Nature Education Partnership Hits Major Milestone

Dozens of Grade 4 students spent the day Friday at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John learning all about wetlands.

It is part of a long-standing education partnership between Ducks Unlimited and J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI).

Tom Duffy, manager of Atlantic Operations with Ducks Unlimited, said the idea is to get younger children more excited about nature.

“We’ve been at it for more than 20 years,” said Duffy. “We started off with a very modest program where we had an individual take a few students out to a wetland.”

Since the program’s launch, more than 20,000 students have participated in field trips at the Irving Nature Park, La Dune de Bouctouche and St. George Marsh.

Andrew Willett, director of research and stakeholder engagement at JDI, said there are many learning opportunities for the students.

“They can learn about trees and birds and here today they’re learning about what kind of bugs and critters grow in water and ponds,” Willett said. “They can learn all about all aspects of nature in a place like this.”

Samantha Brewster, an education specialist with Ducks Unlimited, said education programs like this are critical as younger people use more technology.

“We are very quickly raising a generation of young people who are very much disassociated with nature,” Brewster said. “We need to get them out having these experiences so when they become the adults — the policymakers, the leaders — they have this connection.”

JDI and Ducks Unlimited have been partners for 40 years and have conserved 1,250 acres of wildlife habitat throughout the province.