'It's a big task': Local outfitters donate moose meat for community outreach program in Dawson City, Yukon

When it comes to butchering a moose it's not only about the tools you have, but the people you have helping.

In Dawson City, Yukon a group of Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in citizens are spending the week cutting, cubing, grinding, and processing moose meat.

It's part of a program run by the Dawson District Renewable Resources Council (DDRRC) where people get together to learn about processing and cooking wild meat.

"We've been doing this for quite a few years ," said Nick Wozniewski, the executive secretariat, with the DDRRC. "This year we have four quarters of moose. Normally we do it over the weekend but we're doing it through the week."

Wozniewski said the moose meat was donated to the program from local outfitters.

He said the program is popular for a few different reasons.

"It's a free workshop," Wozniewski said. "We bring an instructor up. We rent a space. It's nice for people to get together."

It's a big task but Wozniewski said that the group's hard work pays off.

"At the end of the week everybody gets to go home with a big box of sausages, burgers, stew meats," he said. 

This year the program is being run in partnership with the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation. Charmaine Christiansen is the First Nation's community outreach wellness worker.

She said this program is perfect for anyone who is interested in learning how to process a moose, or who's been doing it for years and is looking to connect with others. Christiansen said everyone will learn something from this.

"Showing individuals how to butcher the meat in different ways, the names of the groups of muscles and what they would be best for," she said.

Along with the meat, Christiansen said she hopes participants leave the workshop with a sense of cultural and community connection.

"Like all of my aunties and uncles and everyone would always come together and butcher a moose," she said. "Today it seems that people are so busy, and there's so many things pulling at people's attention and really trying to get their time so being able to see people coming together again I feel is very valuable."