Recently, a woman approached Melissa Bollinger in a clinic waiting room. “You took me on a forest therapy walk years ago,” she said. “And I still do the things we did that day! Being in nature has helped me so much.”

For Bollinger—a social worker with the Welland McMaster Family Health Team, moments like that confirm what she’s known for years: time in nature is profoundly healing.

When Canada’s first national nature prescription program launched in 2020, Bollinger was one of the first healthcare professionals to register as a prescriber.

“What I love about it is it’s not about my patients relying on me,” she says. “It’s about giving them the tools to connect with nature on their own—to slow down, turn off their phone, and be present. Even a single tree in a parking lot can become a source of calm.”

Now, a new partnership will make that connection even easier.

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Starting July 3, patients who receive a PaRx prescription will be eligible for five free visits to select Niagara Peninsula watershed conservation areas where parking fees are charged, including Ball’s Falls, Binbrook, Chippawa Creek, and Long Beach.

The partnership between PaRx and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is a shared effort to make nature more accessible as part of mainstream healthcare, responding to a growing body of research that shows nature is a powerful component of mental and physical wellbeing.

PaRx, an initiative of BC Parks Foundation, launched in 2020 and has grown rapidly, with over 18,000 licensed health professionals across Canada now prescribing nature for conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to high blood pressure and chronic stress.

Jennie McCaffrey, Vice President of Health and Education at BC Parks Foundation, says the partnership reflects a growing understanding of what truly supports wellbeing: “When we spend time in nature, yes, we feel physically and mentally better, but we also feel more connected to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. That sense of belonging is powerful, and something to nurture, and something everyone deserves access to. We’re so glad this partnership is helping make that possible in Niagara’s beautiful green spaces.”

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Leilani Lee Yates, Chief Administrative Officer with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, agrees: “At NPCA, we believe that access to nature is essential to individual and community wellbeing. This partnership with PaRx allows us to open the doors even wider, welcoming more people into the healing spaces of Niagara Peninsula watershed’s conservation areas. We’re proud to be part of a movement that recognizes nature as a vital part of healthcare.”

Bollinger was one of PaRx’s first prescribers, but her journey toward prescribing nature began earlier. In 2016, she trained just north of Toronto as one of Canada’s first certified forest therapy guides, inspired by her sister-in-law and by her son’s time in a forest kindergarten in Germany.

When she returned to her role in Welland, she brought forest therapy with her. With the support of a forward-thinking director, she began offering monthly forest therapy walks for patients and the broader community. Today, she also leads mental health intake assessments—and has added a simple and valuable question to her forms: How much time do you spend outside?

“It’s right up there with sleep and nutrition now,” she says.

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Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health and Commissioner of Public Health and Emergency Services for Niagara Region, sees nature prescribing as a tool for lasting change:

“Nature prescribing provides an innovative, low-cost, and sustainable approach to improving the well-being of individuals and communities. It offers mental, physical, and social health benefits while promoting environmental sustainability and equity. By incorporating nature into healthcare, we can create healthier, happier, and more resilient populations, making nature prescribing a powerful tool in the pursuit of public health goals.”

For Bollinger, the partnership reinforces what she’s witnessed time and again in her work: “This incentive will help patients take that next step. Free access to places where nature’s benefits are abundant—trails through Carolinian forests, lakeside beaches, and restorative green spaces—reminds us we’re not alone, and that’s where healing begins.”