From the Forest to the Sea Watershed Education - One Day Programs

What a Marine Life!

Are sea anemones animals or plants? Did you know that a chiton has teeth harder than some types of steel? Here are questions that will trigger everybody's curiosity. Montague Harbour Provincial Park is an stunning and ideal location for an excursion full of exploration. Participants discover life in the intertidal zone, encounter a coastal forest and observe the plethora of sea creatures attached to the dock. Montague Harbour midden also captures participants' imaginations as they visualize First Nations' life thousands of years ago.

Adventures at the Great Beaver Swamp

Discover the wonders of wetlands at our recently purchased Great Beaver Swamp property which adjoins the Pebble Beach Reserve. The wetland is maintained by beaver activity and contains a beaver lodge, rare red-legged frog, rough-skinned newt and their associated habitats. Students study the function of the wetland and link its health to the health of the watershed as a whole. Participants learn about the unique adaptations of wetland plants, search for animal clues and investigate aquatic insects.

Best Frog Time – April and May

Grand Garry Oaks of Mount Galiano

Go for a hike up Mount Galiano for spectacular views amidst an intact and endangered Garry oak ecosystem (GOE). Study species-at-risk, threats to the GOE, First Nations use of the GOE and actively engage in restoration through the removal of invasive vegetation. Suitable for Grades 4-12.

A Walk in the Watershed

Galiano offers a unique and tangible opportunity. Here on a small scale youth can see, experience and understand an entire watershed within a compact area. – From Laughlin Lake, down salmon restored Grieg Creek to the ocean at Retreat Cove. Participants will study a healthy restored watershed through water quality, bug collection, salmon habitat, and riparian zone ecology, and a restoration component can be included. They take this understanding back to their home communities to better steward their own watersheds.

Secrets of the Forest

This program combines environmental education with a heaping dose of fun! At Pebble Beach Nature Reserve we encounter three types of forest: a mature forest that was logged selectively in the early 1900s, a 30-year-old untouched plantation forest, and a plantation forest that has undergone restoration. Participants are able to compare and contrast these ecosystems and are introduced to the concepts of biodiversity and ecological restoration. Educational games and activities engage students as they hike through the forest to a beautiful pebble beach for more discoveries. Highlighted on this journey is a hands-on action component within our ongoing plantation forest restoration work. Watch our Let it Rot Video for more details of the restoration work in progress