Launched in September 2018, the Riverwood Junior Naturalist Club (RJNC) is a joint initiative between the Centre for Urban Environments and the Riverwood Conservancy. The initiative aims to connect children with nature by providing them with hands-on experience and skills related to natural history and science. Children learn to respect and care for the natural environment by participating in activities such as bird watching, insect collection, bird box and bee hotel building, butterfly tagging, fossil field trips, amphibian hunts, wild flower identification and more.
The club runs two to three sessions per year, with each session comprised of 6-12 meetings (every other Saturday each month). Run by volunteers from the Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto, and the Riverwood Conservancy, the RJNC also connects students and staff with the community and provides training opportunities in education to diverse audiences.
Further information on the Junior Naturalist Club, including registration details and this year’s schedule, can be found here. Students and staff interested in volunteering are also encouraged to email cue@utoronto.ca.