Storyboard Trail provides educational aspect to Kennedy Woods

By Mark Ribble

Visitors to the Kennedy Woods trails on the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary property will have an educational and spiritual addition to their walk going forward after a new storyboard trail officially opened on Friday, March 3.

The trail — located at west-end bush of Kennedy Woods — will feature characters and storyboards from a book written by Janne Peters of Caldwell First Nation.

The Kennedy Woods Storyboard Trail will provide an educational and spiritual journey involving characters Rainey and Mkinaak as they explore the trails and share their knowledge along the way.

“Rainey is the spiritual name I gave my granddaughter before she was born,” explained Janne Peters. “Mkinaak is my clan symbol — the turtle.”

Janne told those gathered for the official ribbon cutting that she listened to what those characters said as she walked through the woods with them and applied that story to her book — A Walk In Nature — which provided the basis for the storyboards.

Janne’s pages were brought to life on the storyboards and they were spaced out along the trail in Kennedy Woods.

Matthew Olewski, Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation, was happy to have the collaboration with Caldwell First Nation and thanked Janne and her daughter Carrie Ann for their work on the project.

“This is a very important step in educating our visitors and a small step toward reconciliation,” he said. “The first people of this land were — and still are — the stewards of this land.”

Olewski said that the storyboard signs provide an educational experience along the trail for children and adults alike.

“Our mission here is to remain dedicated to conservation,” he added. The new Kennedy Woods Storyboard Trail perfectly aligns with this.”

Janne’s story follows Rainey and Mkinaak on their ‘Wellness Walk’, as they share traditional knowledge, explain the importance of the sacred hoop, and teach a few Anishinaabemowin words in Ojibwe along the way.

The Kennedy Woods Storyboard Trail is a unique way for visitors to understand the importance of environmental stewardship through First Nations culture and tradition.

This project was coordinated by Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary and was funded by the Municipality of Kingsville in partnership with the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation.

Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers and several of the councillors were on hand for the ribbon cutting and Rogers was quick to thank both Janne and the foundation.

“The Jack Miner Foundation worked extremely hard to make this happen,” he said. “Nothing can be achieved without the help of the community.”

Rogers then gathered with Janne Peters and several foundation and municipal representatives and cut the ribbon officially opening the storyboard trail.

Janne Peters (in green) cuts the ribbon to open the Storyboard Trail at Kennedy Woods with help from Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers and members of the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation, Kingsville Council and Caldwell First Nation at the trailhead on Friday, March 3. SUN photo

Storyboard author Janne Peters, left, with Jack Miner Foundation Director of Education and Community Engagement Matthew Olewski and Foundation Executive Director Tom Coke at the head of the trail on Friday, March 3. SUN photo