Nature Club

CPAWS Manitoba’s Nature Club is designed to help Manitobans get outside, make new friends and learn about the wonders of nature.

We’ve developed a wide range of activities and programming to help Manitobans of all ages and abilities enjoy the health and wellness benefits of nature. 

More than 19,000 people have registered for Nature Club events since December 2020. We hope to connect many more to nature in the years to come.

The Nature Club has three main components: Outdoor Fun, Outdoor Education and our Speaker Series Webinars. 

These are community-building programs designed to inspire people to:

• Explore Manitoba;
• Gain the confidence to get out into the wilderness;
• Develop new skills; and
  
• Learn about Manitoba’s wildlife, birds, plants and natural environment.

Are you an avid outdoorsy type? Try drop-in classes on topics like forest bathing or nature photography and explore Manitoba with our treasure hunt app.

Are you a bit uncomfortable being out in the woods on your own? Join us for a group hike or watch webinars about wilderness survival and camping 101. 

Are you a parent trying to get your kids off screens? Take them on a treasure hunt, register for a drop-in class, join a group hike, check out our outdoor education resource hub or inspire them to get outside with webinars about topics ranging from birding for beginners to the Narcisse snake dens.

Be sure to subscribe to our events newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so you don’t miss out on upcoming events. 

You can register on Eventbrite and catch up on past webinars on Vimeo.

There is a wide array of evidence that shows spending time in nature improves mental and physical health, boosts immunity and reduces risk of disease.

Connecting with the natural world has been shown to improve sleep and augment vitamin D levels. It also boosts endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes happiness.

Healthy forests, lakes and wetlands are also working to protect our physical health even when we’re not out in nature. They clean our air, filter our water and act as a protective shield against the worsening impacts of climate change.

Nature became a refuge in the pandemic.

Campsites were full. Hiking trails were crowded. Dark sky spaces like Oak Hammock Marsh were filled with people chasing the northern lights.

We wanted to help Manitobans maintain and expand these meaningful connections to nature. 

So we developed an outdoor education program in the summer of 2020 to help educators and parents get kids outside. 

Then we launched a webinar series in December 2020 to help people connect to conservation online in the dark, cold months of the third wave.

With vaccination rates surpassing even the most optimistic targets, we resumed in-person programming in July 2021. 

CPAWS Manitoba has a long history of delivering fun and educational programming ranging from paddle nights and wilderness races to stewardship training for youth.

Our mission is to connect Manitobans to nature so they can enjoy the health and wellness benefits of being in the wilderness. 

More than 19,000 people registered for Nature Club events in the first three years of the program. We hope to connect many more to nature in the years to come.

CPAWS Manitoba takes the safety of all program participants seriously.

All CPAWS Manitoba staff members have cleared a criminal record and vulnerable sector background check with the Winnipeg Police Department.

CPAWS policy requires that at least one person leading programming that may involve children must be certified in first aid. This applies to staff or to volunteers.