2004 Parks as Nature�s Classroom program gets underway this week

Minister of Environment and Conservation Tom Osborne announced today that the 2004 fall educational program in selected provincial parks and ecological reserves around the province gets underway this week. The educational program, which is implemented by the department�s Parks and Natural Areas Division, begins September 15 and will run until October 13.

The Parks as Nature�s Classroom program is offered to Grades 1-6. The program�s aim is to get students and educators into our protected areas and natural outdoor ecosystems and learn hands-on about the scientific principles and concepts in the outdoors through a park/reserve interpreter.

"Our parks and reserves are not only open for camping and nature viewing in the summer, they are also natural outdoor classrooms for educators and students in the fall," said Minister Osborne. "This program has become very popular, attracting over 2, 000 students annually to our parks and reserves. Our protected parks and natural areas offer students an ideal natural learning environment. I encourage schools and educators to take advantage of this wonderful outdoor learning program. I�m confident that they will have an enjoyable and rewarding educational experience in our parks and reserves this year."

This season, the program is being offered in five provincial parks and two ecological reserves. They are: Butter Pot, Lockston Path, Notre Dame, Pistolet Bay, J.T. Cheeseman provincial parks and the Cape St. Mary�s and Burnt Cape ecological reserves.

Schools must register through the respective parks by contacting the park/reserve interpreter. The following are the contacts for educators wishing to book a time for their class:

Butter Pot Provincial Park
Interpreter: Andrea Martin
Phone: (709) 685-1853

Lockston Path Provincial Park
Interpreter: Barbara Lynn Randell
Phone: (709) 464-3553

Notre Dame Provincial Park
Interpreter: Lisa Pollett
Phone: (709) 535-2379/535-2919

J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park
Interpreter: Lorna Lafosse
Phone: (709) 695-7222

Pistolet Bay Provincial Park/Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve
Interpreters: Elizabeth Smith and Jackie Bessey
Phone: (709) 454-7795 or (709) 454-7570

Cape St. Mary�s Ecological Reserve
Interpreters: Jason McGrath and Chris Mooney
Phone: (709) 277-1666

The province-wide outdoor school program is a curriculum-based educational program which began in 1998 and was jointly developed by the Parks and Natural Areas Division�s education section and the Department of Education.

For more information on the program, contact Geoff Bailey at the Parks and Natural Areas Division at (709) 635-4531.

Media contact: Sonia Glover, Communications, (709) 729-2575 or (709) 685-6612

2004 09 14                    1:55 p.m.