View a list of upcoming Explorer Days and read our Explorer Day Etiquette below!
In response to COVID-19, NatureKids BC is providing online resources and interactions, such as Virtual Explorer Days, to ensure the safety of our members. Please read our COVID-19 Guidelines and Policy for any potential in-person gatherings this summer.
MERRITT – Hug-a-Tree with Nicola SAR
- 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
You’re Invited- Hug A Tree Program with Nature Kids BC and Nicola Valley Search and Rescue
Have you ever wondered what to do if you get lost in the woods? Join us and mentors from Nicola Valley Search and Rescue as we learn how to stay safe outdoors in the winter. We’ll learn how not to get lost in the first place, and what to do if it happens. We’ll learn how hugging a tree can keep you safe and help you be found. Staying near a tree offers some protection from the elements and keeps you in one location, so it’s easier for searchers to find you. Bring your questions about how to prepare for winter adventures and how to stay safe while doing them.
About Hug-a-Tree
The Hug-a-Tree and Survive program is aimed at children aged 5–11 and is an AdventureSmart program that helps lost children survive in the woods. It teaches children how not to become lost in the woods, and what to do should they become lost. If a child should become lost in the woods, hugging a tree can help them stay safe, and be found. Staying near a tree offers some protection from the elements, and keeps lost children in the same place, which makes it easier for searchers to find them.
Hug-A-Tree and Survive was developed in the United States following the search for Jimmy Beveridge in 1981, and was first adapted for Canadian use by the RCMP. It was updated by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) and the SAR Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) in 2015.