An international workshop on the environmental history of northern Canada took place at Traill College on October 29 and 30, 2011.  Fifteen historians from across Canada, the United States, and Great Britain participated in two days of active conversation and exchange of insights.

"It was an amazing weekend" commented Stephen Bocking, Chair of the Environmental and Resource Science/Studies Program, and co-organizer of the workshop.  "It was a privilege to be able to welcome so many wonderful colleagues to Peterborough, to have an opportunity to learn from them, and to add another chapter to the distinguished history of northern studies at Trent."

Workshop participants included Brad Martin of Yukon College, who also co-organized the workshop, Tina Loo, Tina Adcock, and Jonathan Peyton from the University of British Columbia, Liza Piper from the University of Alberta, Matthew Farish from the University of Toronto, Emilie Cameron of Carleton University, Terry Fenge, a northern consultant based in Ottawa, John Sandlos and Arn Keeling of Memorial University, Andrew Stuhl of the University of Wisconsin, Hans Carlson of the University of Vermont, Paul Nadasdy of Cornell University, and Marionne Cronin of Oxford.

The workshop was an essential step in assembling an edited collection that will examine the history of the northern environment and northern peoples.  Each participant had circulated in advance a draft of a paper intended for this volume.  On the first day of the workshop, the author of each paper gave a brief presentation, which then provoked active discussion, with everyone sharing insights, identifying key questions, clarifying arguments, and highlighting relevant literature.  Conversations were informal and wide-ranging, focusing on topics such as contaminants research, sustainability, anti-modernism, mine abandonment and reclamation, indigenous politics, nutritional science, mega-projects, aviation, and militarism.

On the second day of the workshop, participants highlighted common themes among the chapters, including issues of boundary-making, scale, and place; mobility and global connections; exploration/exploitation; the construction and contestation of knowledge; and adaptation. These themes, in turn, will help organize the volume – and, it is expected, will contribute to setting the agenda for future research on the history of northern Canada.

The workshop was funded by NiCHE: the Network in Canadian History and Environment (a SSHRC Strategic Knowledge Cluster), and by the Yukon Research Centre of Yukon College.  The edited volume is scheduled to be published by the University of Calgary Press in Spring 2013.