THE LIVING CLASSROOM
TAIGA VENTURES can provide students, teachers and other groups with hands on learning experiences in the areas of environmental sustainability, "green" designs, nature, geography/geology, to name but a few. Contact us, tell us what you wish to achieve during your group visit and we will design a program/lesson that will exceed your expectations and inspire your students.
Interpretive Walks
The trail system follows original animal trails that have been widened for the comfort of both humans and animals. They avoid animal feeding and resting areas. Highlighted are naturally occurring features such as woodpecker condominiums, animal territorial markings, glaciation features, naturally occurring fruits and berries and forest vistas. Guided interpretive walks are essential aspects of The Living Classroom.
Daytime guided interpretive walks and the very unique nighttime walks, which immerse you in the nocturnal world of light and shadow, are conducted by Ron Venor, a very experienced teacher, geographer and guide, who will bring you comfortably into the rhythms of nature.
These walks of discovery are available for individuals, groups and classrooms and can be tailored to suit your specific interests, from photography, geology, astronomy and eco-science to personal inward experience.
Taiga Ventures is the product of a desire and need to address the issues of environmental illnesses and harmonious integration with the natural environment. A multi year search for the appropriate property and sensitivity to the land and animals has resulted in a gentle footprint in the wilderness.
Environment
Taiga Ventures sits atop a glacial esker, a remnant from the last ice age, 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, at an elevation of 1050ft. above
On the property are several glacial pot holes formed when ice trapped in the glacial till melted and covering gravel subsided, forming deep bowl-shaped depressions. On the western boundary are several springs flowing from the bedrock and forming part of the headwaters for the north and south branches of Cedar Creek. To the north and west there is almost no human habitation for hundreds of kilometers. Taiga Ventures' facility sits in a small open area of the wilderness above and not visible from the highway.
Deer, moose, fox, lynx, bobcats, bears, wolves, coyotes, snowshoe hare, red squirrels, chipmunks, owls, ruffed grouse, songbirds, eagles, hawks, and other species of animals and birds routinely inhabit or pass through Taiga Ventures. Clear-cut logging in the area has destroyed the homes and food supply of many species who often seek at least temporary shelter on Taiga Ventures.
Access
Taiga Ventures has four parking lots for cars and buses, located at the entrance to the property to keep pollution below the site and to minimize disturbances to wildlife and the peacefulness of the setting. The 5 minute walk up to the main building allows guests to start filling their bodies with clean air and their senses with delights of the natural world. We encourage car-pooling to minimize environmental impact. All movement on the property is walking, snowshoeing or skiing. No vehicles, including bicycles, are permitted.
Taiga Ventures can arrange limousine service and has a helicopter landing pad.
Driving from
The Structure
Taiga Ventures was designed and built to fulfill the needs of those with compromised immune systems, specifically environmental illness, and to provide a meeting space which is a haven from toxins for everyone.
The critical challenges were to ensure a constant replenishment of clean, fresh air, an abundance of natural light, regulation of humidity and temperature, minimal disturbance of the environment, the use of non-toxic materials in the construction and maintenance, minimal electrical fields and sustainability of the indoor and outdoor environment. Ron Venor, the designer and builder, has achieved these functional goals with such efficiency that the property exudes a natural aesthetic, beauty and ambience breeding an atmosphere that simultaneously relaxes and inspires creative thinking.
The elegantly simple structure is of internal timber frame that is triangular in shape with the apex pointing north. In many ways the design mimics nature. The building is comprised of three levels with the main level utilized by The Grotto which is the meeting space. The facility is heated primarily by passive solar and regulated by a pool under The Grotto serving as a heat sink for the entire structure. Trees rising from the pool and through The Grotto floor support the building. The upper levels are office space and owners' residence.
The entire facility is self-powered electrically from solar arrays and a small wind generator. The structure uses incandescent and LED lighting only and requires very little of either. Wiring throughout is designed for extremely low exposure to electro magnetic fields, EMFs.
PLEASE NOTE: TAIGA VENTURES IS A FRAGRANCE FREE FACILITY FOR THE COMFORT OF ALL!
This site was updated September9th, 2009.
