Connecting Our People, Our Community to Nature
“Ecospirituality, over and above environmental attitudes…and political orientation, uniquely predicted several aspects of moral concern for nature, such as including nature in one's moral circle, treating nature as a sacred value, and endorsing a reasoning style that places importance on principles and duties to nature.”
Source: Ecospirituality: The psychology of moral concern for nature.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 87, May 2023.
Painted Turtles Basking
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin
In addition to indigenous nations, there are numerous cultures around the world who teach their children that everything has a spirit/energy and that humans are spiritually connected to Nature and must look after the Earth.
White Tailed Deer on the Trans Canada Trail in Stittsville
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin
With the creation of the TransCanada Trail and the installation of the viewing platform, more people have been given an opportunity to access the beauty of our natural environment, wildlife, and wild spaces, including our wetlands on the doorstep of our growing community of Stittsville.
Porcupine in an Aspen Tree
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin
As a community, we need to create experiences to connect our people to Nature so that we may experience a sense of awe and wonder. In doing so we connect nature to our hearts. With this connection we will be more apt to treat nature as having a sacred value and with that a duty of care.
Over 72% of Canadians are Trail Users
Access to nature and enhancing our mental health are driving trail use. The top three reasons that respondents identified for using trails include:
to be outdoors and get fresh air (98%)
to enjoy nature and see beautiful landscapes (97%)
to enhance mental health and relieve stress (94%)
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89%
of Canadians agree that trails add value to the quality of lifein their community.
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90%
of respondents agree that trails allow for nature preservation and conservation.
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89%
of respondents recognize the importance of trails for preserving greenspace.
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70%
of Canadians are concerned about the impact that the changing climate will have on their trail use and their enjoyment of trail activities.
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87%
of trail users across Canada do so to minimize their impact on nature and the environment and 93% agree it is important to make nature accessible.
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92%
of those surveyed feel trails are a crucial tool to connect people to nature, to biodiversity and to culture.
Get Involved – Become a Friend!
We are growing and we need your help! Together, we will be the voice to protect, restore, regenerate, and rewild our wetlands.