When people arrive in Saskatchewan, they might not know about what they can do in the province, and what the local parks have to offer. A program by Saskatchewan Parks aims to fix that, by offering camping courses to people who have not been able to enjoy the parks here before.
Jennifer Bayer, Parks Program Coordinator for the Ministry of Parks, Recreation and Sport, says that it is a way to get people more aware of the camping experience in the province.
“It’s just promoting camping and back to the basics. It’s sleeping in tents, it’s cooking over the fire... Teaching people how to camp and the fun things to do while you are camping.”
While new to Saskatchewan, similar programs have been available in other places. The Saskatchewan program is based around one in Ontario, with a few adaptations for Saskatchewan, Bayer explains.
The ultimate goal is to get new people into campsites. That could mean newcomers, new Canadians or even just urban Canadians who have not gone into the outdoors before. The intent is to take the intimidation out of the outdoors and make people more comfortable with the camping experience.
“You have somebody there who can help you start a fire, learn how to use some of the equipment, set up a tent, that kind of thing.”
The ultimate goal of the program is to get people into the parks so they learn the value of them and what they can do to help protect them, explains Bayer.
“We need to educate people so they know what we have so they can protect it in the future.”
The program is available at Echo Valley, Pike Lake and locally at Good Spirit Lake. Information can be found by visiting www.saskparks.net/learntocamp.
