Tsilqot’in National Government (TNG) Rangers Corbett Johnny and Shawn Harry were helping staff a booth at the recent job fair in Williams Lake.
The Cariboo Chilcotin Aboriginal Training Employment Centre (CCTEC) hosted a large job fair May 4 and 5 and the two rangers were there to talk to interested candidates about their work and the TNG.
Both Johnny and Harry have been rangers since 2017, and got into the role after taking a security and law course.
“It kind of snowballed after that,” recalled Harry.
Both men were enthusiastic about the work they have done over the years as rangers, helping to manage the natural resources within the TNG title lands as a result of the Supreme Court decision which has granted TNG more authority over their traditional lands.
Ranger work can include anything from working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to BC Parks, to doing stream assessments and soil samples, said the pair.
One really interesting and unique project included helping with a grizzly bear collaring program.
The rangers were assisting a wildlife biologist weigh and take hair samples from tranquilized grizzly bears.
Weighing the massive animals was a challenging process which involved placing the bear on a tarp and then hoisting it off the ground using a tree and then attaching them to a hanging scale.
One bear was so large they maxed out the scale they had connected him up to, and it required adding a second scale.
“We put a lot of work into getting him up there, just to realize that,” laughed Harry.
The pair both said they enjoy the role of ranger.
“It’s really good, I like being outdoors,” explained Johnny, who is from the Tsideldel First Nation within the TNG.
Harry, who is from the Tl’etinqox First Nation, appreciates the diversity and challenges of being a ranger.
“It’s always changing, you need to adapt,” he said.
The two are based out of Alexis Creek and there are rangers based in Xeni Gwet’in as well.
To see job openings with TNG, go to the TNG website for more information.
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