Amber – Community-Based Monitoring (CBM)/Guardian,
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation’s Dene Lands & Resource Management (DLRM)

Best project you’ve worked on so far in the park?

So far, the best project I have worked on with parks is setting up trail cameras to take pictures of the bison. We flew in a helicopter to areas of the park where we observed the bison to be, then looked for a suitable place to land – a place with good habitat and trails. I loved standing in those game trails, thinking this must be the route the bison have taken for generations to leave such a physical imprint in the earth.

Favourite part of your job or the work you do?

My favorite part of my job is the variety! One day we could be flying in a helicopter going to remote lakes, getting into the water and collecting samples of micro invertebrates, or we could be driving a skidoo to go test water quality. Each day is something new and an opportunity to learn more about the [Peace-Athabasca] delta.

What do you love most about science?

I love science because as a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), it helps us to protect our traditional lands and territories. I love being able to inform our members if the water is safe to drink, or if the fish are good to eat and science makes that possible.

Is there anything you want to share about your career path? Do you have any stories to share about the work that may inspire others to pursue science or community based monitoring work?

I have a certificate in Community-Based Monitoring from Keyano College along with Collaborative Design from ACFN and many other Métis and First Nations in the region. It was a course that took a two-eyed seeing approach to science. It pairs Indigenous knowledge with western science to get the best of both worlds. Science and working on-the-land runs in my family – my uncles, cousins, grandparents, and now, myself.

My grandfather George (Ron) Davies was a park warden in Wood Buffalo National Park and my other grandfather Charlie (Jeune Homme) Flett had a touring business in the park. To work in the delta where they worked is very special to me.

I would encourage more woman and girls to choose science as their career, and to never think that you can’t do it, never think you’re not smart enough or athletic enough to do field work. It is a challenge but if there is one thing I know, it’s that women are up for that challenge.