Celebrating Natural Connections event at Wildwood Conservation Area 

On Saturday, January 21, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) hosted a winter Celebrating Natural Connections (CNC) event at Wildwood Conservation Area. There was an overwhelming turnout to the event with close to 700 people in attendance.  

The park was bustling as participants moved through the variety of activity stations, which included: 

• Aspens Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary 
• Bird Brains – Stratford Field Naturalists 
• Campfire – UTRCA 
• Community Science (measuring water in the snow pack) – UTRCA 
• Creative Corner – Klomp’s Home and Garden 
• Gear Demo – Mountain Equipment Company 
• Guided Hike – UTRCA 
• Magnificent Mammals – UTRCA 
• Nature Play – Perth EarlyON 
• Self-guided Scavenger Hunt 
• Song for the Snow authored by Jon-Erik Lappano 
• Sunset Shack Food Truck 

A huge thank you to everyone who helped out during the event as they were kept on their toes all day!  

The event was filled with some pleasant surprises including having Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian musician and composer, volunteer to read a story by the fire when the author was unexpectedly unable to attend. Thank you for jumping in and providing a wonderful experience, Loreena! 

We received many comments throughout the day, in person and online, about how much people enjoy and appreciate CNC events. We are glad to know they are enjoyed by the community while also helping to forge several amazing community partnerships.  

Thank you to the Government of Canada for providing funding for these events. More photos.