Deertrails Naturalist Program on Cortes Island

NEWS RELEASE

TLC ANNOUNCES FIRST DEERTRAILS NATURALIST PROGRAM SESSION FOR 2020

Students to learn from seasoned naturalists and artists Cortes Island

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2020

Cortes Island, BC – The Land Conservancy of B.C. (TLC) is pleased to announce that the Deertrails Naturalist Program will include two sessions in 2020 and will explore the beauty and brilliance of Cortes Island and the Clearwater River Valley. An intergenerational, place-based learning opportunity designed to facilitate the transfer of naturalist knowledge, both scientific and traditional, TLC launched the Deertrails Naturalist Program in 2019 with an inaugural session in Clearwater.

“The Deertrails Naturalist Program reminded me how to reconnect with the living world after so many years studying and analyzing conservation problems from behind a screen,” said 2019 Deertrails Naturalist Program participant Beatrice.

From April 27 to May 3, 2020, participants will explore Cortes Island – the meeting place of tidal waters, biogeoclimatic zones, and cultural territories – through a series of naturalist-led walks and talks. Students will walk island shorelines, swim in bracingly cold waters, explore a tapestry of sensitive ecosystems, and search for northern goshawk plucking posts. Students will learn about and deepen their connection to the natural world from seasoned naturalists and artists Briony Penn, Ann Mortifee, Rex Weyler, Sabina Leader Mense, and a cast of Cortesians covering a full spectrum of disciplines. The program fees are $695 for those tenting and $845 for indoor accommodations. Fees include meals catered by Linnaea Farm and access to Linnaea Farm’s ECOlab and Cortes Wild! Natural History Centre.

Aspiring naturalists can apply online on TLC’s website at www.conservancy.bc.ca. Deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2020. Details including application forms for the Clearwater session will be made available this spring.

Thanks to an endowment fund with the Victoria Foundation, bursaries are for one naturalist student each year. For more details regarding the Deertrails Naturalist Program and the spring 2020 Cortes Island session please view the program backgrounder or contact TLC at (250) 479-8053 or admin@conservancy.bc.ca.

About The Land Conservancy of BC:

The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) is a non-profit, charitable Land Trust working throughout British Columbia. TLC’s primary mandate is to benefit the community by protecting habitat for natural communities of plants and animals. Founded in 1997, TLC is membership-based and governed by an elected, volunteer Board of Directors.  TLC relies on a strong membership and volunteer base to help maintain its operations.

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Media contact

Cathy Armstrong
TLC Executive Director
Cell: (250) 588-4945
Email: carmstrong@conservancy.bc.ca