Contaminants Monitoring 

Traditional foods are an important source of nutrition and have spiritual, social, and cultural significance for the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Mining in the Atlin area has left many community members concerned about heavy metals entering their food sources.

This project looks at contaminant levels found in moose, grayling, and lake trout within the Traditional Territory. The purpose of the monitoring is to determine whether these animals and fish are still safe to eat and to provide baseline data to see if contaminant levels are changing over time.

The Land Guardians will collect of samples from the freshwater fish. Moose samples will be collected in coordination with resident and non-resident hunters in that Atlin area.

As part of the project, the Land Guardians will spend time on the land doing outreach with hunters and educating them about the project.

The Land Guardians will also receive training in contaminants sampling. This training will also be open to interested community members and youth.