Wild Rivers Project

Building Canoes and Paddling the Longest River in Scotland to talk with School Children about Rewilding.

In a nut shell, we aim to:

The Wild Rivers Project

This April 2024 we are embarking on an adventure down the River Tay on hand-built wooden canoes with one major objective; to stop at up to 15 primary schools along the way to talk to and inspire young children about Scottish wildlife and the importance of conserving it. We aim to complete 3 education expeditions this season, the Tay being the first.

We plan on building the canoes in March before paddling the length of the Tay, from Crainlarich to Perth, wild camping along the way. The River Tay is Scotland's largest river and is highly significant for both our communities and wildlife.

We will engage school children through talks and activities regarding the ecological challenges facing Scotland’s natural ecosystems in a way which inspires them to participate in its restoration. To do this we will be telling a story of the ancient landscapes, the animals and plants that have been important in the lives of our ancestors, why they are missing and what we can do to help them return and thrive.

Why the Wild Rivers Project?

We would like our project to show that it is possible for anyone to take action and do something positive for nature restoration and our shared future. With the ongoing impact of pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change, it’s too late to wait for change. Instead, we want to use this precious time to do the best we can in supporting others to connect with the natural world.

Through this ecological education outreach adventure we are also hoping to raise funds for Wild Things, an environmental education charity. Wild Things engages people from diverse backgrounds with the natural world through outdoor activities, active conservation and health and wellbeing. Their work has given people of all ages an opportunity to see nature as an alternative place for growth and learning, deepening care for nature in our society by actually taking young and old people into embodied experiences of the natural world.

What's more, from start to finish we hope to film this project, widening its ripple effects and hopefully inspiring a broad range of people to take action for ecosystem restoration.

How we will spend the funding:

By helping to support this endeavour you are not only supporting this trip and helping us to reach the many primary schools along the Tay river, you are also helping us produce a model of ecological education support for school children. We hope to use this model to continue to educate young children as well as share what we have learned to our peers and others in our field to inspire action.

Any donation, large or small is greatly appreciated as it will aid the work of Wild Things and enable us to build the canoes which will be donated to schools further down the line. More importantly, your donation would also help bring back a healthy coexistence between nature and mankind for our future generations to cherish.

From left, Phoenix Lester, Jacob Main, and Sam Baldwin.

Who we are

We are 3 recent graduates from various environmental fields who are excited to get out into the world to make positive change. Our studies revealed to us the sheer extent of the ecological damage suffered by UK habitats over the past few centuries. While deciding on our future prospects it became apparent to us that one of the biggest ways we could create environmental and social change was through education. With a passion for nature and adventure and with a shared desire to positively impact and inspire younger generations, we decided to take a proactive approach and create a project with craftsmanship, adventure and compassion for the natural world at its core.