Get Involved!
Read on for some examples of things you can do to protect national parks, wild places and our planet.
Be an environmental steward every day
Get into parks, get involved!
Get involved by working in a national park
Get involved with a nature organization
Visit national parks and other natural areas responsibly
Be an environmental steward every day
Start at home. The actions you take really do make a difference.
Make a wildlife-friendly yard or balcony.
Plant butterfly-friendly native wildflowers in pots on your balcony or in your backyard. Plant other fruit- and seed-bearing plants to attract wildlife. Learn to recognize the butterflies and birds that visit your yard.
Collect rainwater and use it to water your garden.
If you live in the country, leave some natural areas. Dead trees, wetlands and brush at the edge of a field all serve as homes for wildlife.
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Recycling
© Parks Canada |
Plan an environmental event in your community or at your school.
Celebrate National Wildlife Week in the second week of April, Earth Day on April 22, or National Environment Week, usually the first week in June.
Start an annual garbage clean-up day, or a nature walk.
Spread the news by developing a Web site about your event.
Find a sponsor for an environmental project or event.
There are many banks, outdoor equipment retailers and other businesses that fund environmental projects. Learn about these programs then get together with friends to develop a proposal.
Practise the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle.
Reduce the resources you use. Calculate your ecological footprint–the measure of the land and water area that is required to support your lifestyle–and work to reduce your impact on the environment. Use the Ecological Footprint Calculator developed by Redefining Progress. (www.myfootprint.org).
Turn off lights when you leave a room, walk instead of getting a ride, and encourage your family to reduce energy use by lowering the temperature set point on your furnace and raising the temperature set point if you have an air conditioner.
Reuse everything you possibly can, from plastic bags and containers to paper that was used on just one side.
Buy used goods. Go to garage sales, second-hand stores and flea markets. Hold a clothing exchange with your friends. Trade outfits you no longer wear for somebody else’s clothes.
Find out how various materials are recycled in your community.
You may be surprised to learn that some plastics are shipped overseas while others, although collected, are not actually recycled. Work at finding new uses for non-recycled materials.
Make smart shopping choices.
Know the difference between what you need and what you want. Buy only what you really need.
Bring your own reusable containers to the grocery store.
Ask your parents to look for items with minimal packaging and to avoid single-serving foods and highly packaged foods
Bring your friends, join the action
It’s true – there is power in numbers.
Get involved with an environmental organization and help make a difference. Contact the national organizations listed below and look for provincial and local organizations near you. If you can’t find a local club, start your own!
Start with Stewardship Canada.
Visit Stewardship Canada’s Web site to find out about stewardship programs and activities across the country. Use the clickable map to find stewardship opportunities near you.
www.stewardshipcanada.ca
Look for a Biosphere Reserve near you.
Biosphere Reserves are places that promote and demonstrate practical approaches to living in harmony with nature. Local communities take part in achieving the goals of cooperative land management and sustainable living. There are 12 Biosphere Reserves in Canada, including Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia; Riding Mountain, Manitoba; Niagara Escarpment, Ontario; and Charlevoix, Quebec.
www.biosphere-canada.ca
Get into parks, get involved!
Get into national parks.
Visit a national park on your next vacation, or plan to visit one in the near future.
Learn about national parks by exploring this Web site.
Tune into news about wilderness and national parks. Do some research on your own, get the scoop from all sides, and then write to decision makers to tell them what YOU think.
Get involved as a citizen.
Send an e-mail to your member of Parliament (MP) in support of national parks and other protected areas. Tell your MP what national parks mean to Canada. Why are they important to you and your family? How can your MP help you help national parks? If you prefer snail mail, remember that you don’t need a stamp to send a letter to an MP.
Get involved as a volunteer.
Volunteer at a nearby national, provincial, regional or municipal park. Join an existing volunteer program or offer to start one up. Help take care of trails, count wildlife sightings or assist with maintaining campgrounds. Do you have a project you would like to try? Why not suggest it to the staff!
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Junior Naturalists
© Parks Canada |
Share your enthusiasm with kids.
Offer to start a nature education program for kids at a local park. Develop a nature workshop for a day camp. Show the kids next door the wildlife in your backyard or at your local park.
The Parks and People Program is a national program aimed at promoting the concept of environmental citizenship and the importance of protecting Canada’s natural heritage. Its goal is to forge the next generation of environmental stewards by connecting Canadians, primarily urban youth, to nature through learning experiences offered at a national park.
The program is application-based and will provide funding for the organization and delivery of learning activities in a park setting. Community-based naturalist clubs, cooperating associations and naturalist clubs in schools can apply for funding under this program.
The Parks and People Program is a joint initiative in the area of public education and resource protection between Parks Canada and Nature Canada. For more information, visit the Nature Canada website at www.naturecanada.ca
Support Friends of National Parks.
Support the Friends organizations in national parks by making purchases at boutiques or buying a membership.
Get involved by working in a national park.
Find out how you can apply for a summer job through the Young Canada Works program. Read about the experiences of young people who have worked in national parks, including Raquel, who shared her Aboriginal heritage with visitors to a national park. See images of Parks Canada staff at work in the Parks Canada Photo Gallery and visit the Careers section of this Web site.
Young Canada Works in national parks
Every summer, young Canadians have an opportunity to work at national parks through Young Canada Works, a program funded by the federal government's Youth Employment Strategy. Let them share their experiences with you.
Become a young researcher in a national park.
These young people turned their love of nature into a university research project at a national park. You could do the same!
Youth Aboriginal Interpreters
A number of Dene youth have shared their heritage with visitors to Nahanni National Park Reserve. Read one of their stories.
Get involved with the local chapter of a national nature organization!
Nature Canada
"A non-profit conservation organization with over 40,000 supporters and a network of more than 100 affiliated naturalist groups dedicated to protecting nature, its diversity and the processes that sustain it."
www.naturecanada.ca
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
"We are a non-profit membership-based conservation organization, and we remain the only national non-profit organization devoted exclusively to protecting Canada's wilderness heritage."
www.cpaws.org
Canadian Wildlife Federation
"CWF is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending legislative changes, and cooperating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians may live in harmony with nature."
www.cwf-fcf.org
Ducks Unlimited
"Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people."
www.ducks.ca
Wildlife Habitat Canada
"Wildlife Habitat Canada (WHC) is a national, non-profit, conservation organization which was established in 1984 by Environment Canada, provincial wildlife agencies and conservation agencies within the wildlife habitat coalition. WHC's mission is to champion wildlife habitat stewardship by building capacity in the conservation community and affecting change in policies and practices having an impact on habitats."
www.whc.org
World Wildlife Fund Canada
"A conservation organization with over 50,000 Canadian supporters dedicated to stopping the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring the use of renewable resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption."
www.wwf.ca
Earth Charter
"The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It seeks to inspire in all peoples a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well- being of the human family and the larger living world. It is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history." Become a member of an Earth Charter Youth Group.
www.earthcharter.org
Like worms and frogs?
Take part in nature watch programs, like Worm Watch, Frog Watch, Plant Watch and Ice Watch. You can make a difference just by sending in your observations about natural phenomena around you.
www.eman-rese.ca
Visit national parks and other natural areas responsibly
Before you visit a national park, check out its Web page to find out what recreational activities are permitted and what low-impact rules you must follow. When you are visiting a national park, read and abide by all postings and notices, and respect the fire alert if there is one is in place.
Learn about the Parks Canada Public Safety Program. Find out how you can minimize risks to your own safety while visiting a national park.
Practise low-impact camping.
Use camp stoves rather than fires. If fires are permitted, use the existing fire ring or designated firebox or pan so you don’t damage the soil. Use only wood provided for fires.
Never feed wildlife. Burn leftovers or pack them out with you.
Respect the environment. Don’t pollute soil or water. Don’t throw garbage into the water. Use only biodegradable soap in your dishwashing basin and spread the wastewater at least 100 m from any water source or campsite.
Bury human waste in a hole 20 cm deep and at least 100 m from a water source or campsite.
Do not disturb fragile habitats. Stay on boardwalks and existing trails.
(adapted from Environment Canada, The Nature of Canada: A Primer on Spaces and Species, 1993)
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