Description

Connecting Teens to Nature

Are you a high school student with a love of nature and a passion for environmental stewardship? Join Nature Guelph EcoLeaders, a program that connects teens to nature. Meet other like-minded students and grow your nature knowledge with the Ignatius Naturalist team. Upon completion of the program, you could be one of two students selected to attend the Ontario Nature Youth Summit in September 2023, with your registration fee paid by Nature Guelph!

Nature Guelph EcoLeaders is a shared initiative between Nature Guelph and the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project.

Participants: High school students ages 14 to 18

Pricing: $50 per person

Schedule: Once a month from September through June, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. See details below.

Location: Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project, 53 Cross Creek Blvd., Guelph

Please email youthprograms@slategray-goat-873595.hostingersite.com if you have any questions.

Program Overview 2024

February 17

Tracking and Winter Tree ID: Next Steps

The tracks and trails through the mud and snow can reveal so much about our other-than-human neighbours, and with a little bit of attention we can begin to see who has been walking through the woods, and maybe even what they have been up to.

While we’re looking down at the tracks, don’t forget to look up! Leaves aren’t the only way to distinguish which trees are which. Together we’ll learn some tips for better identifying different tree species in the midst of winter.

March 16

Tracking and Winter Tree ID: Branching Out

Picking up where we left off , this month we’ll delve deeper into animal tracks and signs as well as getting into more about track patterns, gaits, and more complex animal behaviours.
How can trees help us track the land? Together we’ll again be looking to the trees to get a deeper understanding of the land they are growing on.

April 6

Winter Shrub ID and Waking Up from Winter

What’s a shrub? How do we tell the difference between a shrub and a tree? We will be looking at some of the many shrubs in Ignatius Old Growth project lands and learning how to identify individuals, as well as understand their broad ecological roles in community with other forms of life.

May 5

Language of the Birds

Our ancestors were ecological polylinguists. To listen to the birds was to learn about food, danger, opportunity, and the subtle nuances of ecological time and space. By listening to the language of the birds we too can better understand what is going on out on the land. It’s like tracking with your ears.

June 8

Welcoming Spring: Wildflowers

Wildflowers are just the low-key fireworks of the forests and fields. Their colours, sizes and shapes can all help to reveal who they are and how they fit within their local ecology. Let’s learn how to identify the individuals, see similarities across family groups, and start thinking about their broader relationships.