A new program that will promote land stewardship in the Ghost Watershed area while simultaneously treating youth with substance addictions may soon be in the works.
Enviros, a non-profit youth rehabilitation service, is looking to team up with the Ghost Watershed Association Society (GWAS), an organization which focuses on preservation and enhancement of the integrity of the ecosystem in the Ghost Watershed area.
Though there is no official partnership yet, both parties agree the program would be beneficial.
“We are always looking for opportunities for clients to get involved with their community and because of our location, their community happens to be the Ghost Valley area,” said Chris Sullivan, who works at the Enviros Base Camp, a three-month intensive program situated in the watershed area.
Base Camp is one branch of the Calgary-based Enviros organization, which offers services ranging from foster care to substance abuse.
The camp is a live-in adventure wilderness program and it helps rehabilitate teens between the ages of 13 and 18 by having them do work in the community and develop a better understanding or appreciation of the environment.
“There are not many teens that will come in with an environmental perspective - I think it’s one of those things that might open up some thought and opportunities for them to see what else exists in the world,” Sullivan said, adding it gives the teens an opportunity to give back to their community.
Sullivan said the lessons they learn while working and playing in nature at the camp can be applied to real-life situations.
“The struggles that a young person may face due to addiction or conflict or what have you, perhaps having them climb a mountain and utilizing a metaphor from that experience – the challenges, successes that come from climbing a mountain – and how they correlate could be utilized when they get back in the city and have to face challenging situations,” Sullivan said.
While the group is only just acquainting themselves with GWAS, Sullivan said they have done some work with them in the past including a garbage clean up in the spring.
However, Sullivan is hoping the program will lead to involvement with some of the reclamation work that GWAS does.
“Some of the relatively hard work – the replanting of shoreline vegetation, we’d definitely be interested in doing that with the clients,” Sullivan said.
The watershed alliance group echoes the enthusiasm for the program.
“This is completely new for us to work with them, but we are thrilled,” said Marina Krainer, executive director.
Several times per year, GWAS hosts walks and hikes through the Ghost Watershed to promote interest and awareness of the area. Krainer suggested she would also be happy to involve clients from Enviros in the walks.
“That’s what I’m hoping, that they see the environment with a little bit of a different eye,” Krainer said.
