On Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, 2015, the Ruisseau Jackson: protected natural area (RJANP) team attended workshops on the conservation of natural environments. With over 200 participants, the 2015 edition of the Nature Québec event was a huge success. “The workshops encourage networking among conservation agencies, government departments, municipalities and individuals interested in the conservation of natural environments. The event helps strengthen the network and breathes new life into the conservation movement in Quebec” (Nature Québec). This year, the workshops were held amid a blaze of autumn colours at the Mont Gabriel Resort and Spa, on top of the mountain in Sainte-Adèle, in the Laurentians—right next door to us!

Workshops on the Conservation of Natural Environments support community organizations in their local and regional initiatives for the protection and enhancement of sensitive natural sites that are rich in biodiversity. The event provides organizations with training workshops at both the beginner and advanced levels. The workshops address ways to protect natural environments or to manage and enhance them. Overall, the workshops support groups in their efforts to become financially independent and achieve administrative efficiency.

One of the presentations, “Ecological gifts as conservation tools: Reminders and new developments,” the last session on Friday, was of particular interest to RJANP. See http://ateliersmilieuxnaturels.org/programmation-01/.

For more information, click on: http://ateliersmilieuxnaturels.org.