Antler River Guardians to Receive National River Conservation Award of Merit

Antler River Guardians to Receive National River Conservation Award of Merit

MUNCEY, ONTARIO – October, 18 2016 – The Canadian River Heritage Conference designates three awards every three years, during the Canadian River Heritage Conference. This award is given to groups or individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding level of leadership in river conservation, either on a Canadian Heritage River or at a national level.

The Antler River Guardians of the 4 Directions consists of First Nations’ youth from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Caldwell First Nation and Bkejwanong First Nation. The group was launched through the First Nations Youth Stewardship Program by the Thames River Clearwater Revival’s First Nations

Engagement Committee in 2015 with the intention to understand, preserve, and share the Traditional & Ecological Knowledge of the Thames River. The river is central to our culture and sustainability as First Nations people.

“The Antler River Guardians of the 4 Directions Great Lakes is a vessel of youth synergy and is crucial from a worldview of Indigenous traditional knowledge. This youth program is ideal to inaugurate Indigenous lifelong learning of the protection of water.” – Councillor George Henry

The youth group has also been heralded as Conservation Heroes and has won an award in the Passionate Youth category from Carolinian Canada’s Conservation Awards, to be presented on October 25^th at the Toronto Botanical Gardens as part of Carolinian Canada’s 2016 Forum “Restoring Resilience: Big Impacts Across Small Spaces”.

The Antler River Guardians are honoured to receive the Award of Merit for their efforts in River conservation.

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For more information, contact Chief Leslee White-Eye, 519-289-5555.