RED LAKE, Ont. -- The Red Lake Scouts have kicked off a hotly anticipated season, operating for the first time after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus.
The Red Lake Scouts and the Red Lake Evolution Mine partnered on Sept. 24 to plant trees in the area behind shaft 3 for their 2022 kickoff event.
The tree planting is the annual kickoff event for the Red Lake Scouts, aligned to coincide with National Forestry Week. 25 kids came to this event with their families, totalling around 50 people. A hamburger lunch was served afterwards at the mine cafeteria.
The trees were donated by Red Lake Forest Management Company Ltd (RLFMC) and PRT Dryden. Scout Leader Robert Partridge works for RLFMC and was able to provide 65 trees for this event.
The scouts have been an active group in the Red Lake area, but was unable to run for two years after COVID hit. This year they were able to gain enough volunteers to run again.
The scouts are run entirely through volunteers. Partridge has been part of the Red Lake Scouts as a leader since he came to the area 15 years ago. He attended scouts as a child and has always enjoyed being outdoors. Becoming a scout leader was a natural leap for him.
“It is just 100 per cent fun - with some activities, the competitiveness overshadows the fun,” says Partridge. “It gets kids out in a safe and comfortable way, and they get to learn some new skills along the way.”
The Red Lake Scouts do many different activities in the area - everything from camping, hiking, canoe trips, and crafts to going to Scouts Canada Jamboree’s. They also participate in the annual Christmas parade and put together a float.
“We live so close to the bush, but we sometimes need that excuse to get out,” says Partridge, “everything we do is centred around being outside.”
Partridge is currently in the process of organizing a trapper event later this fall. For this event, the kids will get to go out with people from the trapper’s association to check traps and learn about their work.
