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Phil Marsh

Northwest Territories funds Laurier research into environmental issues

Three Laurier researchers have received funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories to help answer important questions about environmental issues in Canada's North.

Jennifer Baltzer, Derek Gray and Philip Marsh each received funding for separate projects as part of the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program, which aims to provide an understanding of environmental trends and the impacts of human and natural changes in the Northwest Territories. The goal of the program is to provide information to resource managers, governments and communities in the territory to aid in future decision-making.

Baltzer received $120,000 for her continuing project "Impacts of wildfire extent and severity on caribou habitat: from woodland to barren ground."

Jennifer Baltzer
Jennifer Baltzer

Gray received renewed funding of $98,000 for his project "How will fish communities in Gwich'in lakes respond to climate change?" Marsh received $60,000 for his project "Changes in water within the Mackenzie Delta-Beaufort Region as indicators of aquatic health."

"These environmental monitoring and research projects, which use scientific and traditional sources of knowledge, are critical for the future of the North and sustainable development in the territory," said Robert C. McLeod, Government of the Northwest Territories minister of environment and natural resources.

In 2010, Laurier signed a 10-year partnership agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories to support the territories’ capacity to conduct environmental research and the training of highly qualified personnel in natural resources disciplines.

Top photo: Laurier researcher Philip Marsh.

Derek Gray
Derek Gray