At the May BMN members’ meeting, Christina Saremba gave a short presentation which included a slideshow featuring photos of some of the many activities that Noriko organized and participated in with the BC Nature Kids (formerly Young Naturalists Club of BC).
For the past 8 years, BMN’s Young Naturalist Club had been thoughtfully managed by BMN member Noriko Nakaya. The BMN Young Nats is one of about 30 clubs throughout the province which are overseen by BC Nature. Members range in age from 5 to 12, and work for certificates and pins that recognize their accomplishments in nature study or conservation.
The children in the BMN Young Nats Club have been the fortunate beneficiaries of Noriko’s dedication. Noriko arranged the monthly 1.5-hour outings (called “Explorer Days’) and she always encouraged the children to submit trip reports to the BMN newsletter. I am sure more than one ‘old naturalist’ wished they could have joined in on some of those trips! Who wouldn’t want to see the burrowing owl breeding centre in Langley, or visit the Bug Zoo in New West?? More recently, her Young Nats went on a ‘geology walk’ with earthquake-specialist Professor John Clague, and another time, he invited them for a tour of his lab at SFU. The children enjoyed many many interesting field trips led by knowledgeable leaders solicited by Noriko. One very satisfying outcome of Noriko’s long tenure as organizer is that she was able to ask former Young Nats to lead Explorer Days. These mature 13 and 14 year olds were dynamic leaders and shared their passion for fossils or birds with the younger children.
BMN is indebted to Noriko for her volunteer work with the Young Nats since January 2008. We express our deep appreciation to Noriko for all that she has done over the past eight years to create some wonderful opportunities for children to experience and learn about the natural world.
Click Noriko to view slideshow presented at the BMN members’ meeting May 10, 2016