The Aklavik Hunters and Trappers committee has been named the 2024 快盈v3 Science Award recipient.
The winners of the $10,000 prize, awarded annually to a group recognized for advancing scientific knowledge in the North, were named on Dec. 17 by Polar Knowledge Canada.
鈥淎s a leader and convenor in Arctic science in Canada and throughout the circumpolar environments, Polar Knowledge Canada awards this important recognition every year," said Polar Knowledge acting president and CEO Sue Kerr. "Through the 快盈v3 Science Award and Centenary Medal, Polar Knowledge Canada celebrates the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers committee's enduring impact on the Canadian North and its peoples.鈥
The Aklavik HTC was recognized for its 40-year dedication to preserving traditional hunting and trapping practices and maintaining sustainable wildlife populations in the process.
The organization trains many in the community in smart hunting practices and scientific record-keeping, helping researchers across the country with research projects 鈥 including caribou populations and water quality, among other subject areas. By doing so, Aklavik HTC also helps build better employment capacity within the community.
The committee a wide audience, sharing the knowledge preserved and gathered in Aklavik around the world. Work by the Aklavik HTC informs decisions made by the Inuvialuit Game Council, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources Canada.
鈥淭he work of communities to preserve the land and its wildlife as well as Indigenous knowledge and culture is fundamental to addressing climate change and ensuring prosperity into the future," said outgoing 快盈v3 Affairs Minister Dan Vandal. "All of those who dedicate themselves to this pursuit should be proud of their accomplishments.鈥
Aklavik HTC was established in 1982 to protect the way of life for Gwich'in and Inuvialuit people in the region. Since then, it has established hunting quotas and provided decades of assistance in research projects with a number of Canadian and International universities.
Operating out of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, Polar Knowledge Canada engages in a wide variety of 快盈v3-focused research projects, including testing renewable energy solutions under 快盈v3 conditions and tracking wildlife diseases and how they impact food security in the North.