Our team recently spent a couple of days in Wemotaci, combining hands-on educational workshops at the secondary school with an afternoon community meeting to share our latest research results.
🌱 Morning ateliers with students
During the morning, we led three interactive workshops designed to connect scientific approaches with traditional knowledge and local environmental realities:
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Traditional diet and language – exploring traditional foods and learning Atikamekw names for fish and animal organs, highlighting the importance of cultural knowledge in understanding ecosystems.
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Aquatic macroinvertebrates – discovering the macroinvertebrates that inhabit the Tapiskwan Sipi and what they reveal about river health.
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Flooding and river disturbances – discussing flooding dynamics and environmental changes along the Tapiskwan Sipi, including impacts linked to dam construction and river regulation.
These ateliers created space for dialogue, curiosity, and knowledge sharing, allowing students to engage directly with both science and their own territory.
🤝 Afternoon community exchange
In the afternoon, we met with members of the Wemotaci community to present and discuss our research data from recent years. This moment was dedicated to open conversation—sharing results, answering questions, and hearing community perspectives to ensure our work remains aligned with local priorities and lived experience.
This visit is part of a collaboration that has now been ongoing for over 10 years, built on trust, respect, and co-learning. We are deeply grateful for the warm welcome from students, educators, Elders, and community members, and we look forward to continuing this long-standing partnership together.
