Skip to content

Kids learn about what the forest can offer

Confederation College’s Career Sampler had kids Rooted in Nature as they learned about the opportunities in our forests beyond pulp and paper

THUNDER BAY - Northwestern Ontario has a long history of relying on natural resources to support the people and the economy, but there are many more ways to use the forests that go beyond pulp and paper.

“You can collect sap from it and make syrup, you can harvest mushrooms, you can access a wide range of wild foods,” said Sean Murray, CEO of Nor’Wester Maple Company. “It shows kids there is more opportunities in our forests than just working in standard logging and forestry based jobs. You can be an entrepreneur, you can start your own business.”

Kids were given a glimpse into these varied opportunities in our forests during the Rooted in Nature Adventure Camp, part of Confederation College’s Career Sampler.

All last week, 14 youth participated in various activities involving forests in and around the region.

“We are spending a lot of time outside this week and touring around campus,” said Ashley Hancharik, assistant in continuing education with Confederation College. “The goal of our career sampler camps is to introduce students to the campus environment, have some fun, and learn about the various programs we offer here on campus.”

“They really love the hands on activities we have planned, spending time outside, getting to meet people from a variety of backgrounds and the programs we offer.”

Some of the activities included learning about traditional uses of trees and plants, habitats for animals, water quality and run-off issues, and how syrup and maple sugar are made with the help of members of the Nor’Wester Maple Company.

The kids learned how to tap trees, how the syrup is heated, and how it can be turned into maple sugar.

“It’s very interactive,” Murray said. “You have to keep it moving, have to keep it stirring or it turns it into a rock, so the kids are loving it.”

Murray added that the kids had a lot of questions about the process and even though they were all familiar with maple syrup on pancakes, actually seeing how it is made can be really eye opening.

“It’s a big culture in Quebec and Southern Ontario and Indigenous communities, but in Thunder Bay we don’t see a whole lot of maple products,” he said. “This was an opportunity to show kids exactly how it’s made, talk about where it comes from. Everyone knew what maple syrup was, but has never seen how it is made.”

For 11-year-old Eloise Rosina, seeing everything the forest has to offer was a really neat experience, and some lessons that she can even take home after the week was done.

“Me and my dad once we tried to make the syrup popsicles but we didn’t exactly know how so it just turned into a snow slushy,” she said. “Sometimes I did think about how it was really made.”

“It’s super cool. We’ve already had many experiences. We learned about how the syrup is made and how they get it out of the trees and the temperatures they need to get it to thicken. It’s super cool.”



Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
Read more


Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks