MacSkimming's Open Trails Day Sets New Record
The MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre welcomed a record number of nature lovers on its annual Open Trails Day. On September 20, 776 visitors explored this unique living classroom, part of the OCDSB’s Outdoor Education facilities.
Open Trails Day offers the public a once-a-year opportunity to explore the Centre, which is normally reserved for attending students. Visitors of all ages hiked the 425-acre site, enjoyed picnics and campfires, looked for mushrooms, spotted birds passing through the Beckett Creek Migratory Bird Sanctuary and took in the beauty of the natural surroundings.
The event also contributed to a collaborative scientific effort — the MacSkimming Biodiversity Project, an initiative that documents species found within the site. During Open Trails Day, nineteen new species were observed, bringing the total to an impressive 1,488. These discoveries stem from years of exploration by staff, students and the community, all working together to get a deeper understanding of the species that call this Centre home.
“It was wonderful to see such a multigenerational and multicultural audience getting outside and enjoying the natural beauty of this little part of the OCDSB,” said Kevin Wallace, OCDSB Outdoor Education Centres Coordinator. “It was heartwarming, hearing from each visiting individual's experience of the day, about the natural treasures that they discovered and their wonderful past stories of learning at the Centre. Thank you to the Centre's staff and our volunteers for making this day such a positive opportunity for so many. It was a day of beautiful weather, great people and many great memories made!”
MacSkimming is one of two Outdoor Education Centres at the OCDSB that welcome 22,000 students each year. Open Trails Day is a powerful reminder of how bringing people together in nature can lead to meaningful learning and a deeper connection to our local environment.
