Dacho Poole
Resource Management Technician, Parks Canada (2025-present)
Operations Trainee, Parks Canada (2023-25)
Operations Trainee, Parks Canada (2023-25)
My name is Ɂedacho Poole. I am a subarctic boreal forest native man with a Dënesųłıné given name and American surname raised in Łutsël K’é. I am the great-grandson of Madeline and Jonas Catholique and the grandson of Victoria and Isadore Sanderson and Florence Catholique.
I’ve been working with Parks Canada in Łutsël K’é for over two-and-a-half years now. I can say with full honesty that it is hands down the best job I’ve ever had.
Since being hired as a Parks Canada trainee, I’ve had the chance to learn a little bit of everything from the different positions currently working in Thaıdene Nëné National Park Reserve, such as planning for field work and engaging with the public and local land users about ongoing projects such as various sites marked for clean up within the park.
I’ve also had the chance to take training courses such as advanced wilderness first aid and CPR, chainsaw safety and operations, drone pilot basic operations, moving water canoe training, swiftwater safety and rescue, trail building training, small vessel operator proficiency, snowmobile safety and operations, aircraft underwater egress, predator defence, and fire arms handling.
I’ve wholeheartedly enjoyed my time with Parks Canada so far. There are a few key moments worth mentioning. The first is our 2023 canoe trip down the Snowdrift River into Siltaza Lake. I was one of six people who got the opportunity of a lifetime, not only to take part in this canoe trip, but to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors. The very thought of being able to do so overwhelmed me. I was beyond grateful and determined to reach our end goal. The landscapes were breath taking. I was in a beautiful place where the blueberries are juicy and where lone wolves go to dance while muskox roam the shores freely. Seeing wildlife in their natural state was astonishing. The experiences we shared will forever be a most cherished memory. Of course, to see just how magnificent it is you’d have to venture out into the unknown and see for yourself.
I’ve been working with Parks Canada in Łutsël K’é for over two-and-a-half years now. I can say with full honesty that it is hands down the best job I’ve ever had.
Since being hired as a Parks Canada trainee, I’ve had the chance to learn a little bit of everything from the different positions currently working in Thaıdene Nëné National Park Reserve, such as planning for field work and engaging with the public and local land users about ongoing projects such as various sites marked for clean up within the park.
I’ve also had the chance to take training courses such as advanced wilderness first aid and CPR, chainsaw safety and operations, drone pilot basic operations, moving water canoe training, swiftwater safety and rescue, trail building training, small vessel operator proficiency, snowmobile safety and operations, aircraft underwater egress, predator defence, and fire arms handling.
I’ve wholeheartedly enjoyed my time with Parks Canada so far. There are a few key moments worth mentioning. The first is our 2023 canoe trip down the Snowdrift River into Siltaza Lake. I was one of six people who got the opportunity of a lifetime, not only to take part in this canoe trip, but to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors. The very thought of being able to do so overwhelmed me. I was beyond grateful and determined to reach our end goal. The landscapes were breath taking. I was in a beautiful place where the blueberries are juicy and where lone wolves go to dance while muskox roam the shores freely. Seeing wildlife in their natural state was astonishing. The experiences we shared will forever be a most cherished memory. Of course, to see just how magnificent it is you’d have to venture out into the unknown and see for yourself.
Second, I submitted a write up about the canoe trip to the Parks Canada calendar contest, and a photo I took of three muskox was chosen to appear in the 2024 calendar. This was the last printed version that every park office received throughout Canada.
The third is any time I get to work around the place I was named after—Ɂedacho Tué—whether it is flying around the tundra by helicopter collecting wildlife monitoring data or doing whatever is asked of me at our Timber Bay camp.
I pursued this job with the federal government because it gave me the chance to provide for my family. Prior to joining Parks Canada, I was nowhere near able to do that.
While I took this job to help my family, it has given me the ability to spend time out on the land where my ancestors persevered and overcame challenges with the greatest difficulty, places all over Thaidene Nëné like Kaché, Snowdrift River, and Ɂedacho Tué. Words can’t express my gratitude for this amazing opportunity. I even spent some time taking training at the Nahanni National Park Reserve office in Fort Simpson in the Dehcho region.
Whenever I get the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors on the land Creator bestowed upon us and our relatives, I don’t take it for granted. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about when the next chance to be on the land might be once we return to the office from the field.
The third is any time I get to work around the place I was named after—Ɂedacho Tué—whether it is flying around the tundra by helicopter collecting wildlife monitoring data or doing whatever is asked of me at our Timber Bay camp.
I pursued this job with the federal government because it gave me the chance to provide for my family. Prior to joining Parks Canada, I was nowhere near able to do that.
While I took this job to help my family, it has given me the ability to spend time out on the land where my ancestors persevered and overcame challenges with the greatest difficulty, places all over Thaidene Nëné like Kaché, Snowdrift River, and Ɂedacho Tué. Words can’t express my gratitude for this amazing opportunity. I even spent some time taking training at the Nahanni National Park Reserve office in Fort Simpson in the Dehcho region.
Whenever I get the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors on the land Creator bestowed upon us and our relatives, I don’t take it for granted. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about when the next chance to be on the land might be once we return to the office from the field.
Sometimes I feel conflicted about being an Indigenous man working for the federal government after all the gross injustices and untold harm they have done to the Indigenous people of this land: colonization, cultural assimilation, and the residential school system, all of which created intergenerational trauma that disrupted our entire traditional way of life and has had a lasting impact. Although they are trying to right these wrongs, there is still a ton of healing that needs to take place.
I hope we can help fix many of these problems and I pray we leave the world a better place than what it was before for the seven generations in front of us. Everything we do here on Mother Earth will one day impact them.
In early October, for the first time in my life, I received a promotion from trainee to resource management technician. It feels nice knowing my hard work, determination, and efforts were recognized. Some days, I didn’t feel motivated, but I still did my best to show up. Ever since I was young, I’ve learned that you get what you put into the world and that what you give will always find its way back to you. This shows that in all things there is a tremendous balance in life. Marci cho.
“He who does more work than is required will ultimately be paid more in the end.”
I hope we can help fix many of these problems and I pray we leave the world a better place than what it was before for the seven generations in front of us. Everything we do here on Mother Earth will one day impact them.
In early October, for the first time in my life, I received a promotion from trainee to resource management technician. It feels nice knowing my hard work, determination, and efforts were recognized. Some days, I didn’t feel motivated, but I still did my best to show up. Ever since I was young, I’ve learned that you get what you put into the world and that what you give will always find its way back to you. This shows that in all things there is a tremendous balance in life. Marci cho.
“He who does more work than is required will ultimately be paid more in the end.”