Come forth into the light of things.
Let nature be your teacher.
- William Wordsworth

© Parks Canada / W. Lynch, 2003.

Parks and People is a national funding program established jointly by the Parks Canada Agency and Nature Canada. The goal of this program is to forge the next generation of environmental stewards by connecting Canadians, primarily urban youth, to nature through learning experiences offered by passionate naturalists in Canada’s natural parks.

Beginning in 2005, Parks and People will award grants of up to $5,000 to community-based naturalist clubs, cooperating associations and naturalist clubs in schools for the organization and delivery of learning activities such as outdoor talks, guided hikes and walks, nature watch activities and special programs for children. These activities will strive to bring Canadians into intimate contact with nature, nurture in them a deep passion for nature and motivate them to become ongoing, active and responsible stewards of the environment.

The Parks and People program is administered by Nature Canada which is Canada’s premier not-for-profit conservation organization. With some 40,000 members and donors, it motivates and channels the energies of more than 100,000 naturalists (novice and serious alike), including individuals and members of more than 350 naturalist organizations.

© Parks Canada / D. Harvey, 2003

The Parks Canada Agency administers three major systems of protected areas, which include 41 national parks, 2 national marine conservation areas and 149 national historic sites across Canada. Over the next three years, the Agency will provide seed funding for the Parks and People program.

For more information, visit Nature Canada's Web site at www.naturecanada.ca.