Connecting local communities, travelers and businesses with the great experiences in northwestern Ontario and developing opportunities to engage in activities along the way is the task for Brigitte Champaigne-Klassen during the next year.
Engaged under the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund as a Community Engagement Intern for the Path of the Paddle Association and the Heart of the Continent Partnership, she will be connecting with the communities of Atikokan, Dryden, Kenora, Thunder Bay and Fort Frances as well as discovering Northern Minnesota. Her tasks will range from community engagement to web design to creating maps of the Path of the Paddle canoe route.
Brigitte, a graduate of Environmental Studies and Geography from the University of Ottawa, is not new to the area. She had spent last summer with the Quetico Foundation conducting environmental research in the remote wilderness near Atikokan. Her love for Northwestern Ontario’s rugged beauty and its sense of community brought her back North to spread the word of the great things taking place here!
The partnership between Path of the Paddle Association and the Heart of the Continent Partnership is a natural alliance. As non-profit organizations, they both seek to connect communities and promote sustainable use of our natural resources. Path of the Paddle Association is finalizing the development of a canoe/kayak route that travels through Kenora, Dryden, Atikokan and Thunder Bay that links the trans-Canada trail through the northwest. Heart of the Continent Partnership is a Canadian/American coalition of land managers and local stakeholders working together on cross-border projects that promote the economic, cultural and natural health of the lakes, forests and communities on the Ontario/Minnesota border. www.pathofthepaddleassociation.com www.heartofthecontinent.org
See you on the Path of the Paddle in the Heart of the Continent!