The Clock is Running : 2 and 4 ... until the #Hike4Birds

As of today I have two months left until the conclusion of my work contract and that means it is only 4 months until I am in Cape Spear Newfoundland to begin our wondrous #Hike4Birds on the Great Trail!  Our preparations continue daily, we continue to refine our schedule, develop our message and digital classroom material, approach sponsors, and of course constantly debate regarding the weight of our backpacks (yes they keep changing and yes they are getting lighter).

In the wake of so many wonderful media announcements and the forwarding of our undertaking online the number of people now following Come Walk With Us has exploded!  Which is very exciting to see! 

With so many new people following along we wanted to take the time to clarify what we are trying to do while we hike along Canada’s Great Trail for the next three years.

While we trek from coast to coast to coast we intend to connect families and youth to nature through birding, promote healthy active lifestyles, and inspire a passion to become lifelong explorers, outdoor enthusiasts, and stewards of the nation’s wild spaces which are areas of importance to migratory birds and scientific researchers.   A major goal of our walk is get youth active and involved in birding, citizen sciences programs and experiential education opportunities in their own communities. 

Over the course of the next three years we are inviting people across Canada to 'Come Walk With Us', either by joining us for a few kilometres on the trail, by following our progress online, or by asking us to give a presentation.  We intend to share a positive message aimed at encouraging and inspiring youth to focus their online and screen time toward becoming Citizen Scientists, to experience the benefits and rewards of spending time in nature, and to become lifelong explorers and protectors of important natural areas.  We intend to deliver unique, positive, accessible, opportunities aimed at connecting students and families to nature through birding, and we will do our best to lead by example and inspire through passion.

 

In sharing our posts, pictures, and experiences online we hope to develop a forum for hikers around the world to see the beauty of Canada from the trail.  Our Facebook page, Twitter postings, and Instagram updates are sites were new birders can come to share their findings, as well as a location where experienced birders can encourage others with their stories and offer positive advice to other emerging enthusiasts.  Across all of these platforms we encourage people to tell their favourite birding stories, tales from the trail, to post images for identification and share their enjoyment of Canada’s wild spaces.

We hope to provide and intend for this to be a forum for emerging birders, naturalists, and lovers of the outdoors to get together and enjoy the natural beauty of the world.  To this end, we are focused on promoting a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment which inspires youth to get outdoors and to enjoy nature, to remain curious and to explore the natural world!  And so, with all of that said, as always, we invite you to Come Walk With Us across Canada’s Great Trail (formerly the Trans Canada Trail) from 2019-2021!

 

See you on the trail!

Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online