Nature Program for Families
Don’t
be confused with the claim made by a
circus company. The Regional Parks
Department invites your family to
witness ‘The Greatest Show on
Earth’.
Members of the Okanagan Chapter of
the Royal Astronomical Society of
Canada will be presenting
information about the Okanagan
Observatory project as part of the
special Nature Program for Families
event in the Pavilion at Bertram
Creek Regional Park, along the south
end of Lakeshore Road. It starts at
7:00 pm on Saturday, August 9th.
For more information please
pick up
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Amphibians
They’re at home in both land and
water and are one of the most
sensitive of species.
Bring
the family to learn more about our
amphibian friends for local
naturalist Scott Alexander’s
presentation Thursday, August 7th
starting at 7:00 pm in the EECO in
Mission Creek Regional Park at
Springfield and Durnin Roads.
Admission is by donation.
For more information please
pick up
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Birds of a Feather
From
the Avocet to Red-winged Blackbirds,
you’ll learn about the variety of
birds that call the Okanagan home
with naturalist Chris Charlesworth
on Thursday, July 31st at
the EECO in Mission Creek Regional
Park, Springfield and Durnin Roads.
The presentation runs from 7:00 pm
to 9:00 pm and admission is by
donation.
For more information please
pick up
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Otesha Project Performances
The
pavilion in Bertram Creek Regional
Park (south end of Lakeshore Road)
is the Central Okanagan stop on the
Otesha Project’s 2008 Summer
Kootenay Mountain Tour.
This
group of energetic young people is
cycling from Vancouver to Calgary,
giving performances of ‘Morning
Choices’ a comedic play and
multi-media presentation connects
global problems with everyday
actions during a typical morning
‘get ready’ routine.
Performances will be held Saturday,
July 26th at 7:00 pm with
a matinee on Sunday, July 27th
at 2:30 pm. For information on the
Otesha Project visit the website
www.otesha.ca/the+project/index.en.html.
For more information please
pick up
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Herb Walk
Bring
along a notepad and pen as you join
our plant expert on an informative
‘Herb Walk’.
Cara
Kirkey will help you learn how to
identify, harvest and use local
herbs, trees and shrubs during this
session at the Environmental
Education Centre for the Okanagan on
Thursday, July 24th
starting at 7:00 pm. The EECO is
located in Mission Creek Regional
Park, Springfield and Durnin Roads.
Please pre-register by contacting
the EECO.
For more information please
pick up
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Art in the Park
Local
artist Joanne Beaulieu will help you
release your inner artistic being
during the new Art in the Park
program.
She’ll teach you how to sketch your
observations of nature, and then
she’ll help you turn them into a
painting. Classes for youth age
eight to 17 run July 8th
through 10th and August
12th to 14th
from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Adults can
register for classes July 10th
and 17th from 7:00 pm to
9:00 pm. All classes are held at
the EECO in Mission Creek Regional
Park, Springfield and Durnin Roads.
Please pre-register at a cost of $25
per class or $60 for the three day
youth classes.
For information on this and other
summer programs, check
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’
or you can contact the Regional
Parks Department at 250-469-6232 or
the EECO (Environmental Education
Centre for the Okanagan) at
250-469-6140.
Park Play Days
Here’s a great opportunity for
neighbours to come out and have some
fun, play games and take part in a
variety of activities led by
Regional Parks staff and
volunteers.
You’re invited to take part in a
Park Play Day scheduled at five
different Regional Parks during July
and August. For adults, the program
provides a chance to get together
with neighbours, renewing
acquaintances and perhaps meet some
new people. For youngsters, the
event includes opportunities for
free play and structured games,
crafts and activities. And what
Play Day would be complete without a
barbeque?
Follow this link for a
Schedule of
Park Play Days events. For
more information contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Nut Farm Interpretive Tours
There
are more kinds of nuts than you can
imagine. And you’ll learn all about
them by taking a guided tour of the
100 year old orchard with a Regional
Parks interpreter at the Gellatly
Nut Farm Regional Park, just off
Whitworth Road on the Westside.
The
tours of the orchard, heritage
buildings and museum are available
from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm each
Friday, Saturday and Sunday during
June, July and August.
For more information please visit
‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’ or contact the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) at 250-469-6140.
Register for Summer Day Camps
Registration is underway at the EECO
(Environmental Education Centre for
the Okanagan) in Mission Creek
Regional Park for this summer’s
Junior Naturalist Day Camps.
This
popular summer program for
youngster’s returns during July and
August with camps for Junior youth
aged 5 - 7, Senior youth age 8 - 11
and Eco-Challenge camp for those age
12 - 15 in either morning or
afternoon sessions. There is also a
special Parent and Tots program for
youngsters that are 3 and 4 years of
age. The camps use Regional Parks
throughout the Central Okanagan as a
backdrop for fun, active indoor and
outdoor activities with a focus on
environmental education creating an
appreciation for our natural
environment.
For more information check out ‘Your
Guide to Regional Parks’,
follow this link or contact the
Regional Parks Department at
250-469-6232 or the EECO at
250-469-6140.
Free 'Take a Hike' Program
Returns
Expand your horizons, get out in the
fresh air and learn some interesting
things about our Regional Parks.
During June, July and August, the
popular ‘Take a Hike’
program visits different Regional
Parks with guided hikes that are
designed for all ability levels.
Link to
Take a Hike Schedule
There’s no cost to
participate. Our park interpreters
guide you each Wednesday and Friday
morning and we’re continuing this
year with some special weekend
outings. Each hike is rated Easy,
Moderate or More Difficult and is
designed for almost every age and
fitness level. Participants should
dress for the weather conditions,
wear sturdy shoes and bring along a
water bottle. You may want to pack
a camera to capture the special
features or creatures our staff
might point out in each park!
Several outings this summer are
connected with the “Forest Story”
exhibit at the Environmental
Education Centre for the Okanagan.
Participants will see how some areas
have been impacted by the pine
beetle and how we’re responding to
the pest. Waggers are also
welcome on some of our outings.
This feature was so popular last
year that we’re allowing leashed
dogs to accompany their owners on 16
of our hikes. Participants are
asked to check the schedule to
ensure dogs on leash are allowed and
to remember to pick up after their
pet!
Wednesday morning hikes start at
10:00 am and last approximately one
hour. Friday morning hikes begin at
9:00 am; are usually a little more
challenging and last from two to
three hours. Participants on these
outings are encouraged to bring
water, a snack or light lunch.
Weekend morning hikes also begin at
9:00 am and go anywhere from one to
three hours, depending on their
difficulty rating.
For more information about the
‘Take a Hike’ program,
dates, times and meeting locations,
check out
‘Your Guide to Regional
Parks 2008’.
It’s also available at municipal
offices, recreation facilities and
tourist information centres from
Lake Country to Peachland.
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt -
Geocaching
Your
entire family can participate in the
latest high-tech treasure hunt.
From
now until October, the Regional
Parks and Recreation Department is
offering this exciting new program
for families. Geocaching combines
your mental and physical skills
using modern and ancient
technologies in order to discover a
series of clues and prizes, leading
you to the ultimate treasure.
Each
family that registers in the free
‘Geocaching for Families’ program,
will receive a mystery clue each
month that leads them on a chase to
find special prize caches using a
GPS (global positioning satellite)
unit. Besides the fun you can have
as you solve each new mystery
location, you have a chance to win
great prizes like a GPS unit or a
gift certificate that can be used
towards geocaching gear!
Parks Interpreter Alison Campbell
Urness says, “Geocaching is a
world-wide phenomenon. We thought
it would be fun to introduce it in
the Central Okanagan as it’s an
activity that the entire family can
get involved in and our Regional
Park system provides a great
playground for geocaching
participants.”
If
you’d like to try your hand at
geocaching, take in a guided
instruction session in one of our
Regional Parks. They’re being held
at 1:00 pm Saturday, May 24th;
Sunday, July 6th; and
Sunday, October 12th.
Contact the Environmental Education
Centre for the Okanagan (EECO) to
register for the Geocaching program
and receive your clues. Your name
will also be entered to qualify for
the draw prizes.
Follow the link to the
Regional Parks webpage for more information about
programming, pick up
‘Your Guide to Regional
Parks’ or call the EECO at
250-469-6140.
No Fires In Parks
Even
though we’re very early into the
fire season, the Regional District
of Central Okanagan and City of
Kelowna ask park visitors to be
aware of their surroundings.
Please remember that campfires are
not allowed in Regional District or
City of Kelowna parks. Residents
are also reminded that smoking is
not allowed in any Regional District
park. Under the Regional Parks
Regulations Bylaw, anyone smoking or
causing a fire in a Regional
District park could face a minimum
$100 fine.
Regional District Communications
Coordinator Bruce Smith says, “Worse
yet, you wouldn’t want to be
responsible for carelessly causing a
fire. We’ve already had one small
fire in the Sutherland Hills area of
Mission Creek Regional Park. A
quick response from Kelowna fire
fighters snuffed it out and kept it
from spreading.”
People visiting natural areas within
the City, such as Knox Mountain Park
and Crawford Falls Park, are also
asked not to smoke.
Park users and park neighbours
should be vigilant; anyone noticing
smoke or fire in any park should
immediately call 9-1-1 and ask to be
connected to their area fire
department.
Investigate 'The Forest Story'
Pine
trees purify our air and are home
for many species of wildlife. But
our forests are the scene of an
all-out natural battle, as tiny pine
beetles, bore into tree after tree.
Green needles turn red, evidence of
the swath of death the pests are
leaving behind.
This
cycle is the focus of the latest
exhibit at the Environmental
Education Centre for the Okanagan:
‘The Forest Story: The Trees,
the Beetles and You’. It’s
showing until late August inside the
EECO in Mission Creek Regional Park,
Springfield and Durnin Roads. The
EECO is open every day from 9:00 am
to 5:00 pm and each Thursday until
8:00 pm.
The
Forest Story exhibit is designed to
appeal to a variety of your senses. As soon as you walk
through the door, you’ll notice the
fragrance of pine in the air, like
you’re walking through a pine
forest. And the exhibit is very
visual. Our displays show what the
beetle is, its lifecycle and
habitat. Pull up a blue stained
stump in the ‘Pine Beetle Theatre’
area of the EECO and watch a short
video explaining the history of the
infestation throughout the province,
the stages of the beetle attack and
the impact it’s having on our
economy.
Many of those visiting the exhibit
so far have commented that they’re
amazed that such tiny insects, no
larger than a grain of rice, can
leave behind such a path of
destruction. Like many
property owners throughout the
region, we have first hand
experience with the damage caused by
the pine beetle, as we’ve had to
remove thousands of infested trees
from many of our Regional Parks.
As part of our Forest Story exhibit,
join a Regional Parks interpreter
for a tour of the exhibit followed
by an interpretive walk in Mission
Creek Regional Park. You’ll
see how some areas have been
impacted by the pine beetle and how
we’re responding to this natural
predator of the forest. For dates and times of
these ‘Nature Programs for Families’
please check
‘Your Guide to
Regional Parks 2008’.
You can link to it anytime or pick up a copy at local municipal
offices or visitor information
centres.