Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society

Yoga in the Park
2019-07-23 19:00 - 20:30, 2019-07-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2019-07-02 19:00 - 20:30, 2019-06-25 19:00 - 20:30, 2019-06-18 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | Friends of Fish Creek – The Cookhouse
Join the Friends of Fish Creek to relax, revitalize and restore body and mind while connecting with the earth in the beautiful setting of Fish Creek Provincial Park. Raja yoga incorporates all eight limbs of yoga and emaphasizes the connection between the union of body, energy and mind through postures, meditation and breathing techniques. Instructors Gwen and Naomi return for their 7th year of teaching for the Friends!
Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30pm from June 18 to August 27
$10/session – Register Through Eventbrite

A Park Is Born Minibus Tour
2019-07-23 13:00 - 15:00, 2019-07-21 10:00, 2019-07-09 10:00 | Bow Valley Ranch – picnic area by the red barn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
As one of the largest urban parks in North America, Fish Creek Provincial Park has a long and fascinating history that includes First Nations groups, North West Mounted Police, homesteading and ranching. Take a spin back in time on our electric minibus and learn about the dance hall days of the area – long before the city joined the landscape – and about the creation of this beautiful urban park.
$20 per person. To Register, Visit Eventbrite

Nature Babes: A Gentle Stroll for Moms and Babes in Fish Creek Provincial Park
2019-07-18 09:00 - 10:00 | Friends of Fish Creek – The Cookhouse
Mothers with babies in strollers will join instructor Carina Huggins for a gentle stroll and a brief topic of discussion centered around positivity and thriving in early motherhood. Carina will share coaching insights and tools designed to support new moms at this sometimes challenging stage of life.. The group will be provided with a question/topic to explore as they walk and connect with each other, stopping along the way for mindfulness and nature reconnection exercises.
Thursday mornings, 9-10am from July 4-25
$10/session – Register through Eventbrite

Archaeology in the Park: Finding the Pioneers
2019-07-17 12:00 - 15:00 | Bow Valley Ranch – picnic area by the red barn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary’s Euro-Canadian history dates back 142 years to where Fish Creek flows into the Bow River, and archaeological evidence discovered in the park offers a unique glimpse of life on the western prairie for pioneers and cowboys. Climb aboard the minibus to learn about archaeology in the park on a scenic tour exploring the creation of our community.
$30 per person. To Register, Visit Eventbrite
We’re sorry, the July 17 session has been cancelled due to low sign up

Introduction to Photography Tour in Fish Creek Provincial Park
2019-07-16 18:00 - 20:00, 2019-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Bow Valley Ranch – picnic area by the red barn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Come capture the beauty of Fish Creek under an experienced guiding hand. This introductory level photography class is for people who need help or ideas with photographic composition and camera operation. Any camera will do, DSLR, Film, mirrorless, point and shoot or camera phone. The class will tour the park in an open-air minibus, and we’ll make a few stops along the way so that you can take some pictures, try out technique, and ask questions.
$20 per person. To Register, Visit Eventbrite

ReWilding Through Restoration
2019-07-14 10:00 - 12:00, 2019-07-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Bow Valley Ranch – picnic area by the red barn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Many areas within Fish Creek Provincial Park suffer from the intensity of human use; this is particularly the case along the banks of Fish Creek where human activity can contribute significantly to an overall decline in ecosystem health. Join the Friends of Fish Creek to learn about how this happens and how we work to engage the community at large to “ReWild” the park through hands-on stewardship work. Starting from Cookhouse at the Bow Valley Ranch, this is a gently 2 hour stroll on flat paved pathways.
$5 per person. To Register, Visit Eventbrite

Filter and Flow: The Engineered Wetlands Tour of Fish Creek Provincial Park
2019-07-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Bow Valley Ranch – picnic area by the red barn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
When the rain pours down and flows through streets, sweeping along any detritus left in its way, do you know where it goes? Take a 2-hour spin on the open air electric minibus through the heart of Fish Creek Provincial Park! Learn about the park’s engineered wetlands, which were constructed as a way of minimizing the level of pollutants running into the creek and have benefited both vegetation and wildlife in the park.
$20 per person. To Register, Visit Eventbrite

Good Morning Yoga
2019-07-02 09:00 - 10:30 | Friends of Fish Creek – The Cookhouse
Join the Friends of Fish Creek for a morning of gentle yoga with a focus on opening joints and becoming more limber. These sessions are perfect for those experiencing chronic pain, stress or who are new to the practice of yoga – of for anyone who wants a refreshing start to their day!
Tuesday mornings, 9-10:30am from June 28-August 27
Only $10/session – Register through Eventbrite

Learning Naturally Kids Bird Camp
2019-07-02 08:00 - 2019-07-05 14:00 | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek, 15975 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, T2P 2M7
Learning Naturally Kids Bird Camp, presented by the Friends of Fish Creek and Nature Calgary
Camp runs Tuesday, July 2 to Friday, July 5, 2019 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Fee – $100.00 per student
By participating in the Learning Naturally Kids Bird Camp program, you are not only providing an amazing learning opportunity for your child, but are also helping Calgary kids to make meaningful and life changing connections with nature. Registration fees for the Learning Naturally Kids Bird Camp will be matched up to 50% by Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink (BFK), and used to support Learning Naturally educational programs in Fish Creek!
This camp is perfect for youth between 9 – 14 years of age, or going-into-grade-4 to going-into-grade-9, who have shown interest in birds and birding.
Youth can practice identifying local birds by size and shape, colour pattern, behaviour and habitat. There will be a full morning of bird watching in Fish Creek Provincial Park each day, and all walks are led by experienced Birding Guides.
The Friends of Fish Creek and Nature Calgary are very excited to offer your children the opportunity to engage in birding, which may lead to something even bigger – a field of study or career in ornithology! If we see a deer or moose, we will pause to talk about them, but our main focus will be about birds and the joy and excitement they can bring to your life, both now and in the future.

Program Location: Fish Creek Provincial Park – The Theatre at the Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre will be used as a “home base”, though much of the program will take place outdoors.
Group Size: Limited to 24 participants ages 9 – 14. For indoor activities, all participants will be together and for outdoor activities, groups of 6 – 8 participants with adult supervision, will enjoy an outdoor excursion in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Program Leaders: Bird Camp’s two primary leaders were teachers in the Calgary school system and have had extensive birding experiences, which they want to share with your child. All other volunteers have a great deal of experience as birding guides in the Calgary area and Fish Creek Provincial Park. All volunteers have a current Police Information and Vulnerable Sector Check through the Friends of Fish Creek.
Participants need to bring: clothes for weather (extra clothing layers, backpack, rain jacket, jacket, hat, bug spray, sun screen, good walking shoes), binoculars (if you have a pair), bird books (if you have one), water bottle, a litter-less lunch and snack, and knapsack.
Participants will have access to the following during Bird Camp: journal which participants will get to keep. While in the program, participants will have access to binoculars, bird books, pencils, coloured pencils etc. Washrooms and water bottle filling fountain are located in the Visitor Centre.

Please complete the form below, then click register above students for Bird Camp.

Terms and Conditions of Learning Naturally Bird Camp
Participants will need to bring:

water bottle, litterless snacks and lunch (picnic-style)
clothes for Alberta’s changing weather: raincoat, jacket, hat, bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, good walking shoes – dress in layers as mornings can be considerably cooler
knapsack
pencils, eraser, pencil crayons
we recommend labeling your child’s belongings
Optional: bird guidebook and binocular (please label)

Gathering Place:
We will begin and end each day at the Theatre in the Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre.
Volunteers will be available so that children can be dropped off no earlier than 7:45 am, with pick up time no later than 2:30 pm. We greatly appreciate your cooperation in accommodating this schedule. Emergency contact information for Bird Camp Leaders will be provided on the first session.
Parent/Guardian Waiver. As the parent/legal guardian:
I am fully aware of the risks associated with this activity.
I hereby waive any claim that I may have against the Friends of Fish Creek and Nature Calgary and of its directors, staff or volunteers and release them from all liability for any damages, loss of income, costs, expenses, or death or other injuries of any kind whatsoever arising out of injuries or damages sustained by me as a result of my childrens’ participation in this activity.
That the Friends and Nature Calgary have the right, under recommendations from the instructor to remove any person from the program without a refund and without consent if any infractions occur that prevent or hinder the enjoyment of others or cause risks to public safety.
Personal information collected by the Friends of Fish Creek will be used solely for communicating with you for the purposes of the Birding Camp. This information will not be given, sold, or traded to a party not affiliated with the Birding Camp.

Photo courtesy of Sheila Watson
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Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss
2019-06-27 10:00 - 11:30, 2019-06-25 18:30 - 20:00, 2019-06-20 10:00 - 11:30, 2019-06-18 18:30 - 20:00, 2019-06-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2019-06-11 18:30 - 20:00, 2019-06-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2019-06-04 18:30 - 20:00 and 3 more dates | 15975 Bow Bottom Trail SE, Calgary, AB, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2M7, Canada
Being outdoors provides many healing benefits; it allows us to breathe, reflect and connect with our natural surroundings, and while we may not even be aware of it in the moment, the benefits are there. In fact, research conducted by Alberta Environment and Parks and Mount Royal University has shown the healing benefits of nature for people experiencing significant loss or transitions in life. Death and loss so often bring us to parks and natural places; favorite places to remember and sites simply to let grief be, just as it is – natural. Parks and nature also connect us to the cycles of life and death, reminding us of endurance, beauty, and the only constant – change.
As a way of supporting people who may be on this journey, the Friends of Fish Creek have created Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss. This 8-week series of gentle walks brings together people moving through the shared experience of loss with the intent that they will find support from each other, their community and their time in nature.
All walks are between 1.5 to 2km round trip on relatively flat, paved pathways in Fish Creek Provincial Park, and routes change each week to offer varied experiences in the park. The program is not intended to be a counseling experience, but simply a time to walk in nature with others who are experiencing a shared path of transition.
Only $25, space is limited to 15 walkers per group
Register through Eventbrite

Dealing With Grief Through Nature & Spring Forest Qi Gong
2019-06-22 10:00 - 12:30 | 15975 Bow Bottom Trail SE, Calgary, AB, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2M7, Canada
This participatory workshop will focus on dealing with grief through the healing benefits of nature, combined with the beautiful practice of Spring Forest Qi Gong. You will be integrating breathing, visualization, simple movement and sound to help you heal your physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual body. Any age and all abilities can participate in this fully empowering workshop lead by instructors Diane Smith and Susanne Heaton.
$30 per person, Register through Eventbrite

Badgers
2019-06-19 19:00 - 20:00 | 15975 Bow Bottom Trail SE, Calgary, AB, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2M7, Canada
Badgers in your Backyard – A Glimpse into the Ecology of an Important Grassland Predator
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Provincial Park
Presented by Nicole Heim, M.Sc, Local Wildlife Ecologist
Join us for this fascinating presentation about badgers, to learn how these unique carnivores can help us maintain and restore healthy grassland ecosystems. Wildlife ecologist Nicole Heim will also highlight research opportunities and dispel a few common myths about these unique animals. Nicole Heim is a Wildlife Ecologist who has focused on understanding and conserving terrestrial carnivores. With over 15 years of experience, she has hands on has spent time researching cougars, bears, badgers, and wolverines. In addition to the fierce and fuzzy critters, Nicole has focused her attention on understanding how natural and human land-use factors influence long-term population persistence of carnivores and other terrestrial mammals throughout Rocky Mountains and along Alberta’s East Slopes.
Registration Is Required.
Free for Friends Members and $10.00 for Non-Members.
Free for Youth 16 Years of Age and Younger with Registered Adult.
Register through Eventbrite
Refunds are possible up to 7 days before the event, but Eventbrite service fee will not be refunded.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Heim
