It's new. It's innovative. It's exciting, too. For the first time, Nature Saskatchewan will include a three day Youth Rally from June 3-5 in Saltcoats as a part of its Spring Meet, an event hosted by the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association (YFBTA).
The Youth Rally, with its exciting menu of activities, is a new venture for Nature Saskatchewan. The event represents a determination to capture the interest of youth in nature.
"This is a first for Nature Saskatchewan," explained Gary Seib, general manager of the organization. "We're supporting the Rally financially, but the YFBTA is doing all the work."
The fee for youth registrants to attend the event is only $40, an amount that comes no where close to paying for food, accommodation, equipment and transportation for the Youth Rally. Needless to say, despite support from Nature Saskatchewan, the YFBTA is subsidizing the event.
To help offset the costs, the YFBTA is inviting organizations, families and clubs to sponsor a youth as a participant. The sponsoring group will identify a teenager interested in nature and provide the financial assistance to attend the event. The youth component of Spring Meet promises quality programs and fun - above all, fun.
The Rally begins Friday evening with registration at the Saltcoats Community Hall and the opportunity for visiting and meeting the others in the youth group. Activities at the camp site that evening include star gazing with expert Jim Huziak and sleeping overnight in tents. Saturday morning, the young people will have opportunities to participate in archery and geo-caching.
At 11:30, they will join the adult group for lunch at the Western Development Museum and for one of the tours on the afternoon schedule. That evening, youth participants will gather together as a group for dinner. The meal is meant to give the group a chance to form bonds that will foster an interest and commitment to nature.
Sunday morning, the youth participants will have two activity oriented sessions. The first is canoeing; the second a hands-on study of the fascinating world of invertebrates.
"The youth participants will spend some time on their own, some time with the naturalists involved in Nature Sask," Seib said. "Mentorship is so important. That's how most of us became involved."
Seib has made a career with Nature Saskatchewan, an organization whose goal is, according to its website, "the appreciation and understanding of our natural environment through education, conservation and research." He credits the mentorship of Jim and Shirley Jowsey of Saltcoats for his life-long interest in nature.
More than thirty years ago Dr. Jim Jowsey and his wife, Shirley, began the work that would lead to the publication of Wildflowers across the Prairies. The book is co-authored by F. R. Vance, J. R. Jowsey and J. S. McLean. The volume, considered the authoritative field guide to prairie flora, has sold more than100,000 copies since 1977.
"The Jowseys always took me along on field trips," Seib continued. "They'd drive because I didn't have a car.
The Youth Rally is but one more direction in the commitment of the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association to fostering the interest of young people in the natural world. For more information about the adult component of Spring Meet, consult the YFBTA website: http://www.yfbta.com
