John Foster
I am a MSc Geography student working on a collaborative research project between the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (FNNND) and Carleton University. The watershed of the Stewart River (Na Cho Nyak) in central Yukon forms a large part of the FNNND Traditional Territory and has seen extensive disturbance from industrial activity, permafrost thaw, and wildfires. Our work aims to map and model the impact of these disturbances on surface freshwater water quality using spatially-explicit empirical techniques informed by landscape ecology, GIS, and remote sensing. The outcomes of this project will support evidence-based regional land-use planning, contribute new methods for watershed characterization, and help FNNND quantify the cumulative effects these stressors are having on aquatic environments in their Traditional Territory.
Having grown up on the shores of the Ottawa River, I developed a great love of water early on. For many years this enthusiasm was explored through whitewater kayaking, guiding wilderness canoe trips, and a little bit of scuba diving and sailing. While those adventures continue, my education at Carleton University has taught me the joys and frustrations of doing scientific field work waist-deep in streams, scrambling along slippery shorelines, and in canoes full of obscure equipment.
I am extremely grateful to the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun for inviting me into their community with such warm hospitality, and to Dr. Murray Richardson for supervising my work.