Entries tagged "canada"

Caribou in the Classroom

Jun 19, 2010

Did you know that students as young as grade 2 are learning about biodiversity? The other month, Jill Sturdy, CPAWS National Conservation Outreach Coordinator, and I visited a couple of grade 2 classes at Briargreen Public School. They invited us to talk about, you guessed it, Canada's threatened woodland caribou.

We talked about how to tell a caribou from a moose, the unique features of woodland caribou, their connection to Canada and the environment, why woodland caribou are at risk of disappearing forever, and what needs to be done to save them. It was a great meet-up. And what made it great was that it wasn't just Jill and I doing all the talking. The students had outstanding questions and even better answers. The whole thing was very interactive. We played a game with them to demonstrate the importance of Canada's magnificent boreal forest to woodland caribou. The students took on the part of the trees and helped me hide from my predator "Jill the wolf".

Given that children are the future, I am very glad we had the chance to meet with them to help secure a better future for my species, the ecosystem, and biodiversity. Below is a short video of our visit. Thank you to the teachers and students of Briargreen Public School for the awesome opportunity. We hope you'll invite us back next year!

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Comments (0) Tags: biodiversity, boreal, bou, briargreen, canada, canadian, caribou, classroom, conservation, cpaws, education, parks, school, wilderness, woodland

Quarters for Caribou: "Small Change, Big Difference"

Jun 19, 2010

(some of the Quarters For Caribou project team in Calgary: L to R Dave, Carrie, Maureen, Bou (magically in Calgary!), Lynn, and Faye)

The CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter recently developed an educational awareness and fund-raising program for grades 5-6 all about woodland caribou. It's called "Quarters for Caribou". It was piloted in a Calgary school in May and, if successful, will be hitting schools across Alberta and other provinces. I was fortunate to be able to assist with the program by providing some videos for the presentation. I asked Julia Millen, who worked with the CPAWS Chapter to create the program, about some of the project's details:

Q: How did the program get stared?

Julia: It was started by volunteers in the CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter’s Conservation Leaders Program. As a group they decided to take action that would make a difference for wilderness in Alberta. Inspired by the caribou, the icon of Canadian wilderness featured on Canadian quarters, they came up with a plan to help raise awareness and support for wildlife conservation, and get students in schools involved.

Q: What does the program consist of?

Julia: First there is a short and fun Quarters For Caribou presentation to help the students understand the plight of the woodland caribou and the need to protect its boreal forest home. The presentation will be the kick-off for a fund-raising campaign in the school where students will collect as many “caribou quarters” as possible. The donated money will be used by CPAWS to help protect wildlife corridors and boreal forest habitat. Once we have done the first presentation and campaign, we’ve got lots of great ideas about how to involve more schools in Alberta and beyond.

Q: Thanks Julia and good luck!

Julia: Thank you Bou. Your videos were seen by about 550 students in our first school visit, and that’s just the start!

With hooves crossed, you may soon see the Quarters For Caribou: Small Change, Big Difference program at a school near you! In the meantime, here's one of the videos from Quarters For Caribou program. It's about why Canada's woodland caribou are disappearing.

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Comments (0) Tags: alberta, awareness, boreal, bou, canada, canadian, caribou, classroom, education, forest, fund, kids, parks, quarters, raising, school, southern, students, wilderness, woodland

Historical Agreeement - something to dance about!

May 18, 2010

(watch video on YouTube)

I have a feeling today's news will be filled with stories about the signing of the historical Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. After two years of negotiations, The Canadian Parks And Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and sister conservation organizations have reached an historic agreement with the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). CPAWS played a leadership role in achieving The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which:

covers over 70 million hectares of Canada's Boreal forest licensed to FPAC member companies across the country;
commits these companies to world-leading sustainable forest management practices and conservation planning;
focuses on protecting the Boreal woodland caribou's critical habitat; and
is signed by CPAWS and eight other conservation organizations and 21 forestry companies represented by FPAC.

To learn more about the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, who's invovled, and why it's important, visit www.CanadianBorealForestAgreement.com.

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Comments (0) Tags: Agreement, Boreal, Canada, Canadian, Caribou, CPAWS, Dance, Forest, FPAC, video, woodland

One step closer to keeping the house intact

Apr 15, 2010

photo by Tim Green aka atoach Flickr.com

Earlier this month the Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation, Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Parks Canada took the important next step towards establishing the Thaidene Nene - East Arm National Park Reserve.

Thaidene Nene means “The land of the ancestors” and is located in the East Arm region of the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. It is one of the largest remaining intact boreal wilderness areas in North America - and you know how my species and I heart intact boreal. Not only will protecting this area help preserve woodland caribou and other wildlife, but it will also protect cultural, spiritual, and environmental values. According to Chief Nitah of the Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation, “carrying this tradition into the future, the Łutsel K'e Dene have the right and the responsibility to promote their culture, practice their relationship with the land, and protect the territory upon which this culture and relationship depend.” For more information, check out the Parks Canada news release.

Congratulations and thank you to all of the parties involved. I hope the final steps to create the Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve are as swift and trouble-free as possible. And for this, I send you the very best woodland caribou wishes and prayers.

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Comments (0) Tags: boreal, Canada, caribou, cpaws, Jim Prentice, National, Park, Parks Canada, protect, Reserve, Thaidene Nene, woodland, Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation

Nature Matters! Contest extended to March 14, 2010

Mar 05, 2010

Environment Canada wants to know “Why is nature important to you?”. Tell them in a written essay or video, and if you're a Canadian citizen or permanent resident between the ages of 9-35, you could win one of six grand prizes.

The contest is in support of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity and aims to help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity.

You can get all the contest details here: English Français

If Woodland Caribou were eligible to enter, I would say that nature matters to me because it provides food, shelter, protection, and LIFE for not only my species, community, and family – but for all forms of life on this planet. Without it, there would be no living world be it natural, social, or economic.

If you’re eligible for the contest, I encourage you to enter it. If you’re not, leave a comment here about what nature means to you because I would love to hear it.

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Comments (0) Tags: Biodiversity, Canada, caribou, contest nature, environment

Did you see caribou or elk at the Olympic closing ceremony?

Mar 01, 2010

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympic closing ceremony last night the Canadian athletes donned Cowichan style sweaters with an antler bearing ungulate design. The question is; are they caribou or elk?

According to CBC they are caribou (see Step 2 in the article). But, back in October the Vancouver Sun labeled them as elk. And the confused public who want to resell their Olympic sweaters are playing it safe by referring to them as “Caribou/Elk”.

What do you think the organizers had in mind when they designed the Olympic sweaters, caribou or elk? I bet you know what my anwser is ;)

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Comments (1) Tags: athlete, Canada, Canadian, caribou, ceremony, closing, elk, Olympic, sweater

Will your children know what a woodland caribou is?

Feb 26, 2010

Canada’s woodland caribou have been around for tens of thousands of years.

They have been central to many of Canada’s First Nations.

Hundreds of Canadian places and even sports teams are named after them.

Woodland caribou are a national symbol carried in the pocket of almost every Canadian.

But they are disappearing.

Because of the over development of their home, Canada’s Boreal forest, they are no longer found in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.

Unless we do something now, they will be gone forever.

If we lose the Canadian woodland caribou, we lose a piece of Canada.

Help save a Canadian icon for future generations.

Sign the caribou pledge.

Become a fan.

Because Canada’s woodland caribou need your help.

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Comments (0) Tags: boreal, canada, caribou, CPAWS, icon, woodland

February 26, 2010

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About

I’m a woodland caribou from northern BC. One day while hanging out at home in the boreal forest, I noticed CPAWS was looking to hire a social media caribou. My first thought was “What? Humans want to work with a caribou – coool!” I did some research into CPAWS and its CaribouAndYou.ca project and discovered that my species is at risk! I knew I was... (Read more)