Are you taking the 30×30 Nature Challenge?
Come and join us in celebrating the 30×30 challenge at Killarney Provincial Park with our four-day Challenge Weekend on August 19-22, 2016.
We want to help you get outside with fun workshops and guided hikes all weekend long!
What’s the 30×30 challenge again?
Ontario Parks challenges you to spend 30 minutes in nature every day for 30 days in the month of August. The 30 x 30 concept was created by the David Suzuki Foundation in an effort to inspire individuals to reconnect with nature while improving their health and mental well-being.
Why take the 30 x 30 Challenge?
Studies show that time spent with nature can actually improve health. Some facts from the Park website to include:
- Contact with nature has been found to lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, help mitigate disease, and reduce stress levels
- A daily walk in nature can be as effective in treating mild cases of depression as taking an antidepressant
- Children with ADHD who regularly play in green settings have milder symptoms than children who play in built outdoor and indoor settings
By participating in the challenge you are taking steps to improve your mental and physical health. Not only that, but you are having fun while doing it!
The 30×30 Challenge at Killarney
Friday, August 19, 2016
10:00 am: Connecting with the Land Guided Hike at the Chikanishing Trail Head
Learn how to engage and connect with the land and how that leads to better health and well-being. Bring sturdy hiking shoes, water and food, as lunch will not be provided.
11:00 am: How to start a fire using a Bow Drill Workshop at the Nature Centre
1:00 pm: Pond Dipping at Second Beach
Bring your rubber boots if you have them for some fun with Park Naturalists as we catch and identify amphibians and reptiles.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
9:00 am: Mindfulness Yoga on Main Beach
Yoga is an art that emphasizes healthy living and a calm, happy state of being. Our mindfulness yoga, held on the main beach is family and beginner friendly, going through a variety of poses. Start your morning off right as you stretch with George Lake and the La Cloche Mountains as your backdrop.
10:00 am: Eco-Hike. Meet at the Nature Centre
Join Park Naturalists on an educational hike along the La Cloche to A.Y Jackson Lake where you will learn about some park ecology and history about the special artist the lake was named after.
11:00 am: Tree shake: Let’s identify some insects! at the Amphitheatre
1:00 pm: Kids at Play: fun nature games and relay races at Main Beach
2:00 pm: Sand Castle Building Competition at Main Beach (Award for Best Castle will be given)
Sunday, August 21, 2016
10:00 am: Earth Rangers at the Nature Centre
Calling all kids! We need your help to solve some of the mysteries of the Park. Be ready for an activity filled morning, and bring sturdy shoes. (note: children must be accompanied by an adult at all programs).
1:00 pm: Plant walk. Meet at the Nature Centre
Come for a nature hike on the La Cloche and learn how to identify some common plants in Killarney Provincial Park.
Monday, August 22, 2016
1:00 pm: Backcountry Skills for Kids at the Nature Centre
Join backcountry enthusiast Laurie Bowers and Park Naturalists for a scavenger hunt around the campground where kids and their parents will have the chance to learn backcountry skills through a fun and hands-on workshop.
8:00 pm: Backcountry Camping 101 at the Amphitheatre
Are you ready to take your camping trip to the next level and explore some of the amazing backcountry camping Killarney has to offer? In this informative evening amphitheatre program, we will take you through everything you need to know to effectively, safely and responsibly camp in the backcountry.
Take the 30 x 30 Stamp Challenge for Prizes
After each workshop you attend over the weekend, you will receive a stamp from a Park Staff. If you obtain three stamps (attend three workshops), you’ll receive a special 30 x 30 Nature Challenge badge.
The participant with the most stamps at the end of the challenge will receive a prize donated from the Friends of Killarney Provincial Park. Show your stamp page to Park Staff at the Main Office at the end of the challenge for a chance to win.
Want more information on this event?
Contact the Natural Heritage Education department at Killarney Provincial Park by phone 705-287-2891 ext. 235 or email.
Share your photos with us
We want to see your best smiles and moments from the 30 x 30 Challenge weekend! Tweet us your photos with hashtag #30x30Challenge and follow us on Twitter!
Can’t make it out to the 30×30 Challenge Weekend at Killarney, but still want to participate?
Sign up online and commit to getting 30 minutes of nature for 30 days in your home community.
Or — if you’re planning on camping in Killarney this August — we have a list of 30 things you can do for the 30×30 challenge in Killarney:
- Lay on Main Beach with a good book
- Hike the Chikanishing trail and swim in Georgian Bay
- Sit around the campfire, share stories and roast a marshmallow
- Create a scavenger hunt around the campground for your family
- Paddle your canoe on OSA and relive the legacy of the Group of Seven
- Have a sandcastle building competition on Main Beach
- Go fishing off the docks, rocks, or in your canoe!
- Go for a bike ride around the campground, down the 1km Trout Creek bike-friendly trail, or into the town of Killarney. Or bike to one of our trail heads
- Go swimming in George Lake
- Stargaze and view constellations from a look-out point or at one of our astronomy programs
- Grab a container and see what neat bugs you can catch and identify around the campground. Ask for a Park Naturalist at the Main Office for help identifying what you’ve found
- Go on a guided hike program with a Park Naturalist
- Have a picnic on the shores of Georgian Bay
- Borrow an art kit from the Friends of Killarney Park and draw a picture or make a painting of the Park’s beautiful landscape
- Watch the sunset from sunset rock!
- Go on a walk in the town of Killarney to discover the town lighthouse.
- Enjoy the view from the top of Granite ridge, the Crack, or Silver Peak.
- Swim to Turtle Rock
- Walk in the steps of the Group of Seven and paint A.Y. Jackson lake.
- Go to the island on the Lake of the Woods trail
- Swim in Little Sheguiandah Lake
- Take a epic photo at the top of the Crack
- Hike the La Cloche Silhouette trail
- Find the Lumsden Lake waterfall
- Discover the beaver dams at Cranberry Bog
- Hike Granite Ridge at sunset.
- Hike Hawk Ridge (Experienced orientation skill needed)
- Participate in a Killarney Provincial Park monitoring program (Loon count, Butterfly count, iNaturalist)
- Fish on Balsam Lake
- Hang out at Second Beach and try to spot the Peregrine falcons