Enjoy learning on the land. The Kortright Centre for Conservation is pleased to offer a series of courses and workshops that cater to both amateur and professional naturalists looking to learn new skills in a fun and hands-on environment.

OUR PROGRAMS

ADULT NATURE WALK SERIES

Funding for this program is provided by the Government of Ontario’s Seniors Community Grant.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accomodation, please email Jennifer.Ouimette@trca.ca at least seven days prior to the event.

UPCOMING WALKS

DETAILS COMING SOON.

COURSES

At Kortright Centre for Conservation we understand that education is a lifelong process. To provide learning opportunities for our adult visitors, we have developed a series of adult courses, all taught by experts in the field, and designed to provide hands-on training that will allow you to apply your knowledge.

UPCOMING COURSES

Introduction to Beekeeping

Dates: Saturdays, April 26, May 17, June 7, July 5, August 9, September 6, and October 25, 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cost: $360.00 + HST for the full course

This seven-part course provides information and hands-on opportunities for the beginner beekeeper. Led by experienced apiarists, the course walks participants through the active bee season from April to October.

Participants will learn about helpful hive equipment and materials, perform status checks of active hives, assess the health of the queen, control for pests and diseases, harvest honey, and prepare hives for winter.

Each session contains both in-class learning and hands-on experience in the bee yard with experts. Veils and jackets available on request.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Preparing for the Beekeeping Season
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Study the basics of bee biology and learn which plants are most important for the health of your bees.

Opening the Hive after Winter
Saturday, May 17, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Learn how to properly open your hive after a long winter, how to check the health of the queen, and what to look for when monitoring for diseases.

Spring Hive Check
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Acquire the knowledge to identify the different castes of bees, bee larvae, and eggs. Learn how to avoid swarming, and the appropriate time to add honey supers.

Summer Hive Check
Saturday, July 5, 2024 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This class will focus on how to check the hives for diseases and pests such as AFB, chalk brood, wax moths, and varroa mites. Learn how to apply treatments to the hives if such diseases or pests are found. Honey supers will be added to hives as needed.

Summer Harvest
Saturday, August 9, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This class will introduce the concepts of nectar flow and summer harvesting techniques. Learn the process of extracting honey from honeycomb. Participants will learn how to properly use a honey extractor and bottle honey.

Fall Hive Check
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This class will focus on scaling the hives down for autumn, storage recommendations for honey supers, and protection against wax moths and other pests. Fall mite checks and treatment will also be discussed.

Putting the Bees to Bed
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This class will focus on the process of preparing the colonies for winter. Hive wrapping, merging, and common winter beekeeping challenges will be covered.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accomodation, please email jennifer.ouimette@trca.ca at least seven days prior to the event.

Ontario Naturalist Level 1

Begins Saturday, April 12, 2025

Course Description: Learn a vast array of naturalist skills from experts in the field. This blended learning course, targeted at budding or amateur naturalists, combines in-class, hands-on instruction and self-paced online learning.

In this course, you will learn species identification, ecological significance, memory aids, and threats to local flora and fauna. This newfound knowledge will help you experience the natural world in a whole new way.

This course has a maximum cohort of 20 students to ensure high quality, individualized learning.

Select modules in this certification course are also available as individually priced workshops:

Course dates and times will be determined based on the best season and time of day for wildlife viewing in the field, and speaker availability. Most sessions will be held on weekends, but at least one session will be scheduled on a weekday evening.

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE 2025 COURSE SCHEDULE.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accommodation, please email jennifer.ouimette@trca.ca.

Cost: $575.00 + HST*

WORKSHOPS

The Kortright Centre for Conservation is pleased to offer workshops that cater to both amateur and professional naturalists looking to learn new skills in a fun and hands-on environment.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

No workshops scheduled at this time. Please check back soon.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Naturally Mindful: Silent Retreat in Nature

2025 Dates & Times: 
Friday, April 4, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday, April 11, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday, April 25, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday, May 2, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 4, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Silent Retreat)
Friday, May 9, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday, May 16, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Cost:  $375.00 + HST

The restorative and therapeutic benefits of connecting with nature are well known. Studies show that spending time in nature helps to bring about positive emotions, activates our parasympathetic nervous system which calms and restores us, and promotes positive mental health and overall wellbeing. Cultivating mindfulness enhances our ability to connect with nature and only reinforces the benefits. In mindfulness, we train our minds and our hearts to live in the present moment and to bring a kind and compassionate attitude to all of our experience.

Practicing mindfulness in nature can help us get to know ourselves better and learn to more easily switch from the busy “doing” (reactive) mode to “being” (responsive) mode. This helps to transform our relationship with stress and mental health challenges to a healthier and more effective one. In turn, we can develop greater awareness, insight and trust in ourselves, as well as learn to meet ourselves and our experiences with wisdom and kindness.

Based on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, this unique 6‐week course will help you to cultivate the practice and attitudes of mindfulness meditation in daily life by learning from your own experiences and from the wisdom of nature.

Each two-and-half-hour session will include teachings, guided practices indoors and outdoors, periods of silence, mindful journaling and group discussion. No experience with mindfulness is required for this course; those with any level of experience with meditation are welcome to enroll. Participants will be given a folder with readings and handouts each week, and suggested home practices. Sessions may include gentle mindful yoga and/or other movement-based practices, and all sessions will involve walking in the outdoors. Comfortable shoes and dressing in layers are recommended.

Note: In the tradition of most mindfulness courses, this course includes a day-long silent retreat. Further information about the retreat will be provided in the course.

What you need to bring each week:
• Bottle of water, journal and pen, sunglasses, and anything else you need to feel comfortable.
• Please dress in layers, appropriate to the weather, and to wear comfortable walking shoes as much of the session will be outdoors.

An email will be sent to all registrants prior to the first session with further details. A brief outline of the sessions will be provided at the first session.

TRCA is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accommodation, please email jennifer.ouimette@trca.ca at least seven days prior to the event.

SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION & TRAINING

The Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program offers a wide variety of workshops and certification programs at the Kortright Centre, for both professionals and homeowners.

These programs cover disciplines such as renewable energy technologies, green building technologies, and many more.

BROWSE PROGRAMS

Kortright’s Commitment to Excellence

• We offer Canada’s largest educational demonstrations of renewable energy and green buildings.
• Our staff members have more than 75 years of  combined experience in teaching about and installing photovoltaic (PV) systems.
• We maintain a low teacher-to-student ratio (maximum of 16 students).
• We offer the latest demonstrations of real systems ranging from:
  • 100 watts to 90 kw
  • Grid and off-grid systems
  • Sloped roof top flat, roof roof, integrated and tracking systems

SUSTAINABLE HOUSE TOURS

Take a guided tour or our two LEED Platinum-certified houses: one illustrating sustainable practices readily available today, the other demonstrating cutting-edge sustainable and renewable technologies on the horizon.

PUBLIC TOUR DATES:
• There are no public tours scheduled at this time.