Students in the TDSS Indigenous Land-Based Learning class recently participated in a three-day field trip to the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa, Ontario.
Throughout the trip, students took part in a variety of outdoor learning experiences, including teambuilding challenges, exploring the impact of recent storm damage in the area, discussing the rich cultural history of the Mattawa River, and learning about mindfulness and the healing power of nature.
On June 21, 2025, the Canadian Ecology Centre was at the centre of a powerful downburst windstorm that caused extensive damage throughout Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. Towering pine trees were reduced to massive piles of fallen logs across the landscape. Remarkably, the Centre itself survived without catastrophic damage.
In addition to this field trip, students in the Land-Based Learning program, alongside their teacher Alex Shillinglaw, have participated in a wide range of outdoor and experiential learning activities throughout the year. These experiences have included ice fishing, open-water fishing, winter animal track explorations, “thriving in winter” challenges, snowshoeing, and tapping birch trees to make birch syrup.
Students enrolled in the program have the opportunity to earn credits in Environmental Science, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, and Indigenous Studies.
While returning from Mattawa, students also toured the campuses of Nipissing University and Canadore College to learn more about post-secondary opportunities in environmental education and Indigenous Studies.
Land-based learning is alive and thriving at TDSS!