this conservationist and freediver documents life in the atlantic

"lake superior was definitely a big pull for me," says teigan labor of her decision to come to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .

this recent grad (hbor/bsc'24) is now the communications manager of the nova scotia chapter of the canadian parks and wilderness society (cpaws-ns).

above, teigan canoeing in norway during the semester she spent at nord university. "northern norway was a fantastic place to go as someone studying outdoor recreation and natural sciences because of the stunning landscape and the culture of friluftsliv, which translates to 'open-air life.'"

choosing the university surrounded by boreal forest and a vast lake proved to be a good move for teigan, who grew up exploring the wild waters and shores of nova scotia.

she was also encouraged by a glowing endorsement from her dad, peter labor.

he graduated from lakehead in 1989 with honours bachelor of outdoor recreation and bachelor of science degrees, and went on to become the government of nova scotia's director of protected areas and ecosystems.

"growing up, my dad told me a lot of stories about lakehead, especially his outdoor rec adventures—like joining the mackenzie expedition canoe trip across canada," teigan says.

"i saw how his time at lakehead led him to an environmentally focused career and shaped him into someone i looked up to."

"i chose lakehead for its community-oriented mindset—smaller classes, knowing your profs—and the opportunity to do a double degree in outdoor recreation, parks and tourism and natural sciences," teigan says. "this was unique from the other universities i was considering."

a sailing adventure and studying among norway's glaciers

teigan packed a lot of living into her time at lakehead.

she began a month-long stint as an environmental educator in 2022 after attending a campus presentation by sea change expeditions, an educational organization.

this entailed living aboard a 40-foot sailboat on lake superior and sailing to schools around the lake. she talked to kids about issues affecting the lake, like climate change, microplastics, and invasive species.

while sailing around lake superior in 2022, teigan recorded water-clarity data as well as spoke to schoolchildren. "the schools we stopped at included knife river and others on the north shore," she says. "we also stopped in houghton, michigan and washburn, wisconsin."

in her final year at lakehead, she spent a semester at nord university in bodø, norway, as part of lakehead's north2north exchange program. "it was really eye opening, and one of the best decisions i made as a student," she says.

"i got to climb a glacier and learn how glaciers are being impacted by global warming—while standing right there in person."

the pull of the magnificent atlantic ocean

as an undergrad, teigan worked as a summer student with cpaws-ns, which works to conserve canada's natural ecosystems.

she springboarded into a full-time role as cpaws communications manager (she also does videography work for the organization) right after graduating from lakehead.

teigan during a conservation freedive among eelgrass. "eelgrass meadows provide shelter and nursery habitats for juvenile fish, and other marine species," she says. "they also store and sequester carbon, reduce coastal erosion, and much more." photo credit: cpaws-ns/teigan labor

her path to this position was helped by her activities both in and out of class.

she was the lakehead outdoor recreation parks & tourism student society information coordinator and a videographer of outdoor rec-related content used in lakehead's digital recruitment campaigns.

"outdoor rec is just such an incredible program because you get a lot of different perspectives, including a really strong indigenous-led perspective," she notes.

"i got a strong grasp of the leadership and group dynamics side of outdoor rec, such as guiding people in the outdoors, and learning how to assess risk and liability for participants."

another bonus was earning certifications for diverse skills as part of her coursework.

on a mission to conserve nova scotia's unique marine life

today, teigan has a career that gives her a sense of meaning and purpose.

"there are islands all up and down the coast of nova scotia, so one of the coolest projects i've been working on lately is a documentary about those islands and their remarkable biodiversity," she says.

part of her efforts include conservation freediving, which allows her to document marine environments with underwater photos and videos.

teigan on a cpaws conservation freedive at sandy cove, terence bay, in nova scotia. "we don't use the snorkel that much because we spend most of our time diving deeper than the surface!" photo credit: cpaws-ns/teigan labor

"conservation freediving looks a lot like spearfishing, but we replace the spear with a camera and strap a slate to our arms so that we can take down observations." unlike scuba diving, freedivers don't use oxygen tanks.

her department focuses on science communication to bring the public and communities into conversations. the goal is to inspire people to care about conservation and to talk to their policymakers about protecting the environment.

"i believe as humans we have a responsibility to take care of nature," teigan says.

"i grew up canoeing, hiking, and playing in nova scotia's parks, protected areas, and coastlines. i want future generations to have the same opportunity."