Winnipeg high school students earn Ducks Unlimited Canada prize for wildfire management solution

Meet DUC’s newest Youth Wetland Experts! Last month, Hamza, Zaid and Haider from Fort Richmond Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man. won Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) national Wetland Centres of Excellence case study competition for their innovative approach to wildfire management. 

The case study competition challenges Wetland Centres of Excellence (WCE) students to tackle real-world conservation problems like sea-level rise, biodiversity loss and wildfire management. They have two weeks to complete their research before presenting to a panel of DUC judges, including experts in agriculture, forestry and wetland science. 

This year, the team from the Fort Richmond WCE chose to examine wildfires in the boreal forest. Their key question was: To help manage wildfires in Canada’s boreal forest, will you choose to create firebreaks, restore wetlands, or both? 

“We hear about wildfires in the news, but it’s not covered in school,” says Hamza. “This was an opportunity to learn about something having a real impact on our lives and communities.”

Hitting close to home 

Like most Canadians, Hamza, Zaid and Haider felt the impact of last year’s wildfire season, the hottest and worst for wildfires in our history. Though they didn’t have to evacuate, smoke rolled into the city often and air quality plummeted. Winnipeg also became home to many fleeing fires in northern regions. 

“There were days when we stepped outside and smelled smoke,” says Zaid. “The air quality index would max out.” 

“We had shelters set up,” adds Haider. “Many communities from the Northwest Territories and Northern Manitoba were relocating here.” 

When they heard one of the case studies was about wildfire management, they were immediately interested. They wanted to learn the science behind wildfires, including why they’re getting worse and how they might be able to help. 

Coding for wildfire management 

The students started their research by comparing maps of wetlands and wildfire frequency and learning how and why firebreaks are created in certain areas. They investigated firebreaks in Whitehorse and Grande Prairie. They looked into why and how DUC invests in wetland conservation to manage wildfires in the boreal forest. 

Their research made it clear that both wetlands and firebreaks are part of wildfire management, but a local solution needs to be tailored to that location. It got them thinking: What if there was an algorithm that could determine the best wildfire management plan for your area? 

“We’re analytical thinkers, so we immediately jumped to creating a math formula,” says Hamza.  

“We thought it was a great idea,” adds Zaid. “You would have your input – say, your location – and then the algorithm would give you an output – your wildfire management solution.” 

The students worked on the formula, making sure to add variables like number of people, forest cover, wildfire risk and nearby wetlands. They referenced two key wetland and wildfire maps to help them build the formula’s backbone.  

Flow chart takes home grand prize 

The formula took hours of work, but the students were starting to feel confident in what they had created. That was, until it came time to make the visual presentation. They took one look at their slides and knew they were in trouble.  

“It was too much math. Too many numbers,” says Haider. “It didn’t look good at all.” 

“We knew we had to change tactics,” says Zaid. “That’s when Hamza had the idea to turn our formula into a flow chart.” 

Hamza, who has a software background, stepped up to create the flow chart. He made sure it was easy to read and that it represented all the variables that were included in their algorithm.

The end product was a flow chart that shocked their teachers and impressed the DUC judges. 

“I was almost in tears when I saw them present,” says Jennifer Piasecki, a science teacher at Fort Richmond Collegiate. “I was so proud of them. From where they started, the improvement was incredible.” 

“We were all impressed with the flow chart,” says Rick Murray, DUC judge and conservation programs specialist based in Grande Prairie, Alta. “It was like something you’d see in an official government presentation. They did an incredible job.”  

Defending their title 

This is the second year in a row that Fort Richmond Collegiate students have won the DUC case study competition. Hamza, Zaid and Haider felt the pressure to take home another win for Fort Richmond Collegiate and were relieved and proud that they were able to push through. 

“It feels amazing,” says Haider. “We worked really hard, each of us putting dozens of hours in class and at home to get it right. We’re really proud.” 

“Thank you to Ms. Piasecki and to all of the teachers that were willing to listen to us and give us feedback,” says Hamza. “We feel really grateful for all of their support.” 

DUC is proud to congratulate Hamza, Zaid and Haider for their first-place win at the case study competition. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors in conservation.