Saturday, August 24th at High Lonesome Nature Reserve
This year’s theme is Be a wild child. Roar against climate change. The fun family event is designed to encourage children of all ages to explore, understand, appreciate, and get hands-on with the natural world. We want these young ones to make some noise – in their homes, schools, and communities about the need to protect our world from the effects of climate change and create a climate-resilient future.
Younger children and their parents will delight in the Magical Fairy Trail, where they can find tiny habitats and the very fragile and unexpected creatures that live there. Put on your rubber boots for the popular Pond Life activity and explore a woodland pond with local naturalists and biologists. On the Pollinator Path, a bug net and a magnifying glass will help the children discover the special connection between plants and the various creatures who help spread their seeds.
We have two exciting learning features this year. From salamanders to Ladyslippers, Carleton University graduate students share how the research they are doing at High Lonesome will identify and protect the woodland and wetland habitats. There will be lots of good information here for family discussions and school projects! We will also have an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement self-guided activity, where children and adults will discover the significance of a land acknowledgement, and learn about the traditional Indigenous territories across the Mississippi and Madawaska watersheds.
The Mississippi Mills Library has collaborated on a new Storybook Trail and a Storybook Tent, with colourful books and stories about the environment and climate change. While the smaller children are reading, older children and adults can follow local tree expert Owen Clarkin on the fascinating Tree I.D. walk.
To keep everyone safe while they explore, the Leeds Grenville and Lanark Health Unit will provide information on avoiding those miserable ticks in the TickTalk activity area, and the Mississippi Mills Fire Department will share important information about outdoor fire safety in the Fire Prevention activity.
Bring the whole family (no pets please) for a full day of fun and learning or choose one or two favourite activities. The Almonte Civitan Club will have food for sale, or you can bring a picnic lunch. Just Good Compost will be on hand to help with minimizing waste.
Be a wild child (no matter how old you are) and get ready to roar against climate change!
REGISTER NOW on our website at https://www.mmlt.ca/event/2024-festival-of-the-wild-child and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Hosted by the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust at High Lonesome Nature Reserve, 867 Carbine Road, Pakenham, ON.
