About Us

Pollinator Count and Bee Friendly Activities

The YNC has been providing fun immersive programming about the natural history of Nova Scotia since 2006.

Our Mission:

“The Young Naturalists Club is an immersive natural history club for youth and families that promotes the appreciation and conservation of nature. We create opportunities to develop natural history skills and knowledge through interactions with adult naturalists and hands-on learning experiences. By getting youth and their families outside and connecting them with members of the adult natural history community, we foster a passion for nature and greater understanding of nature’s value. We believe that positive experiences in nature and a shared excitement about the natural world lead to the development of a life-long conservation ethic.”

How We Work:

The YNC delivers on its promise through offering monthly outdoor field trips in communities across Nova Scotia. On field trips, members “get out into nature” on guided walks, lead by local natural history experts. The focus in on learning about natural history… the species, ecosystems, and natural features of our province.

Participants develop natural history observations skills, such as using binoculars, identifying species, and taking field notes. Members also learn to make the important connection between observing and understanding this province’s extraordinary natural assets, and what actions they can take to help conserve them.

The YNC fills a vital niche in Nova Scotia. Much of the knowledge about our natural world is being lost, and many natural history topics are not taught in school. By connecting adult naturalists with expertise in natural history with today’s youth, we are passing on important, age-old wisdom, as well as inspiring excitement about nature in a new generation. Instilling a passion for nature at a young age will help cultivate a sense of caring and connectedness to our natural world, and will encourage a love of being active outdoors. Youth that attend YNC events may go on to careers in the natural sciences, become informed policy makers, or develop a life-long interest in natural history that benefits nature conservation for generations to come. Families that attend YNC events often learn about natural areas in their communities that they can visit in the future, connecting them to place and community.

The YNC is a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity. We are guided by a board of directors and managed by a provincial coordinator. Read more about the guiding principles and risk management policies we have in place to protect families, youth participants, and volunteers, and check out our yearly AGM proceedings for more about how we operate.

Read our annual snapshot of YNC activities:

YNC Nature Nut News for 2023

YNC 2023 Nature Nut NewsDownload

YNC board of directors 2023-2024:

  • Karen McKendry (President/Chair)
  • Elizabeth Veneema (Vice President)
  • Cara Kirkpatrick (Treasurer & Secretary)
  • Jennifer Hahn (Representative from Halifax Field Naturalists)
  • Lexie Arnott (Representative from Atlantic Geoscience Society)
  • Jason Dain (Representative from Nova Scotia Bird Society)
  • Heather Ritchie (Parent representative)
  • Emma Bocking (Environment and Education Professional representative)
  • Heather Cray (Environment and Education Professional representative)

Who Supports Us:

The YNC is grateful for the support of many great foundations, societies, and government departments that value natural history education: Nature Canada, Nature Nova Scotia, HRM Community Development Fund, the National Geographic Society, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Halifax Field Naturalists, NS Wild Flora Society, Blomidon Naturalists Society, the NS Habitat Conservation Fund, EcoAction, MEC, ParticipAction, WWF Go Wild, Wildlands Writers, Echo Foundation, the Sitka Foundation, as well as for in-kind support from: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Nature Nova Scotia, Halifax Field Naturalists, Blomidon Naturalists Society, Nova Scotia Bird Society, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Halifax Centre, the NS Mycological Society, and the Atlantic Geoscience Society.

We’re also grateful for the support of our Great Blue Heron-level sponsors: Clayton Orthodontics and the Arthurs, Arruda, Bethune, Brazner, Evans, Hartman, Hennigar, Mandelker, Marshall, McDonald, Moore, Lundholm, Smith, and Veenema families.

Our Affiliations:

YNC belongs to these great networks:

 

Save

We’re in the news!

CBC Nova Scotia, Annual Bird Count Encourages Kids to Flock to Nature, Conservation, Dec 2022

City News Halifax, New Guide Hopes to Introduce Young Nova Scotians to Weird Plants, Aug 2022

CBC Land and Sea, Halifax YNC Chapter visits Otter Ponds, Mar 2022

South Shore Breaker, Providing Back Up for Bats, Nov 2021

NSEN Member Profile: the Young Naturalists Club, Aug 2020

Birding in Your Naturehood with the NS Young Naturalists Club, June 2020

Older Features: