Young Naturalists Club of Nova Scotia
By Eleanor Willner-Fraser, NSEN Community Engagement Volunteer
The Young Naturalists Club (YNC) is a registered charity that runs regular field trips and events to help Nova Scotian youth and their families learn about and connect with nature. President Karen McKendry founded the club in 2006 to fill a gap in natural history education in Nova Scotia. The YNC has grown from a handful of families in Halifax to about 450 families in five chapters throughout the province: Halifax, East Hants, Musquodoboit Valley, western Cape Breton, and Dartmouth.
The Dartmouth chapter, the Nature Guardians, is unique in that it’s aimed specifically at tweens (10- to 14-year-olds) and focuses specifically on hands-on conservation projects. The chapters each tend toward a slightly different age group and type of programming, reflecting the uniqueness of the communities that they operate in and the volunteers that lead them.
What members can expect from any chapter, however, is monthly field trips and other events from September through June. The field trips are an opportunity for children and their families to explore parks and trails and learn from volunteer adult naturalists and scientists about these local gems. Attendees learn how to identify plants and animals and use basic naturalist equipment like magnifying loupes. Other popular events include an annual bird count and a winter stargazing event, both in the Halifax chapter.
The YNC is passionate about passing on knowledge about Nova Scotia’s natural spaces from adults to the next generation. Their hope is that, through gaining an appreciation for nature early on, children and youth will develop a lifelong desire to be active in nature and even to protect it and live more sustainably. The YNC belongs to a provincial network of natural history societies. Visit the Facebook page of their umbrella organization, Nature Nova Scotia, to learn about other member organizations and the events that they offer.
With all the stresses and changes during the pandemic, the YNC feels that getting out on a nature hike is a good, safe way for families to destress and reconnect, as well as meet other nature-loving families. Though they did run some popular online events in the spring, such as a trivia series, the Club plans to resume its usual monthly events this fall. They’ll be limiting the number of people attending their events and making items like masks and hand sanitizer available to ensure that everyone can feel comfortable getting out in nature together.
Visit their website at https://yncns.ca to find out about their upcoming events and to register to become a member. Families can join the YNC anytime throughout the year. Contact the Club’s Coordinator, Becky Parker, at yncns@yncns.ca if you’d like to volunteer as a guest speaker, field trip assistant, or board member, or in another exciting role introducing Nova Scotian youth and families to nature. Get in touch with Becky, as well, if you’re interested in starting a chapter in your region.