Community and government organizations gathered at Narrow Lake to give Athabasca University (AU) students a first hand lesson on lake management June 19.
The Long and Narrow Lake Stewardship Society, Alberta Lake Management Society, Athabasca Watershed Council and Alberta Environment and Parks helped instruct AU human sciences students about Narrow Lake and its biodiversity. Sixteen students participated in the outdoor lab, which included a journey out onto the lake in canoes to collect data and samples of living organisms for research projects.
AU lab instructor Carmen Allen said the outdoor lab gave students a valuable hands-on experience they cannot get in a classroom.
"Canada's really known for freshwater globally and we really need to protect this valuable resource," Allen said in an interview. "Some of them have never had this experience before depending on their background, so it's just really important they get familiar with lakes."
The data the students collected are used in student research projects, Allen said. Students also compare their data to ones gathered by students last year.
Collecting data and monitoring the Long Lake and Narrow Lake area is important to protecting the waterbodies, Allen said.
"They're monitoring the lake which can help with decisions down the road with these lakes," Allen said. Narrow and Long Lake, are really beautiful lakes and real gems of our country and so we want to keep them that way."
That data is being shared with the Long and Narrow Lake Stewardship Society, which provided canoes and expertise to the outdoor lab.
Outdoor educator and society member Ingo Hentschel said the data re-affirms the value of Long and Narrow Lake as healthy, which the society wants to work to protect.
"We recognize the value of these lakes and how special they are and we're just trying to keep them special for a long time," Hentschel said.
Students were also given the opportunity to examine lake life on-site with specialized equipment. Alberta Environment and Parks also delivered a demonstration on eletrofishing and gillnet usage.
Student Brigitte Edworthy said the experience at Narrow Lake was fun and educational.
"We have learnt a lot," Edworthy said in an interview. "A really in-depth understanding of the importance of biodiversity in Athabasca's lakes."
Allen said the exercise helps improve student engagement by showing them how important the data is to the people who live in Athabasca.
"Even if the students are from Toronto, or we have people from all over Canada coming this week, they can still see how this impacts these people that they meet here," Allen said.
