BCIT alumna and restoration officer Mae Whyte says Indigenous knowledge is key to successful ecological restoration – BCIT
July 23, 2020
Rolling green valleys, rivers teeming with rainbow trout, and roaming moose characterize this northwestern Canadian jewel—the Peace River Region. It has been home and life to generations of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia. It is also where BCIT alumna Mae Whyte puts her passion for both environmental conservation and community building into meaningful action.
“I would describe my job as helping to heal the land,” says Mae, who works in the region for Blueberry River First Nations as a Restoration Project Officer. “Basically, as a restoration practitioner, I write out a prescription for the land and implement it.”
Restoration with Indigenous content
Over the years, environmental degradation caused by human activities has changed the Peace River Region. However, with the help of experts like Mae, careful restoration can help reverse losses, promoting the recovery of ecosystems. This, in turn, can improve human wellbeing through things like improved water quality for the local community.
