Winter is receding at Paradise Meadows, and it is time to start planning summer visits to the Strathcona Provincial Park. Strathcona Wilderness Institute has opened the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows for the summer season, with normal operating hours of 9 a.m.-4 p.m.. Summer programs include nature walks, talks and hikes with expert naturalists and guides on weekends through July, August and September.

The first guided hike will happen on Saturday, June 29 with a four-hour easy hike around the Battleship Lake/Helen Mackenzie loop. Meet at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows at 9:30 a.m.

For more information or to preregister, please email strathconawilderness@gmail.com

This is a free event, guided by volunteer experts, as a fundraiser for SWI.

Self-guiding brochures can be obtained at the centre for the boardwalk loops in Paradise Meadows, and wheelchairs and the Trailrider are available for those whose mobility is restricted.

The Strathcona Wilderness Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire awareness, appreciation and stewardship of the natural world through education and participation. The Institute works through a cooperative agreement with BC Parks at two locations in Strathcona Park - the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows and the Buttle Lake Information Hut - offering a range of programmes and publications for visitors to the Park. Last year SWI recorded saw over 12,000 visitors, about 70 per cent of which were from beyond the Comox Valley, including eight per cent from overseas. All walks, hikes and public presentations are free, but we greatly appreciate donations, since fundraising is crucial to keeping the Centre open. And we would warmly welcome those who enjoy being in the park to consider joining our crew of volunteers.