Sustainability Series: Garden, Forest, Food
You are invited to be part of this 7 part hands-on sustainability series where we will begin in the garden and foster sustainable behaviour outwards in our lives. You will learn the basics of growing your own food, tending a garden, and foraging food from the land. You will create a variety of products from natural materials that you will be able to bring home to use in your everyday life.
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Growing vegetables & herbs
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Preserving our harvest
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Tending Gamiing’s gardens
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Wild plant identification
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Sustainable and safe foraging for wild edibles & medicine
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Make medicinal salve
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Connect with members of the community and the surrounding who live close to the land. We will have guest speakers & friends join us throughout the program
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Celebrate local farmers and the bounty of fresh food surrounding us in Kawartha Lakes
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Learn basic greenwood carving skills from craftsman John Wager. Carve your very own cooking spoon.
This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in cultivating a deeper connection with the natural world and those who wonder, “What can I do to reduce my impact on our planet?” For those who are ready to change your behaviour but don’t know where to begin or maybe you just need some motivation!
Class Dates: 9:00am – 4:00pm
June 2nd, 30th
July 8th, 22nd
August 25th, 26th
September 22nd
Cost: This project is funded through Ontario Trillium Foundation. All it will cost is your commitment and time.
Location: 1884 Pigeon Lake Road, Between Lindsay and Bobcaygeon, Ontario
Contact: Cherianne @ 705.928.0263 OR office@gamiing.org
Staff and Volunteers
Cherianne Cybulskie, Outdoor Education Program Leader:
Since a very young age Cherianne has loved to be outside. She grew up wandering the countryside and wild areas in the 1000 islands region. Her passion for education and nature lead her to completing the Outdoor and Adventure Education diploma program at Fleming College. She currently lives in Curve Lake with her partner John, his family and her two ferrets. Cherianne is continually learning skills that allow her to be deeper connected with our land. She is currently studying plants and all of their uses with a local practicing herbalist. Cherianne's passions for growing food, supporting local and living a life in balance with our Earth provided the foundation of which this project grew from.
Mieke Schipper, Founder and Administrator:
Gamiing Nature Centre on the shores of Pigeon Lake is a very special place that is the result of Mieke's years of hard work and her incredible commitment to conservation and protection. The 100 acre property between Emily Park and Bobcaygeon where the Gamiing Nature Centre operates is named for the Ojibwa word for “near the shore” and has been Mieke’s home for the past 32 years. On Febrary 15, 2018 The Schipper family celebrated the signing of a conservation easement agreement to the Kawartha Land Trust on their property to protect the land they love in perpetuity.
When asked what drives Mieke and keeps her going? “I want my granddaughters to drink fresh, healthy water, breathe fresh healthy air and eat fresh and healthy food,” she said. “I’m just so happy to know the land that I love and care for will be protected in perpetuity for generations yet to come,” continued Schipper.
Boriana Karan, Tree Bones Farm: Boriana is a mother of two, an award winning makeup artist and certified permaculturist. Growing up in the capital of communist Bulgaria, Boriana observed first hand the tradition of part-time farming. Every family, no matter their professional background, would part-time farm on a quarter acre lot and provide for their yearly vegetable, fruit and nut needs. Seventeen years ago Boriana and her partner Branco made Toronto their home. With the birth of their two children the need to connect again with the land in meaningful way became a priority for the family. In 2016 Boriana and Branco joined with two teachers from Equinox Holistic Alternative School, Marcia McVean and Deborah Adelman, purchased a farm in the Kawartha lakes located beside Gamiing Nature Centre.
John Wager, John's Handcarved Woodenware:
John has a passion for learning and sharing his First Nation heritage. He works as an Archeological Monitor for Curve Lake First Nation. When he isn't getting down in the dirt searching for arrowheads and other artifacts he's instructing for Canadian Bushcraft, carving, basket making or something crafty of the sorts. John is the owner and craftsman behind Johns Handcarved Woodenware and believes that everyone should have a wooden spoon in their life
Aryn Mahood, Sweet Song Herbal Gardens:
Aryn has been working in the field of Medical Herbalism for over 14 years. She blends European and North American folk medicine with indigenous tradition and teachings. Blending science with traditional knowledge. Aryn is a medicine maker, a wild crafter and a student of nature. She owns a small business called Sweet Song which specializes in local medicinal plant preparations.