Opportunity Listings

CALL FOR TENDER
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. are looking for a person who can bring an Indigenous perspective to interpreting the heritage and ecology of these areas for the purpose of a GPS interpretive app. This work will aim to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons regarding perspectives on the land and provide the opportunity for cross-cultural learning about these lands and their history.
The GPS interpretive app aims to facilitate place-based learning for families, health and wellness enthusiasts, classrooms, nature lovers and greenspace park users. The Indigenous and Métis history of the land that is part of the afforestation areas is one aspect that needs to be included through virtual markers on the digital wayfinding app. The Old Bone Trail, by which Métis brought buffalo bones to the rail yards in Saskatoon, passed through the RSBBAA.
Interpretation should aim at identifying traditional connections with nature, as well as present day local plant names and the use of native plants for healing and medicinal purposes. The stories need to tie together indigenous terms for flora and fauna with Western Scientific classification systems. There has been an initial citizen science foray into the extant ecosystem for reference purposes.
Indigenous perspectives on the land and all the plants and animals found there need to be included. The inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, ethnobotany, Indigenous heritage and culture and Indigenous languages will be valuable, i.e., Integrating Indigenous philosophy and providing new models of how to relate to the land and restore and build relationships between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous communities. This also ties in with emerging ideas about healing through reconnection to land, e.g., forest bathing. Where appropriate, interpretation should speak to the sacredness of water and Indigenous People’s relationships with water and spirituality, and the tie-in to the West Swale wetlands, namely Chappell Marsh, and the human dimensions of water issues for Indigenous and non-Indigenous park space users – tourists, and local community.
The position requires a focus on knowledge of botanical and ecological ecosystems that can further iNaturalist sightings in the afforestation areas.

Who we are:
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (Friends) is a non-profit environmental charity looking after two greenspaces in Saskatoon, SK, namely the 326-acre Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (RSBBAA) and the 148-acre George Genereux Urban Regional Park (GGURP). We are working to protect these important naturalized areas, which are laboratories in ecological succession and habitats for federally and provincially listed species at risk.
The 50th anniversary of the planting of the afforestation areas is in 2022.

Skills and Qualifications
We are looking for someone with the following skills and qualifications
• A qualified education degree with hands on success and experience in outdoor/environmental education learning experiences.
• Knowledge and ability to render and submit reports / stories in a textual format such as Microsoft Word.
• Knowledge of archaeology / geology concepts and theories to align the story of the West Swale and the Yorath Island Glacial Spillway and the Paleoindian lifestyle and Ice Age Mammals.
• Demonstrated ability to relate and apply knowledge of Aboriginal knowledge, culture and ethical standards to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons regarding outdoor education opportunities in a public park space.
• Knowledge of Indigenous, Métis communities of Saskatoon and area as the two afforestation areas are situated on Treaty 6 territory.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and analyze the interpretive potential of the afforestation areas ecology and the heritage potential of the Old Bone Trail, from Indigenous and / or Métis perspective, incorporating Saskatchewan curriculum foundations.
• Experience facilitating ethnobotanical learning.
• Communication - Demonstrated verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• An understanding of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TECK)* and how it can be applied in the afforestation areas, including traditional and medicinal uses** of the plants found there, and dealing with invasive species and the impact of invasives.
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* To support 2021–2030 the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration


Project parameters:

This is a short-term contract position that will conclude when the writing/documentation is finished. The deadline for final completed contract submission is on or before February 22, 2023.
The work can be done at home according to a mutually agreed upon timeline to achieve goals and milestones. Coordination will be through email/zoom/phone.
The contract can be to help adapt existing stories to be inclusive of an Indigenous (or Métis) Lens (Treaty 6), and / or create new stories from scratch following the outlined principles as above or combination thereof.

How to Apply:
Send in a cover letter and resume to the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas attention GPS interpretive app team
Remuneration: Contract for $2,000
***Please Note***
We invite applicant to self-identify as Indigenous or Métis within cover letters and / or resumes