A moose is seen here at the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary in Red Deer. (Todd Nivens)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

respecting the planet

Connect with nature this 50th annual Earth Day

Apr 21, 2020 | 8:30 AM

Wednesday, April 22 will mark the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, a movement that since 1970 has engaged more than 190 countries in appreciation and respect for the planet.

This year’s celebrations will be quite subdued given the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, but Todd Nivens with the Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Waskasoo Environmental Education Society says that doesn’t mean all recognition must stop.

“The crisis means we’ve got to take advantage of our isolation and maybe spend Earth Day looking inward,” Nivens suggests.

“I’m always going to advocate for going outside and immersing yourself in natural spaces. There’s a fantastic thought in Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods that says in times of crisis, we look to natural spaces because we’re hardwired for it. So when we’re stressed, the natural reaction is to go outside.”

From the enhanced clarity of the Venice canals to the Beijing skyline, Niven notes that the planet is reacting in surprisingly quick fashion to humankind’s isolation.

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“On my neighbour’s lawn just a few days ago there were three white-tailed deer and two snowshoe hares at the same time,” he recalls. “We have less mobility right now and are finding nature is creeping back into our spaces, so it could be interesting to reflect on that.”

At the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, a 118 hectare (300 acre) natural area off the back of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre, wildlife has also shown its abundance of late.

Nivens says at least one pair of moose has been roaming in the area, and a weasel took out some of the ground squirrel population.

Wood frogs will also be croaking soon as Canada and Snow Geese, along with pelicans, make their way back to thawed northern waterways.

“There are tons of deer. There’s also at least one fox in the sanctuary and a couple more up and down the river valley. There is plenty of evidence of animals we don’t regularly see here,” Nivens shares.

Another important point to reflect upon come Earth Day, Nivens suggests, is that dirt doesn’t hurt.

“That means for children encouraging them to go out and take those first steps into dirty play and getting wet. Getting dirty and muddy isn’t going to negatively impact your health. It grounds kids and connects them to the planet.”

While the Kerry Wood Nature Centre is closed until at least June 30 (per the City of Red Deer), the sanctuary and its trails remain open. Visitors are urged to maintain physical distancing from both your fellow humans and the wildlife.

“It’s called wildlife for a reason,” he says. “A moose is a 1,500 pound animal that doesn’t see really well and can’t change direction very easily. Give them their space, let them go around you, don’t try to feed anybody or pet anything, and they’ll move on.”

The nature centre is gearing up to provide Red Deerians at-home educational opportunities for Earth Day, including a registered program where you can sign up to have an owl pellet dissection kit dropped at your door which is then used during a Zoom session with a nature expert.

More details on that and other programming will be shared on the Kerry Wood Nature Centre’s Facebook page in the coming days and weeks.

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