Hey YNC families,

By now you’ve likely heard or read about the Province declaring a State of Emergency on Sunday to help contain the spread of Covid-19. This order was made in response to large numbers of people gathering in public spaces and not practicing social distancing, and will be in effect for at least 2 weeks if not longer. As a result, all provincial parks, beaches, and all municipal park spaces have been closed until further notice. Some municipal trail systems (those not associated with a park space) and other crown lands (like wilderness areas) are, for now, still open. Social gatherings are to be limited to no more than 5 people, and unnecessary gatherings are strongly discouraged.

This obviously places some major constraints on what families can do outside for the near future. While the nature of our usual outdoor-based gatherings presents a very low risk of transmitting coronavirus, we want to make sure our organization is adhering to provincial mandates and doing everything we can to protect our member families, leaders, and the broader public. We also want to make sure we are still offering our members opportunities to get outside and destress during this tough time.

We will be providing you with our favourite online and virtual resources for learning about our local natural history, and sharing tips and tricks for engaging youth with the nature you can find just outside your door. Keep an eye on our Facebook and your emails!

This is a tough time for Nova Scotian families. Stay safe, get outside, and take care of eachother. We’ll see you back on the trails, in the woods, and on the beaches when this is all over.