Students explore the Dundas Valley CA with Teacher-Naturalist Sandy Root.

With an unusual and certainly unprecedented school year now coming to an end, a lack of classes visiting the Hamilton Conservation Authority’s Outdoor Environmental Education program in the Dundas Valley CA has put serious pressure on the program’s budget. While similar pressures forced the program to close in the late 1990s, it has been able to withstand this latest disruption and continue connecting students with the natural world.

This is only possible thanks to the support of our extraordinary donors such as the Hamilton Industrial Environmental Association (HIEA). HIEA made a grant for $5,000 to support the program despite knowing that students are not currently able to take field trips to the Dundas Valley CA. The program is instead offering a Nature at Home series to keep students learning about the environment during the pandemic.

Thanks to HIEA’s support, and all of the other wonderful supporters who donate to the Foundation’s Step into Nature Fund, Education program staff are now making plans for the Fall when they hope to greet classes back in the Dundas Valley CA.