Turtle Island Conservation & Healing Forest Programs
Turtle Island Conservation Program
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DATES AND TIMES: We are booking our “Turtle Island Conservation” program now. Guided tours take a full 3 hours. Please check with your bus company about loading and driving times, as you will want to be prompt in order not to miss a moment of this program. Please call 780-921-2272 to discuss your tour itinerary.
COST AND CONFIRMATION:
The cost is $50.00 (plus GST). Teachers, teacher’s aides and our required ratio of parent helpers (1 adult per 5 students) are Free. Additional parents and siblings are $50.00 per person (plus GST) (Toddlers under 2 are free –with minimum booking fee of $300.00). School-wide rates available for 500 students plus.Recommended for: Grades 2-12. University or other teaching programs can also be accommodated. This is an active program as we will walk through the forest trails and the surrounding farmland! We can modify the program to be age-appropriate. For more details see below:
3-hour Interpretive Program - The objectives of our Turtle Island Conservation program:
1) To foster respect for self, community, Mother Earth, and the Creator.
2) To recognize and share natural landscapes valued by First Nations communities.
3) To integrate traditional ways of knowing with Western science to monitor, protect, and respect natural landscapes.
4) To integrate language, art, and crafts to sustain traditional ways of knowing among non-Aboriginals.
5) To facilitate understanding of the diversity of First Nations culture and ways of knowing among non-Aboriginals.
As part of the program, youth will have numerous hands-on immersive opportunities to learn about the Medicine Wheel and the teachings of Knowledge Keeper, Elder Bill Bertschy (Prairie Gardens' Resident Elder). For more information about this program, please email reserve@prairiegardens.org
Our Turtle Island Conservation Programs take place at our National Healing Forest. The forest has outdoor gathering places for ceremonies, reflection, meditation, and prayers. As a Knowledge Keeper and Sweat Lodge Elder, Chief Standing Bear has masterfully carved harmonious walking trails through this old-growth parkland boreal forest of Spruce, Trembling Aspen, Balsam Poplar, Highbush Cranberries, Wild Raspberries, Willows, Wild Roses, Hazelnut, Chokecherries and Saskatoons, all indigenous plants of Alberta.
Many wildlife trails crisscross this island of a forest, which is surrounded by rich farmlands. Moose, deer, coyotes, foxes, and other Spirit Animals make their home here. Occasionally, beaver or black bear are sighted, and eagles and ravens, nest in the tree tops.
Earth Walks Program
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DATES AND TIMES: We are booking our “Earth Walks” program now. Guided tours take 1.5 hours. Please check with your bus company about loading and driving times, as you will want to be prompt in order not to miss a moment of this program. Please call 780-921-2272 to discuss your tour itinerary.
COST AND CONFIRMATION:
The cost is $25.00 (plus GST). Teachers, teacher’s aides and our required ratio of parent helpers (1 adult per 5 students) are Free. Additional parents and siblings are $25.00 per person (plus GST) (Toddlers under 2 are free –with a minimum booking fee of $300.00). Includes a take-home seedling to be planted at home.
1.5 Hour Interpretive Program. Our Earthwalks Program has the following objectives:
- Help participants deepen their feelings for the natural world, in particular: joy, kinship, reverence, and love.
- Promote the discovery of micro-marvels, underfoot worlds, and hidden natural wonders.
- Help repair the relationship between people and nature.
- Emphasize the five senses and the use of the senses to connect with the natural world.
Our Earthwalk Program is built on the concept of structured fun, not unstructured play! Earthwalks are not frivolous but carefully guided.
Throughout our Earthwalks Program, children will learn how to:
- Identify reasons why trees and forests are valued.
- Describe the organisms living on, under, and among trees.
- Recognize the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees.
- Identify the general characteristics of at least four trees found in a boreal forest.
- Identify how humans have used forests from a settler and indigenous perspective.
- Identify how human actions, such as the creation of Healing Forests, can enhance or threaten the existence of forests.
WHAT IF IT RAINS OR SNOWS? Dress for the outdoors! The forest is sheltered. Tipis and Geo Domes are also available and can be used for tipi teachings and hands-on activities.
LUNCH AREA & MEAL OPTIONS:
BYO Lunch to eat at a Private Outdoor Picnic Areas $50.00 + GST. Please indicate if you will require a lunch area for your group at booking time. All lunch orders must be pre-booked & pre-paid. Refunds given with one-week written cancellation notice. Please note: there are NO water fountains/re-fill stations on the farm. Make sure to bring enough water and refreshments to last the entirety of your trip. Bottled water is available for purchase at the Country Store. Please do not bring hot lunches as there are no microwaves available.
