Rivers to Ridges

Throwback to program at Vista Outdoor Learning Centre at the end of May.

Rivers to Ridges spent the afternoon supporting women and femmes in feeling more prepared to be outside with children and young people.

Love to Nansi Cunningham for bringing us all together to connect on the land through play and reverence.

Check out what Rivers to Ridges + Caribou in the Schools + Carcross Tagish Renewable Resources Council got up to out at Skookie’s Culture Camp this weekend!

Celebrating Southern Lakes Caribou through art led to some beautiful creations.

Grateful for Coralee Johns, and and + all the Elders and young people that showed up to make the day so colourful.

Special shoutout to .regine for carving the stamps for this project, and coming to support the day!





Arctic Inspiration Prize

🌿 A little Rivers to Ridges magic is heading to the Yukon Plant Guild Yukon Plant Festival July 18 + 19. Potion-making, storytelling, plant hunts, wildcrafting, art, and more.

🎟️ Coming to the Plant Festival?
Make it a magical weekend for the whole family.

Spots are still available in the Kids Offering for ages 4–12.

There it is!

This incredible team brought home the Arctic Inspiration Prize for the Southern Lakes Caribou in the Schools Program.

And now the work really begins.

This prize provides three years of funding to bring on a Program Coordinator and move this program off the shelf and onto the land across the Southern Lakes region.We can’t wait to see youth, Elders, educators, and communities shaping this program together on the land.

Rivers to Ridges is honoured to be part of a team with the Southern Lakes Caribou Steering Committee, Kwanlin Dün First Nation Carcross/Tagish First Nation Carcross Tagish Renewable Resources Council Government of Yukon (Department of Environment) and others!

The Arctic Inspiration Prize requires projects to be nominated by a local ambassador, and we are deeply honoured to have been nominated by Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Alatini.

Shaw nithan to everyone who wrote us letters of support, reviewed our application, shared in-kind contributions, came to cheer us on last night. Mahsi cho to all of the Elders who contributed to the creation of this work, and to Copper Joe Jack of the Land and Peoples Relationship Model model for his guidance and teachings.

Congratulations to all of the other 2026 Laureates. What a beautiful night of art, celebration and inspiration.

Scroll through and see if you can spot a little photoshop action to bring a special Southern team member into the action! We love and miss you, Emily! You were right there with us.

Onward. 🧡🦌

Photos from AIP, and other wonderful friends in attendance!

More photos and more words to come!

Mahsi to the Arctic Inspiration Prize for this gift and for this photo.

WOW. We are so grateful for this team and this work.

The Southern Lakes Caribou in the Schools program is growing in Carcross!

This program is up for an Arctic Inspiration Prize next Tuesday, and we hope everyone will send good thoughts our way. Check out to register for the free event at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre !

An incredible team has been pushing to get this program into schools and to get students onto the land celebrating the Southern Lakes Caribou, and an AIP win would allow for a full program to be implemented alongside community members.

Come celebrate all the amazing finalists next week!

As always, Gunalcheesh to Ghùch Tlâ Community School for welcoming us. To all of the Elders and Knowledge Holders that keep this work alive!

IT’S TIME!

We’re celebrating *10 YEARS* of Crocus in Focus - where we savour the first flowers of spring in the Yukon Territory — and you’re invited to join the fun! 🌱💜

Let’s welcome the season with the most magical early bloomer: la-khel (crocus in Southern Tutchone, pronounced “la-hiel”)

Contest categories:
> First Crocus
> Best Photo
> Most Creative Photo

Ready to join? It’s super simple 👇

HOW TO ENTER:

1️⃣ Take a youngster on a hike to find a crocus in bloom.
2️⃣ Snap a photo of the youngster with the flowers.
3️⃣ Email it to [email protected] or DM us via Facebook or Instagram!
4️⃣ Stay tuned for the winners, announced in late May!

🎁 You could win a Rivers to Ridges prize!

⚠️ Important: Submitting a photo *does not* mean it will be used for promotion. Families own their photos and decide how they’re shared.

Let’s get out, savour spring, and celebrate together 💛🌿

Read all about the Youth On the Land Opportunities - YOLO Community Network Advisory Gathering on Chief Drygeese Territory last week!
https://youthontheland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SFTL-YOLO-Advisory-Gathering-Grounding-the-YOLO-Community-1.pdf

Bonus: Check out Wren's ptarmigan photo below. Try to count 'em all and enter the contest to win a prize: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkefEdtFSC_sTXW09DXRu_6NcBTSQD9evAALWlDs_zuOLQrQ/viewform

We probably could’ve spent another week together.

Our final strategic planning session at Bushkids NWT was exactly what we all needed - time together around the fire, beautifully facilitated, cozy in a wall tent and surrounded by the life force of this land-based children’s program.

Sharing gifts around the ice fishing hut and snowmobiling on the sunny frozen lake with Gabe and rounded out a stunning afternoon of connection with place and with each other.

If you work in land-based education ➡️ keep an eye on the work of Youth On the Land Opportunities - YOLO Community Network

Grateful to be on Chief Drygeese Territory this week with the Youth On the Land Opportunities - YOLO Community Network National Advisory Council.

There are some deeply talented humans here to direct the YOLO Community’s next steps, and it’s an honour to join this work.

Elder Be’sha Blondin and Wilbert Menacho are offering wisdom from their years on the land and with young people, and the youth voice is also strong and energetic.

Headed to bed dreaming of ptarmigan and big, frozen lakes!