WILDS Of Manitoba: Information

Winnipeg is located within Treaty No. 1 Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinabe (Ojibway), Ininew (Cree), Oji-Cree, Dene, and Dakota, and is the Birthplace of the Métis Nation and the Heart of the Métis Nation Homeland. Winnipeg's water comes from the territory of Shoal Lake First Nation.

Wilds of Manitoba and it's events are safe for
BIPOC and 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons.

WILDS of Manitoba (WILDS) has created, hosted and managed simple, cost effective internet web sites for organizations related to wilderness in Manitoba and Canada.

WILDS has also created, designed and hosted web sites for other organizations and businesses.

WILDS is a solely-owned, non-profit organization.

WILDS offers Paddle Canada certified courses, workshops and clinics for Lake Water Canoeing Tandem or Solo from Waterfront/Basic to Advanced skills. Mushroom, plant, ethnobotany and ethnomycology workshops and forays are also organized for associations and privately upon request.

WILDS created and hosted, for many years, since inauguration of the WWW, the original official websites for the following entities:

Bill, Becky and Paul Mason
Nature Manitoba formerly Manitoba Naturalists Society
Red River Canoe and Paddle
Wave Track Canoes (now Wilderness Supply Company)
Friends of Mantario Trail
Main Physiotherapy & Wellness Clinic

WILDS created and continues to host, since inauguration of the WWW, the original official websites for:

Tillenius (in memory of Clarence Tillenius)
Taiga Biological Station (in memory of William C. Pruitt)
The Urban Naturalist (in memory of Morris Sorenson)

The WOMB web page was conceived from the acronym of Wilds Of ManitoBa. It remembers and pays homage to people and things that are dearest to me, family and friends who have passed before me. Especially my parents, Richard and Alice Kolisnyk. The WOMB page is my womb, so it is pink, as it should be.

The name "WILDS of Manitoba" was chosen as an all encompassing name for this website's diverse wilderness information.

This is not a "wild" website and contains no illicit information or foul language.

The business is registered with the Province of Manitoba Companies Office.

WILDS websites are SSL (Secure Socket Layer) secure and minimize use of JAVA, frames, cookies, style sheets, etc. Simple HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) coding makes the information available to many web trippers who do not have access to high-speed data links, fast computers or the latest web browsers or mobile devices.

Those who have access to the latest technologies will find WILDS pages appear very quickly on their computer or mobile device displays.

Some of the web pages include many photos and may take time to download on some browsers or via slower internet data links.

The skull image tiling the background of this web site was digitally rendered from a 5000 year old prairie bison skull a friend found in the Assiniboine River, Manitoba.

The bison is Manitoba's provincial animal and was a source of spiritual power and essential sustenance for the Plains Indians.

North American governments nearly exterminated bison in the 1800s, causing unnecessary suffering and sublimation of Indigenous peoples who existed in harmony with bison and other wildlife.

Manitoba's endangered wilderness and wildlife is herein represented by this icon, of which the skull image is adopted by WILDS of Manitoba as its logo, in reverence of the strength, perserverance and endurance of this mighty creature.

Indigenous Land Acknowledgements provided on WILDS Of Manitoba web pages (such as at the top of this page) are my small attempt at reconciliation and to pay respect to and acknowledge the devastation that French, English and other Europeans brought upon Indigenous peoples who called Canada, Manitoba and Winnipeg home.

I acknowledge and pay respect to Indigenous Elders who have shared with me their Indigenous teachings; I am truly honoured to share these teachings back to Indigenous persons and communities when requested, and to others willing to learn, always honouring the sources of the information and their spirit energies.

I acknowledge the following Elders for their teachings: Audrey Bone, Stella Blackbird, Gerry Mason, Dorothy Ann Crate, Betty Murdock, Bob Crate, Graham Smith, Vincent Crate, Carl Cochrane, Cindy Garson, Keith Sinclair, Alvin Amos, Ronnie Sinclair, Albert McLeod, Mae Louise Campbell, Jamie Fortier, Michelle Shephard, Ollie Zirka. I also acknowledge the following knowledge keepers I have learned from: Dr. Shirley Thompson, Dr. Shailesh Shukla, Dr. David Punter, Chad Cornell and numerous university professors, college instructors, medical doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses. Most importantly I thank my parents, Richard and Alice Kolisnyk, siblings and other family for their love, encouragement and support throughout my life.

Medicines and teachings now arise from within me, a mixture of various ethnobotanical and western medicinal knowledge. I am learning to listen for and heed songs from other beings such as animals, birds, trees, plants, lichen and fungi; they are singing to me for reasons I am yet learning and may never fully know or understand.

The stained glass window image in the left border depicts sun / sky / birds / shield rock / lake / river / canoe on shore was conceptualized by Donna Kurt and crafted by artist, canoeist, handyman and friend Lee Paulson.

WILDS Of Manitoba owner and web author Donna R Kurt can be reached at dkurt at wilds.mb.ca and is interested in:

wilderness and nature
Moving Water (whitewater) canoeing
Lake Water canoeing and kayaking
instructing Lake Water canoeing, solo, tandem, novice to advanced
instructing canoe trip leaders, novice to expedition
steering dragon boats
canoe poling and big canoes
coastal and inland paddling
paddling in Australia and other countries
snowshoeing
walking
biking
hiking and backpacking
hiking and backpacking
wilderness camping
sharing knowledge about mushrooms, plants, lichens, mosses and their relations with humans (ethnobotany, ethnomycology) and other beings
mushroom and plant forays and workshops
growing mushrooms in logs, gardens, natural environments
gardening and International Permaculture Design (certified)
botany of Manitoba and algae, fungi and mosses
aquatic and forest ecology
studying biology, Indigenous studies at University
physics, astronomy, time and synchronization
dogs and pets
web site development
photography and film making
medicine, healthy living, CBTm
traveling, sight-seeing
fine cuisine, cooking, baking
woodwork, metal work, building and fixing things
security work, hoping to make life safer for others
music, listening and creating
drawing, sketching, painting
reading and reviewing books, documentaries, movies
relaxing (yes), Taiji, Qigong, meditation
spending time with various communities, friends and family
and other diverse activities!

So come back to find new pages and updates on these and other topics.

Professional affiliations, certifications:

Alberta Mycological Society, Member
Bell MTS Retirees, Volunteer
Certified Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba, CET
Crisis Prevention Institute Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
FoodSafe Manitoba, Manitoba Food Handlers Certificate
IEEE/ATIS Workshop on Synchronization and Timing Systems, Steering Committee Member
International Permaculture Design Certificate
Manitoba Association of Retired Government Employees, Member
Manitoba Licenced Security Guard
Manitoba Smart Choices Responsible Service Certification
Manitoba Telecommunications Services, Planning and Standards Engineering Retiree
Nature Manitoba, Life Member, Grey Hares Member, Mantario Specialty Leader
North American Mycological Association, Member
Paddle Canada, Certified Lake Water Canoe and Leadership Camping Instructor
Paddle Manitoba, Life Member
Sirius MEDx, Wilderness First Aid CPR/AED Level A+
The Herb Society of Manitoba, Member
The Wildlife Society, Member
University of Winnipeg, Student
Winnipeg Folk Festival, Security Folk
Wilderness Canoe Association, Member

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