UrbaNature Education at a glance
Our History
Environmentalist Lisa Mintz and outdoor educator Holly McIntyre started UrbaNature Education (UNE) in 2018. Through government funding and volunteer-led events such as cleanups, the work of Canada Summer Jobs students and community partnerships, we have brought thousands of people to the falaise Saint-Jacques.
Lisa also founded the group Sauvons la falaise! in 2015 to save the St. Jacques Escarpment (falaise) from incursions during the Turcot reconstruction project. UrbaNature was formed later in order to be the education organization in the falaise Saint-Jacques. Once work to save this important green space was finished, this once-abandoned urban wilderness became the seventh grand parc in Montreal.
The St. Jacques Escarpment (falaise) is a 70-hectare park that stretches from behind the businesses on St. Jacques Street in NDG to the Lachine Canal in the Southwest borough. On the west and east, the borders are Lachine and Westmount. It also touches Montreal West and LaSalle. The park is planned in four stages over 10 plus years, with sixty-seven million dollars having been allocated so far by the City of Montreal.
Lisa no longer runs Sauvons la falaise! Her 10 years of running and founding various environmental groups taught her that educating people and sensitizing them about nature are crucial to making a difference.
A few of our favourite photos
