WORKSHOP TEACHES WHAT TO DO WHEN LOST IN THE WOODS

THE JULY 2 WORKSHOP IS SPONSORED LOCALLY BY CANADIAN TIRE, SPORT CHEK AND THE WILDLINGS CAMP

If you go into the woods today, don't be caught by the surprise of getting lost.

But if you do, says longtime search and rescue volunteer and instructor Annette Sandberg, there are several strategies a person lost on a hike can employ to make sure they'll be found.

Sandberg, a member of the Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue Team, is hosting a one-hour-long Hug-a-tree and Survive workshop to provide kids ages five through 12 some basic survival skills should they get separated from their parents or friends while walking through the woods.

The program is particularly relevant for this region, Sandberg

noted, with the prevalence of conservation areas and provincial parks.

The Hug-a-tree program was created after a young boy became lost in a mountainous area in California, and died of exposure after searchers were unable to find him in time. The Canadian version of the program was developed by the RCMP and is delivered by Adventuresmart.

"Had he known some basic skills, his outcome would have had a chance to be different," Sandberg said.

Along with the advice that one should always let others know where they're going and how it is critical to remain in one place, the program provides training in basic skills, such as building a rudimentary area to bed down.

"Children and adults alike

need to know what's happening in the efforts (of a search), because people tend to wander because they think no one's coming," she said. "They try to find their way out on their own, and they end up getting more and

more lost.

"They can wander into an area that searchers have already been — and (searchers) are not coming back to that area. So it is critical to stay in one place."

Sandberg has been a search and rescue volunteer since 2004 and is recertified annually, along with frequent training.

While searches have become less frequent over the years with the advent of GPS technology, Sandberg still takes part in several searches annually for people of all ages who lose their way.

The workshop will be held at the Collingwood Public Library on July 2, starting at 10 a.m. Seating is limited, and parents are encouraged to sit in with their children.

The workshop is sponsored locally by Canadian Tire, Sport Chek and the Wildlings Camp. Along with the lessons, participants will receive a silver emergency rescue blanket and a whistle that can be used to alert searchers to a person's presence.

For more information about the program, go to www.adventuresmart.ca/programs/hug-atree-and-survive/. To book a spot in the workshop, go to www.eventbrite.ca/e/hug-atree-survive-tickets-363093611767.