Wild Spaces Fall 2025 Events

With support from The Teaching & Learning Commons and the Office of Sustainability.

Open to students, staff and faculty. Outdoor events are on rain or shine!

Fungi Forest Walk

Join us as we search for fungi around the KPU Surrey Grounds. Learn about what fungi are and their role in the ecosystem. We'll talk about mushrooms and lichens, including some of the distinct features used to help identify them.

Date & Location:
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 3-4:15pm
KPU Surrey Campus
Meet by main courtyard pond

*The BIOL/INDG 1492 (Indigenous Perspectives in Biology) class will be joining this walk.

Bio: 
Emily Betz, MSc. (she/her) is a KPU Biology Lab Technician with extensive experience studying fungi. She has over a decade of experience with Mycology & Phytopathology, contributing to both research and teaching. She aims to inspire curiosity about the weird & wonderful Kingdom Fungi, and she thrives on making these under-appreciated organisms more accessible & engaging

The Body as Geography

Come join us to learn about how the human body provides us with a sense of Geography. Did you know that places are named after body parts, and geographical concepts are based on them such as headlands and foothills? Want to find out how many paces you take to walk 100 meters? And what about your natural left or right drift when walking? Come join us for this ‘walkabout’ the campus to learn more, and commune with the landscape.

Date & Location:
Thursday, November 6th, 12-1pm
KPU Surrey Campus
Meet by main courtyard pond

Bio:
Parthi Krishnan (he/him) is a KPU Geography faculty who works with maps of all forms. He has over two decades of experiences in all aspects of mapping, from field surveying to final map production using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He aims to inspire wonder and curiosity about the sense of geography that defines each of us, yet is not appreciated by many as we navigate our lives in this globalized world.

A River Walk in a Salmon Forest

Join us for walk at Lower Cougar Creek with Cougar Creek Streamkeepers during spawning season. Did you know that salmon feed the trees of our local forests? During this event we will walk through the temperate rainforest, past huge cedars and spruce, and explore the wonders of this river canyon. Keep an eye out for spawning coho!

Date & Location:
Tuesday, November 18th, 2-4pm
Lower Cougar Creek Canyon (10 mins. from KPU Surrey, carpooling from KPU Surrey available)

• Please arrive by 2:15pm and park at Westview Drive just south of 72nd Ave.
• A map and detailed instructions will be emailed 1-2 days before the event.
• We will be walking steep muddy paths. Bring or wear appropriate footwear. 

*The BIOL/INDG 1492 (Indigenous Perspectives in Biology) class will be joining this walk.

Bio:
The Cougar Creek Streamkeepers is a volunteer organization dedicated to restoring the health of Cougar Creek. They are frequent collaborators with Wild Spaces.

Awe, Relationship, and Nature Connection 

Join biologist and educator Bridget McClarty as she explores how a sense of awe influences our relationship with the more-than-human world, and how the more-than-human world allows us to nurture our sense of awe.

Date & Location:
Wed, Dec. 3, 12-1pm
Online

Bio:
Bridget McClarty is a faculty member at BCIT's Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation program and a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University. She has taught place-based programs at secondary and post-secondary schools for almost 20 years, and when she is not teaching, she can often be found walking outside with her dog friend. Bridget loves being both a teacher and a student of nature. 

Wild Spaces is an interdisciplinary teaching and research group at KPU focused on ecological place-based education. Two of our priorities are decolonization and accessibility.

Questions? Email lee.beavington@kpu.ca