NCC Magazine: Fall 2019

TAYLOR ROADES.
Centre, near Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Ruth
McArthur is a nurse with the District Health
Authority and board member of the Wasaga
Beach Healthy Community Network, the
group ultimately responsible for crafting
these prescriptions. McArthur says the
size and scope of the program is fundingdependent,
but she and her colleagues
expect to be able to write their first
prescriptions sometime this fall.
As they have thus far been imagined, these
prescriptions will come hand-in-hand with
maps of accessible parks near Wasaga Beach,
and perhaps park passes from Ontario Parks
(who is a partner with the health network).
The group hopes to raise awareness among
health centre clients and other health care
practitioners about the benefits of spending
time in nature.
Coming home
In July, I met Tyler Coady, a young man of 33,
strong and very well-spoken, who greeted me
with a joke and a smile in downtown Charlottetown,
PEI. Coady suffers from post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) — the consequence
of a roadside bomb he encountered
during his military service in Afghanistan.
“One of the things I missed the most being
overseas was green space,” says Coady.
“PTSD disrupts pretty well every aspect of
your life,” he explains. It’s plagued him with
unwelcome flashbacks and constant, crippling
anxiety. Coady initially withdrew from society.
Counseling, medication and peer support
were integral to his ongoing recovery, but so
was his purchase of a small farm and regular
hikes through its wilder corners.
While in busy areas, Coady must actively
suppress his PTSD symptoms. When he’s in
nature, however, staying calm is no work at all.
Whatever hold nature has on the human mind,
it’s especially pronounced in people like Coady.
Making use of a master’s degree in military
psychology, he’s been coordinating peer support
groups for other Island veterans with mental
injuries, helping them find peace in nature.
The Island Nature Trust, a valued NCC
partner, is among the oldest private land trusts
in Canada, protecting over 1,600 hectares
(over 4,000 acres) of PEI wilderness since its
founding in 1979. Recognizing the special
need among veterans for nature, they offered
Coady the use of their largest protected
area — replete with forests, wetlands, trails
and old access roads for those struggling
with mobility.
“There is broad recognition now that we’re
only going to protect what we love. Trying
to compartmentalize people and the rest of
nature doesn’t work,” says Megan Harris,
executive director of the Island Nature
Trust. “We are not separate from nature,
and there are things we need in nature.
Those needs are sometimes compounded
when our minds have been tested in the
extreme, as with veterans.”
Nature For All
For its part, NCC has created a number
of programs to increase the connections between
people and nature. Its Conservation
Volunteers program empowers Canadians to
participate in hands-on conservation, restoration
and research on their properties across
the country. NCC also has close to 40 Nature
Destinations (naturedestinations.ca), which
offer access to a suite of properties ready to
receive the eager hiker, amateur birder or
nature novice.
“We’re pleased to share these select sites
to help Canadians of all levels of ability and
experience to connect with nature,” said
Erica Thompson, NCC’s director of engagement.
“The ‘great outdoors’ brings families
and friends together, and can provide a
greater personal appreciation of nature and
the importance of caring for these special
places. My recent visit to the Gaspé Peninsula,
Quebec, including NCC’s Nature Destination
at Pointe Saint-Pierre, reconfirmed to me
the importance of spending time in nature,
unplugging from all devices and celebrating
the curiosity and inspiration that comes
from time well-spent outside.”
NCC is encouraging people to explore
its Nature Destinations, both on the ground
and online, in all 10 provinces. Visitors can
experience a variety of activities, including
hiking, walking, canoeing, kayaking, photography
and wildlife appreciation. From
Victoria to St. John’s, there are a blend of
natural areas that are accessible in both
urban and rural areas for people to take
advantage of.
NCC has several goals with its Nature
Destinations program. It hopes to get people
outside so they can enjoy the physical and
mental health benefits of being active in
nature. NCC also hopes that people will gain
an appreciation for the ecological benefits
that nature offers, such as clean air and
water, and the importance of conserving
nature for future generations.
From indoor enthusiasts to nature lovers
and everyone in between, NCC wants to
make the outdoors more accessible to people.
In preparation for going to one of the
Nature Destinations, people are also encouraged
to visit naturequiz.ca and take the
six-question online Nature Quiz and receive
a Nature Score, which will show how connected
they are to nature. Once people
receive their Nature Score, they can sign
up for a virtual Nature Coach, and receive
email tips for a happier, healthier life by
incorporating time in the outdoors.
Thompson is also a member of
#NatureForAll Canada, an initiative of the
International Union for Conservation of
Nature, aimed at reconnecting humans with
what remains of our natural heritage. The
Canadian chapter is a young but growing
coalition of NGOs, government departments,
academics and of course NCC, bringing
a diversity of disciplines to bear on this
campaign of reconnection.
The separation of human beings from
nature has done monumental harm to mind,
body and biodiversity; a point made only
too clear by the people in this article. For
the sake of a healthy and sustainable future,
through these programs and others, finding
ways to pursue nature is not just helping nature,
it’s helping ourselves. Since that early
morning in Pancake Bay Provincial Park,
I find myself more likely to reach for hiking
shoes than for Aspirin, and far less willing
to spend a beautiful day indoors.1
natureconservancy.ca
FALL 2019 11