities. For Kugluktuk, this means the Coppermine River. Placing a high value on the very things in nature that sustain life is certainly not done enough in this day and age... Good on you Kugluktuk!

The N-CAMP consultation visits are completed, and it is now time to gather our team and write the report that will be used to gather the support and funding needed to move the project forward to Phase II. Exciting times in the world of aquatic monitoring program development!