Amber D.

Amber is a 23-year-old Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation member from Fort McMurray but has family roots in Fort Chipewyan.

Amber participated in the Community Based Monitoring Program (CBEM), sponsored by the Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC) at Keyano College. This program braids Western science with traditional knowledge. She heard about this program from an advertisement on Facebook that her cousin shared. Amber read more about this program and contacted ATC with questions and after that it became all she was talking and thinking about. She was so excited when she got into the program!

“We learned how to take samples of water, snow, soil and more,” said Amber. “We also learned how to identify different plants and animals, while also gaining knowledge from elders and land users along the way.”

Amber added, “The most surprising thing I learned is that by 2050, most of what is rich boreal forest is expected to be grassland and prairies. The biodiversity in our traditional lands will be lost. Climate change will impact the landscape on our traditional lands dramatically in the next 50 or so years.”

For Amber, the highlight of the program was the weeks on the land working with the Elders and land users. “It’s something I will hold in my heart for the rest of my life,” she said.

After completing the program, Amber was hired by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Fort Chipewyan. She enjoys being on the Delta where her family is from and where both of her grandfathers worked.

When asked what she would tell someone who is thinking about taking the CBEM course or similar program, Amber said: “I would totally recommend it. It was an amazing opportunity with teachings and skills that gave me a career”.

The Community Based Environmental Monitoring Program is a Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF) project with GOA AL&I First Nations Training to Employment Partnerships Program. The program is administered by MCFN-GIR on behalf of ACFN-DLRM, McMurray Métis and Fort Chipewyan Métis.