As part of Parks Weeks in Saskatchewan a Nature Detectives program was held Wednesday at Good Spirit Provincial Park.
The program was an introductory level walk around the park to get youngsters and their parents looking at the natural attributes of the park a little more closely, explained Canyon Desjarlais, parks interpreter.
鈥淚t explains the park a little more, the trails, the nature,鈥� she said, adding a lot of visitors spend time on the beach and at their campers, but don鈥檛 get out and look around the park.
Desjarlais said there is much to see in the park, but told those going on the Nature Detective walk there are some things they should remember while out looking at nature.
For example it is important to keep the park as natural as possible, so dispose of waste properly.
And nature is something to be enjoyed by all so 鈥渓eave what you find,鈥� said Desjarlais. If you see a pretty flower enjoy it where it is, take photographs if you want, but leave it for others to enjoy.
It鈥檚 also important to respect wildlife when you see it, and there are some large and interesting animals that frequent the park.
鈥淵esterday, (Tuesday), I did see two moose walking around,鈥� Desjarlais told the participants, adding with animals it is usually a case of 鈥渞espect them and they鈥檒l respect you too.鈥�
On the actual walkabout Desjarlais pointed out various things in the park, such as the trembling aspen which is a tall tree allowing light to reach the ground, allowing undergrowth to flourish for the habitat of other animals, such as food for deer.
In another location Desjarlais explained the park did a controlled burn in May to reduce deadfall.
鈥淲e hadn鈥檛 had one in more than 50-years,鈥� she said. 鈥溾�� It鈥檚 really good for the environment to have a controlled burn every five, or so years.鈥�
The burn fosters regrowth, and Desjarlais suggested for every burned tree, 10 will start growing.
On the shore of Good Spirit Lake itself Desjarlais noted, 鈥渋t鈥檚 one of the shallowest lakes in Saskatchewan, at the deepest point it鈥檚 only seven-metres.鈥�
The Nature Detective program dovetailed with a province wide 鈥楤ioBlitz鈥� being held across the province.
Sask Parks organized the province-wide virtual BioBlitz across all 15 parks around the province.聽 The BioBlitz is an opportunity to engage with nature while using modern technology.
After downloading the free iNaturalist app, park guests could upload their photos to the Saskatchewan Parks project with the goal to discover and record as many species of plants, wildlife and bugs as possible in each provincial park, explained Desjarlais. 聽
Through the app, an online community were able to participate in determining the name of the species and whether it is native to Saskatchewan or one that has never been recorded before in the province. 聽
鈥淚t basically helps with a database of what鈥檚 found in the region,鈥� she explained.
The park also has a geocaching program ongoing over the summer, which is fun as an activity, and also gets people out exploring the park more, said Desjarlais.
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called 鈥済eocaches鈥� or 鈥渃aches鈥�, at specific locations marked by coordinates.
Desjarlais said there are apps for a cellphone people can use, or a geocache specific unit can be borrowed at the entry station to the park.
Within the park there are a number of hidden caches, some larger, and some smaller, which require a bit more work to find. A number of people have found all six already, noted Desjarlais.
