The new Notice Nature initiative is designed to help encourage children and youth in the community to get outside and explore their natural surroundings this summer. (Submitted photos/North Saskatchewan River Basin Council)

By Martin Martinson

Exploring Outdoors

Notice Nature: a new creative way to encourage outdoor play, education in community

Jul 3, 2021 | 8:00 AM

The North Saskatchewan River Basin Council has announced the launch of a new Youth Engagement Initiative, known as Notice Nature.

Available across the region, in centres such as North Battleford, Prince Albert, Lloydminster and other rural communities, manager Katherine Finn said the new initiative is all about creating a new and fun way to encourage youth to get outdoors and explore their surroundings in nature in new ways.

“It’s intended to provide some summer programing for youth to engage in environmental activities that teach them about nature and various topics, such as water conservation, wild flowers, birds, insects and more,” Finn said.

“It started off as an idea to give back to kids this summer because a lot of their programming has been cancelled due to COVID, so we wanted to give them something meaningful, while also investing in our young stewards as it’s the young people who will be looking after our environment as they get older,” she added.

To take part, youth and people of all ages can go online to the Notice Nature website, and print off one of the 19 available “Nature cards,” which each suggest a variety of outdoor activities to get out and try this summer.

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Examples of activities include things such as planting wild flowers, going fishing, making a bird feeder, or simply doing a garbage clean up within the community.

Each nature task card is 4×4 with a different activity in each square, much like a bingo card. Once a card has two lines, or an ‘X’ achieved, the card is considered completed and the participant(s) are able to submit their card to any Lakeland or Wapiti branch library to receive a prize as a reward. Cards can be completed in any order.

Each of the cards are contributed by different environmental organizations as well, with prizes donated by local businesses at the various centres, highlighting the community involvement and support of the initiative in the communities around the region.

To learn more about the Notice Nature initiative, or to get involved today, visit the Notice Nature website.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1