Prince George, B.C. – Pacific NorthWest LNG has donated $10,000 to help fund a summer experiential learning course offered by the University of Northern British Columbia.

Dr. Darwyn Coxson, UNBC’s Ecosystem Science and Management professor is teaching the course and says 20 students will participate and notes it will take place in the Skeena River estuary in August. 

“We’re really excited about. It’s a systematic botany course, it’s a third-year university course that we normally teach in the fall semester here at the Prince George campus,” he says.

“But we’re offering it this summer in a 10-day field course setting. Five of those days will be based out of the Northwest Community College labs in Terrace and the other half of the time will be taught out of the Cassiar Cannery in Port Edward.”

Coxson says it’s a unique opportunity for students as the Cassiar Cannery sits on a long stretch of pristine salt marsh featuring rich bio-diversity.

“So, students will be able to set up a temporary lab there and will learn how to identify plants and do some basic inventory of what’s around the area.”

In the past he says the course had been offered every other year in Terrace but without the Cassiar Cannery component.

“This is an amazing learning opportunity. In the fall, I could show students pictures of plants but there’s a whole part of learning they’re missing.”

“Pacific NorthWest LNG is pleased to support the important research being undertaken by the University of Northern British Columbia and students in the Inverness Chanel,” says Brian Clark, environmental studies advisor for Pacific NorthWest LNG.

“Through hands-on learning and field studies that will further enhance the educational experience of each student, these studies will also provide more information about the soil, environmental conditions, and plant composition of Inverness Channel.”