Learn as Much as You Can<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/compass-hand-958510852-1100x640.jpg\")
Explore Canada’s nature and biodiversity | Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt\u2019s taken me most of high school to realize school doesn\u2019t teach you everything. I\u2019ve learnt math and history, sure, but I am just now starting to learn about Canada\u2019s nature and biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Knowing about our local wildlife is the first step in helping to protect it. A great way to get started is by watching educational videos or reading articles. I\u2019ve personally learnt a lot from watching nature documentaries like Our Planet<\/a> and the TVO series, Striking Balance<\/a>, and from webinars from the Canadian Wildlife Federation<\/a> (CWF), the World Wildlife Federation<\/a>, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada<\/a>. You can share your knowledge about the things you\u2019ve learnt with friends and family too. Afterall, the more you know, the more you can help!<\/p>\nPlant a Pollinator Garden<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/julie-sieg-balcony-pollinator-garden.jpg\")
My balcony pollinator garden | Julie Sieg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI live in a tiny townhouse in Toronto, ON with no backyard. I have a balcony though, which turns out to be plenty of space to attract some pollinators. I spent one weekend planting four native plants that I got from CWF\u2019s pollinator plant kit<\/a> in a planter I made with my dad. I was amazed to find that bees and butterflies started coming to my little balcony! I think this shows that even small efforts can make a difference. If you want to make a pollinator haven, click here<\/a> to learn how.<\/p>\nJoin a Nature Group<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/julie-sieg-toronto-wild-outside-scarborough-bluffs-640x853.jpg\")
WILD Outside group hike at the Scarborough Bluffs in Toronto | Toronto WILD Outside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSpending time in nature is much more fun when I\u2019m with a group of people my age with similar interests to me. Find your own motivation by joining a local nature club in your area! During last year\u2019s lockdown, I joined my local WILD Outside<\/a> group – a free outdoor youth leadership program for teenagers run by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.\u00a0 From watching nature documentaries and then discussing them to going for outdoor hikes and planning to plant a pollinator garden at my school, I felt more connected to nature than I had ever been before. Learning to love nature is a great way to become more involved!<\/p>\nClean Up Your Community<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WO-nina-and-sally-with-a-bag-of-cigarette-butts-and-micro-plastics-1100x640.jpg\")
Vancouver shoreline cleaning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGreenspaces, especially in cities or along shorelines, can often be littered with garbage. Not only can this garbage be harmful to wildlife, it isn\u2019t pleasant to be around either. To fix this, gather a group of friends and some garbage bags and clean up your local park, ravine or shoreline. You can learn how to safely do so here<\/a>. The wildlife and your neighbours will thank you!<\/p>\nBecome a Citizen Scientist<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/iNat-Observation-Carol-Howard-Donati.jpg\")
A Blue Jay photographed in Ottawa during the City Nature Challenge 2021 on iNaturalist. \u00a9 Carol Howard Donati (CC-BY-NC-ND)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere\u2019s nothing more valuable to a scientist than quality data. You can help them collect it by taking pictures of the wildlife you encounter and uploading them to a website and app called iNaturalist<\/a>.ca. From detecting new invasive species to helping map the range of various animals, people using iNaturalist have helped scientists make many new discoveries about Canadian wildlife. There is also a community of experts on the site that can help you label and identify your observations, so they are research grade. You can even join CWF\u2019s project, Observation Nation<\/a>, to win prizes!<\/p>\nAs a teenager, finding ways to get involved in conservation wasn\u2019t easy for me. After learning and participating in various activities though, I am beginning to feel empowered to make a difference for my community. Youth are the future, so we have the responsibility to make sure nature can thrive for many years to come. On our own we may feel small, but together we are mighty, so let\u2019s get started helping to preserve nature in our own neighbourhoods!<\/p>\n
To discover more ways to connect with nature and support conservation, check out CWF\u2019s education programs<\/a>!<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"International Youth Day, held annually on August 12, is a cause for celebration. As a 17-year-old, I love seeing the achievements and voices of the World\u2019s youth being recognized and…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":9776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[598,8957,666,8648],"class_list":["post-9773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-inaturalist","tag-observation-nation","tag-wild-family-nature-club","tag-wild-outside"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9773"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9977,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9773\/revisions\/9977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
It\u2019s taken me most of high school to realize school doesn\u2019t teach you everything. I\u2019ve learnt math and history, sure, but I am just now starting to learn about Canada\u2019s nature and biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Knowing about our local wildlife is the first step in helping to protect it. A great way to get started is by watching educational videos or reading articles. I\u2019ve personally learnt a lot from watching nature documentaries like Our Planet<\/a> and the TVO series, Striking Balance<\/a>, and from webinars from the Canadian Wildlife Federation<\/a> (CWF), the World Wildlife Federation<\/a>, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada<\/a>. You can share your knowledge about the things you\u2019ve learnt with friends and family too. Afterall, the more you know, the more you can help!<\/p>\n I live in a tiny townhouse in Toronto, ON with no backyard. I have a balcony though, which turns out to be plenty of space to attract some pollinators. I spent one weekend planting four native plants that I got from CWF\u2019s pollinator plant kit<\/a> in a planter I made with my dad. I was amazed to find that bees and butterflies started coming to my little balcony! I think this shows that even small efforts can make a difference. If you want to make a pollinator haven, click here<\/a> to learn how.<\/p>\n Spending time in nature is much more fun when I\u2019m with a group of people my age with similar interests to me. Find your own motivation by joining a local nature club in your area! During last year\u2019s lockdown, I joined my local WILD Outside<\/a> group – a free outdoor youth leadership program for teenagers run by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.\u00a0 From watching nature documentaries and then discussing them to going for outdoor hikes and planning to plant a pollinator garden at my school, I felt more connected to nature than I had ever been before. Learning to love nature is a great way to become more involved!<\/p>\n Greenspaces, especially in cities or along shorelines, can often be littered with garbage. Not only can this garbage be harmful to wildlife, it isn\u2019t pleasant to be around either. To fix this, gather a group of friends and some garbage bags and clean up your local park, ravine or shoreline. You can learn how to safely do so here<\/a>. The wildlife and your neighbours will thank you!<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing more valuable to a scientist than quality data. You can help them collect it by taking pictures of the wildlife you encounter and uploading them to a website and app called iNaturalist<\/a>.ca. From detecting new invasive species to helping map the range of various animals, people using iNaturalist have helped scientists make many new discoveries about Canadian wildlife. There is also a community of experts on the site that can help you label and identify your observations, so they are research grade. You can even join CWF\u2019s project, Observation Nation<\/a>, to win prizes!<\/p>\n As a teenager, finding ways to get involved in conservation wasn\u2019t easy for me. After learning and participating in various activities though, I am beginning to feel empowered to make a difference for my community. Youth are the future, so we have the responsibility to make sure nature can thrive for many years to come. On our own we may feel small, but together we are mighty, so let\u2019s get started helping to preserve nature in our own neighbourhoods!<\/p>\nPlant a Pollinator Garden<\/h3>\n
Join a Nature Group<\/h3>\n
Clean Up Your Community<\/h3>\n
Become a Citizen Scientist<\/h3>\n
To discover more ways to connect with nature and support conservation, check out CWF\u2019s education programs<\/a>!<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"