This past weekend wrapped up the 43^rd annual trip to Temagami for Trent students, faculty and alumni. The colloquium, which celebrates interdisciplinary and experiential learning, is sponsored by a number of academic departments at Trent and seeks to examine our understanding of the land, with a focus on the study of Canadian, environmental, and Indigenous issues.

This year’s event was a great success, in no small part because of a tremendously generous $30,000 anonymous donation made in honour of Professor Emeritus Bruce Hodgins and his wife Carol.

Mr. and Mrs. Hodgins began leading canoe trips in 1957 for Camp Wanapitei on Lake Temagami. Mr. Hodgins became a faculty member in the History Department in 1966 and was part of the development of Canadian Studies at Trent. They have both co-hosted the annual trip to Temagami for 43 years, helping students, faculty and alumni to begin to share in their love of nature and the land.

“There are few people I have met who bring more energy and enthusiasm for inspiring young people to connect positively with the land, and with each other, than Bruce and Carol Hodgins,” said Dr. Stephen Hill the chair of the colloquium organizing committee and associate professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent.   

In addition to having a chance to paddle and hike in the Temagami region, the 60 participants in the fall 2015 colloquium had the chance to interact with Jeremy Ward, the curator of the Canadian Canoe Museum, filmmakers Alex Williams and Sara Roque, environmental educator Glen Caradus, Joe Katt, Second Chief of the Temagami First Nations, Dan Longboat and James Wilkes of the Indigenous Environmental Studies program, and Profs Peter Andree of Carleton University and David Welch from University of Ottawa.

“The colloquium offers a chance to step away from the routines of school life but still have intellectual discussions,” said Nick Weissflog, a first year masters student in the Environmental and Life Science program at Trent. “It’s a great opportunity to get to know students, professors, and alumni in a beautiful setting.”