Bryerswood Youth Camp hosts Earth Day activities

By Fred Groves

Fun fact – honeybees flap their wings 200 times per second.

That was just one of the interesting pieces of information about the Earth and environment presented Saturday at the Bryerswood Youth Camp, located on Texas Road.

Earth Day is celebrated April 22 and this year, the Bryerswood Youth Camp (BYC) Optimist Club which runs the camp, had lots to do and see for those who came out.

Another fact about bees is that only the female’s sting. As far as butterflies go, they can fly up to 12 miles per hour and surprisingly, taste with their feet.

“It’s an information day for families to explore activities that are great for the environment,” explained BYC Optimist Club Vice-President Cathy Robertson.

Volunteer co-ordinator Sarah Zeman who put the day’s activities together made sure there were numerous stations set up so the public could learn and have a bit of fun at the same time.

One of the stops along the way through the camp was maned by Alastrin Bailey and Ava Sims who showed participants the different trees in the camp and had a neat way of rubbing the bark with crayons to point out the differences in types of species.

Other interesting things to learn included a water pollution experiment and of course trees were being planted on the property as well. In all 70 white spruce and 20 cedars were finding a new home at Bryerswood.

“We did our first one (Earth Day) last year because we just got the property. We are carrying on,” said Optimist Club President Kathi Poupard.

The club that is now running the camp, a former Girl Guides camp, has 23 members and recently new cabins were built and will be moved into position for campers between 4 and 18-years-old.

One of the interesting displays at Bryerswood as part of Earth Day last Saturday was the demonstration of the electric Tesla cars.

Essex MP Chris Lewis and Essex MPP Anthony Leardi were both out on Saturday and had a test drive in the cars.

Earth Day first started in 1970 and now over 190 countries take part in a wide range of activities from tree-planting to information sessions to neighbourhood cleanups. It is estimated that 1 billion people participate each year.

For more information on Bryerswood Youth Camp or to donate, visit www.bryerswood.com.