Garden River youth recognized with Ontario Power Generation John Wesley Beaver Memorial Student Award
By Rick Garrick
TORONTO—Garden River’s Aaron Jones, one of this year’s Ontario Power Generation John Wesley Beaver Memorial Student Award recipients, enjoyed the opportunity to work on a lake sturgeon research project this summer.
“It was awesome — I spent a lot of time out on the boat and out in waders setting up nets and actually trapping sturgeon and putting in tags and transponders,” says Jones, who is in the final year of the three-year Natural Environment Technologist Conservation and Management program at Sault College.
“We spent the first half of the project catching fully grown adult sturgeon that were getting ready to spawn or just coming back from a spawn. And then in the second half of the project we were netting for larval sturgeon, ones that just hatched that year.”
Jones says the adult sturgeon averaged about 40 pounds in weight, with the biggest one weighing about 70 pounds.
“The biggest one we caught had to be about four-and-a-half feet long at least, probably five feet,” Jones says. “What they’re trying to do with this project is to get an idea of the population of the sturgeon in the Garden River. We’re just getting a general idea of how healthy our sturgeon are around this area.”
The John Wesley Beaver Memorial Student Awards, announced on Aug. 14, reflect the Ontario Power Generation (OPG)’s commitment to supporting Indigenous youth in their field of post-secondary studies. The other award recipient was Elizabeth Brant, a Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte citizen.
“Congratulations to both Elizabeth and Aaron for their continued academic success,” says Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous Affairs. “Your community involvement, academic excellence, commitment to the environment and hard work is a shining example to follow and a sign of a bright future ahead.”
John Wesley Beaver graduated as an electrical engineer from Queen’s University and worked at Ontario Hydro for 23 years, beginning in 1949. OPG has awarded two scholarships in Beaver’s memory since 1997.
“These awards highlight Ontario Power Generation’s commitment to supporting Indigenous youth pursuing higher education,” says Jeff Lyash, OPG president and CEO. “On behalf of Ontario Power Generation, I congratulate both Elizabeth and Aaron on their exceptional academic achievements and commitment to their communities.”
In addition to a $3,000 scholarship, Jones also received a painting by Rick Beaver during the award ceremony, which was held at the OPG head office in Toronto.
“It was such a beautiful painting and that meant a lot to me,” Jones says. “Being able to have a scholarship like this allows me to take the jobs that will get me the experience to get better jobs.”
Jones enrolled in the Natural Environment Technologist Conservation and Management program because he wanted to work in the outdoors sector. He previously worked as a kayak guide and cave guide after graduating from the Adventure Tourism program at Westcoast Adventure College.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do yet, so that is why I took a program that had a little bit of everything,” Jones says. “Something I am quite interested in that has piqued my interest quite a lot this past year has been Indigenous land management, so how First Nations bands manage their natural resources within their community and within traditional territories.”
Jones was also recognized in May with a Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth by the Forest Products Association of Canada.