On July 11, 2021, the newly formed Tri-Cities NatureKids Club hosted its first Explorer Day, a scavenger hunt in Blakeburn Lagoons Park led by the Nature Mentors John and Christina Saremba. Since they didn’t have any members yet, they invited any member of the public who wanted to come – and were delighted by the good turnout! Now, just over a year later, NatureKids Tri-Cities has 24 families who are active members.
“It is a growing club and we hope there will be more families joining us to explore and learn about nature together!” said Kethu Mendis when I interviewed her. She has been club leader since the club re-started last July and credits her five-year-old daughter for getting her involved.
“Her interest and love for exploring nature and taking care of nature led me to reach out to see if I could give a hand in helping out at NatureKids BC TriCities club as they were looking for a leader during that time.”
Kethu has a Masters of Science degree and currently works as an Environmental Consultant. Since moving from Toronto, she wanted to learn all she could about BC ecosystems. She believes that it is important to teach kids about the environment from a young age, which is another reason she joined the NatureKids team.
Since stepping up to lead the club, Kethu has organized many successful events. One of the Tri-Cities recent Explorer Days was a fairy forest walk. The nature mentor, Natasha Beauregard, encouraged the kids to come dressed as a fairy or their favourite forest creature to explore Minnekhada Regional Park. Having hosted a nature walk in the park on a previous Explorer Day, Kethu expected the day to be a similar experience. She and the kids were in for a surprise!
“Natasha had a different plan for us. She took us to see more than a million (yes, I am not exaggerating!) toads on the trails in Minnekhada. All the kids as well as the parents had a jaw-dropped moment when they saw these toads.”
A video of the toads can be seen here.
The Tri-Cities club has grown with the help of community partners. The Burke Mountain Naturalist Group has shared their expertise with the kids many times. They also receive support from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Geoffrey Tam, the 2021 NatureKids BC summer intern, was instrumental in networking with Tri-Cities organizations and community centers for the club kickoff!
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the Nature Mentors who have made our explorer days memorable ones.”
I asked Kethu if she had a favourite Explorer Day that her club has put on.
“It is so hard to pick one favorite explorer day, as all of them have brought different aspects of learning and adventure to our events. From learning about painted turtles to spending a day at Critter Care Wildlife Society to a Bird banding event to all of the nature walks/hikes we have done, they were all filled with beautiful memories that we took home.”
Kethu Mendis, the Tri-Cities volunteers, nature mentors, and supporting organizations are doing an incredible job of growing the club. We are proud of the progress they have made and the awesome events they have put on in the year that they have been active!
Do you live in the Tri-Cities area? Sign your family up for the NatureKids Tri-Cities Club today! Follow them on Facebook or check out the Event Calendar to see what they have coming up!
One Comment
Udani
Hats off to you for mentoring kids to be nature lovers