Honouring an individual or group that creates, presents or encourages conservation, habitat or wildlife programs for you
FORUM JEUNESSE DE L’ABITIBI- TÉMISCA - MINGUE
The region around Abitibi-Témiscamingue is rightfully famous for its lakes and rivers. At the same time, however, those bodies of water are suffering from issues including declining fish populations, blue-green algae blooms and shoreline erosion leading to the deterioration of aquatic habitats.
Forum Jeunesse de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue is facing these challenges head on. It’s the organization behind a broad community partnership — including schools, business, industry and other organizations — that formed to create a program called Engagés au fil de l’eau.
The goal of Engagés, now in its third year, is to educate local youth on environmental issues related to the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The program’s signature elements are hands-on activities that help young people explore issues, discover their local aquatic habitats and learn how to protect them. Programs have included adopt-a-river projects, the development of an amphibian and reptile inventory, and the installation of nesting boxes for tree swallows and wood ducks.
More than 4,000 area youth — from young children to people in their early 20s — have participated in Engagés au fil de l’leau since its launch. A further 10,000 people have been exposed to its educational messaging. These are important numbers, as awareness about wildlife and environmental issues is the cornerstone of conservation. Thanks to Engagés au fil de l’leau, that awareness is reaching new heights in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
