Vernon Alook is from Trout Lake, Alberta, and the second year Natural Resource Technician student at Lac La Biche's Portage College sees his role at this weekend's Ducks Unlimited dinner in Lac La Biche not just as part of his education, but part of the community's as well.
Alook, 25, will be volunteering along with the the rest of the first and second year students of the NRT program at the Feb. 2 Ducks Unlimited Dinner. Alook says the program he has chosen and the role of the organization he will be volunteering for have very similar goals.
"It's very important to conserve our forests and our wildlife — especially in northern Alberta," said Alook who credits his Aboriginal upbringing in the community near Peerless Lake in northwestern Alberta with his desire to preserve nature. "The forest has always been culturally important, and I want to preserve that."
Coming from a community of just 350 people, Alook says his two years at Lac La Biche's Portage College have been eye-opening. In particular, the support the local community has shown for events like the Ducks Unlimited dinner. He volunteered last year in his first year of the NRT program — and the first year the Ducks dinner had returned to Lac La Biche since the death five years before of the organization's local president.
"It was great to be part of it, to be there to bring it back and it was really great to see all the support frm the community," said Alook, who plans to continue his education when he graduates with his NRT certificate later this year. "Our program is transfereable, and I'd like to continue my schooling at the University of Alberta with a Sciences Degree."
Alook and his classmates will be at the Ducks Unlimited Dinner this Saturday, February 2 at the Portage College gymnasium. Tickets for the fundraising dinner and auction are $50 and will be available for a limited time from Ace Hardware, Louie's Car Wash and Remax Realty in Lac La Biche. NRT program coordinator Al Bertschi can also be contacted for tickets at 780-623-0865.
Portage College in Lac La Biche is one of only four educational institutions across Canada to be named as official Ducks Unlimited chapters.
All proceeds from the event will go to local and regional Ducks Unlimited projects. Last year, some funds from the night were designated by the Ducks Unlimited organizers to go back to the Natural Resouces program.
