Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society

Hyde Creek Salmon Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:38:00 +0000

On November 16, individuals from across the lower mainland converged on Hyde Creek in Port Coquitlam in celebration of the return of the salmon. NWPS staff were on hand at the festival to provide information about salmon as well as our wonderful organization.

Hundreds of people attended the successful festival and hopefully many were able to witness the epic journey of the salmon returning to Hyde Creek.

Special thanks to all staff and volunteers who helped out with this event.

Batty Weekend at Science World

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:31:00 +0000

The weekend before Halloween was filled with bats, or at least information about bats!
NWPS staff were on hand at Science World in Vancouver to educate the many visitors about some of the most misunderstood mammals of all--bats.

Wildlife staff discussed with visitors myths about bats, bat characteristics, what bats love to eat, where they live and what threatens bats as well as what we can do to help these flying mammals. Wonderful photographs of bats and little brown bat specimens helped provided the educational weekend of fun.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:41:00 +0000

Sunday, September 21, 2008.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, 21 volunteers arrived at Locarno Beach Park in Vancouver for a shoreline cleanup. And a cleanup it was. After our three hours on the beach there was nothing left but a few sunbathers! We combed the shoreline and collected well over 3000 items of debris!

A special thank you to all the volunteers who helped out with this event. The wildlife and waterways greatly thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:01:00 +0000

Warm Thoughts and Happy smiles,

NWPS wishes you

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

NWPS Team

Wildlife in the schools, Fall 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:19:00 +0000

It is soon Winter!
Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society would like to thank all the schools, students, teachers and volunteers that participated in the "Wildlife in the Schools" programs this fall 2007.
Thanks to all our sponsors for making these programs possible.

You helped support NWPS' efforts to preserve wildlife and wild spaces.

We believe that learning about our environment is vital in encouraging lasting conservation attitudes towards wildlife and their habitat.

Learning about Bats

Can we smell as well as Bats... the tea bag game!

NWPS delivered 50 programs around the Lower Mainland this Fall.
We created a new program: The Temperate Rainforest of BC

Cathedral Grove

Cheers,
Fanny

That's Great to be Outside! Fall 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:31:00 +0000

Thanks to generous funding provided by Parks & People, Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society delivered 5 Nature Walk & Workshops during the Fall of 2007!
Through the Nature Walk & Workshop programs, the students from 5 different elementary schools learned about "Bats" and "Salmon of the Pacific".

How to build a Bat Box, and help Bats around the Lower Mainland:

Build a Bat Box, it 's simple!

The first Bat box!

All together! Florence Nightingale Elementary

Walk around Burnaby lake Regional park and Capilano River Regional Park!

Bird Watching

Let's go!

Wildlife of Greater Vancouver Regional Park:

A Mallard Duck

A Red-winged Blackbird

A Tree Frog

Right before flying...

Being outside provides moments of happiness!
I would like to thank all our Volunteers that helped during these Nature Walk & Workshops!
Cheers,
Fanny

Bat Play May 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:28:00 +0000

This wonderful and funny play was made for the 2007 S&K Campaign with help from the NWPS volunteers and staff, and the cheers of 650 Vancouver children!!!

"Behind the scene": Robyn, Fanny, Mike, William, Deb, Juan Carlos, Catherine, Linda, Ishwarya.

The play took place at the Michael J. Fox Theater in Burnaby on May 16th. It's about two different bat species who live somewhere in Mexico. One likes to feed on fruit and the other on insects they're different, but they're both bats.

The objective of the play was to teach the children about the bats role in nature, the ways in which they benefit humans, and the similarities and differences between species.

The children were so happy and they even participated in the play as volunteers, it was a very funny, educational and interesting experience for everyone!

The actors: Two bats (Catherine&Ishwarya), two barred owls (William&Deb), a tortoise (Juan Carlos), and a mosquito (Robyn), as well a musician (Mike), Linda (director) and Fanny in the background.

Iguana Jones

Here's some pictures of the play...

On the Road with our new Mountain Caribou Presentation

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:21:00 +0000

Thanks to generous funding provided by BC Hydro, NWPS headed out on the road and delivered 7 of our new Mountain Caribou presentations. Students in Kamloops, Revelstoke, New Denver and Nakusp participated in this fun educational program which aims to teach communities about one of Canada's most endangered species.

This program was possible thanks to the help of the folks at the Mountain Caribou Project.

Learning how we can help by staying out on Mountain Caribou habitat during critital times.

Checking out one of the caribou antlers!!

Playing 'Sleeping Wolf'. The Students, or caribou, try and forage for lichen which is being guarded by a sleeping or blindfolded wolf. The caribou below isn't going to go hungry as he is approaching the lichen quickly.

Earth Day 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:14:00 +0000

On April 28th, NWPS joined the District of North Vancouver and the residents surrounding McKay Creek to restore habitat surrounding the creek. The group worked to remove invasive species from the area, especially invasive garden waste that had been dumped in the forest. At the end of the day, we planted several native tree species.

Removing invasive plant species by hand is tedious, but very important task. One of Earth Day event participants was unaware of the effects of dumping garden waste and said "I will never dump another plant in the forest now that I know what it does."

Removing a huge blackberry root ball!

Planting native tree species in forest beside MacKay Creek

A Western Trillium was discovered for the first time at the site. The plant is a protected species.

May Volunteer Events

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:48:00 +0000

April

April 27- Nature Walk & Workshop Program @ Stanley Park
Students will learn about salmon and release fry into Beaver Creek.
We are looking for volunteers to help run activities and help with supervision.

April 28- Earth Day Event 9:30am- 1pm @ McKay Creek in Vancouver
We will work to restore areas of this Chum bearing stream. If you haven’t already, and you are interested in coming out, please contact Becky @ bphillips@northwestwildlife.com

May

Bat Play- We are looking for several volunteers to help out with our play on May 17th. We are looking for individuals to be in the play, help out with stage management, sound, etc. Time required: Two- 1 hr long rehearsals, time spent reading scripts, and 8:00am- 12:00am on May 17th . Please contact Robyn @ robyn@northwestwildlife.com if you are interested.

Youth Estuary Stewardship Project

We are running our Estuary project in May and June. This project consists of 5 classroom programs and 2 field days.

We are looking for volunteers who may be available during the week day to assist with the activities during the classroom sessions. If you are available and interested in helping out with this, please contact Robyn at Robyn@northwestwildlife.com for more details about the dates and times.

May 27- Youth Estuary Stewardship Project- Field Day # 1 – London’s Field
5-10 volunteers are needed to help out with this fun, interactive learning day. Volunteers will help run the 6 activity stations: bird watching, water quality testing X 2, map making, estuary health walk, and the vegetation survey. This is a full day commitment from about 8:30am to 3:00pm. If you are interested, please contact Robyn at the above address.

May 31- Nature Walk & Workshop Program @ Burnaby Lake
We are looking for volunteers to help run activities and help with supervision. Students will learn about Bats.

Nature Walk At Belcarra Park

noreply@blogger.com (Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:44:00 +0000

On April 12, the Grade 2 students from Nestor Elementary in Coquitlam visited Belcarra Park with NWPS. During the Nature Walk & Workshop program the students learned about Urban Wildlife. The students saw and heard many different animals on their trip. Some of the creatures they encountered were: seals, canada geese, frogs, cormorants, bald eagles and some of the lucky adults on the trip saw 3 deer (see below) .

On the trail the students discovered that the Elderberry bush smells a little bit like peanut butter!!

Before the Nature Walk, the students practiced their observation skills with a game.

April Volunteer Events

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Turgano) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:50:00 +0000

I was sure spring had arrived after the past few days of sun, but it seems as though winter is still holding on as it is snowing in several locations throughout the Lower Mainland this morning. Hopefully the snow will be short lived and we will begin seeing more signs of spring and more sunshine!

April is always an exciting month for NWPS because April is Earth Month. We have 3 events planned this month and hope that you will be able to join us for one of the events and spend the day outside with us.

1) Thursday, April 12 from 8:30- 3:00

Nature Walk & Workshop @ Belcarra Regional Park (Urban Wildlife)

Please join us for an exiting day of learning and exploration. NWPS welcomes volunteers to help with the supervision of the children and the running of the activities.

2) Monday, April 23^rd from 7:30 - 2:30

Nature Walk & Workshop @ Burnaby Lake Regional Park (Salmon)

Volunteers Welcome

3) Saturday, April 28^th, Time: TBA

NWPS' Earth Day Activity

Join us at MacKay Creek in North Vancouver to celebrate Earth Day. NWPS, along with the District of North Vancouver, will work to restore areas along the creek by removing invasive species such as English ivy and blackberry and planting a number of native plant species. Please invite friends, family and co-workers along!

If you are interested in participated in one of these events, please contact Becky at bphillips@northwestwildlife.com for more information.

Other news:

There is an exciting new tool available for you to use: www.thegreensearch.ca

This search engine allows you to search all sorts of environmental topics and will provide you to with links to Canadian organizations, media and Government pages.

If you haven't seen the film already, I encourage you to go see Sharkwater - a great documentary about one individual's passion for sharks and his quest to help protect them. Please visit this link for a synopsis of the film:

http://sharkwater.com/presskit/pdfs/SharkwaterSynopsis.pdf

Cheers,

Becky

March Event

noreply@blogger.com (Rex Turgano) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 01:56:00 +0000

Hello NWPS Volunteers,

I cannot believe today is March 1st for two reasons, one because it is snowing outside our office in downtown Vancouver right now and secondly because it seems like January 1 was just last week. February went by too quickly.

We have a busy month ahead of us and are looking forward to the many events we are hosting this month and throughout the spring. Below I have written about a number of volunteer opportunities and I have also included a job posting, special event reminder and some information on the "Wild Gift" Grant for youth. Please feel free to contact me if you require further information about anything listed below.

Cheers,
Becky

NWPS Events

1) Salmon Nature Walk & Workshop
When: March 6, 8:30am to 2:30pm
Where: Capilano River
Volunteers needed to help with activities and supervision

2)Owls Nature Walk & Workshop
When: March 9, 8:30am to 3pm
Where: Burnaby Lake
Volunteers needed to help with activities and supervision

3) Salmon Nature Walk & Workshop
When: March 15, 8:30am to 3:00pm
Where: Capilano River
Volunteers needed to help with activities and supervision

4) Nature Walk & Workshop
When: March 29, 8:00am to 3:00pm
Where: TBA
Volunteers needed to help with activities and supervision

5) Green Ribbon Campaign
We are looking for volunteers to help out with our Earth Day awareness campaign which runs during the month of April.
During March 27 and 28, volunteers are welcome to come by the NWPS offices to assist with preparations for the campaign. Please let me know if you will be stopping by.

We are also looking for individuals who are willing to deliver our coin donation boxes to locations within the Lower Mainland. Boxes can be delivered on your own time on March 30, 31 and April 1. Please let me know if you are interested in helping out with this and I can choose locations that will be most convenient for you to deliver to.

6) Office Administration
We are looking to have an individual who in able to come down to the office once a week or once every other week for a few hours to help us with mail-outs and writing tax receipts for our donars. March is a busy month for us and we would welcome some assistance in the office.

Other stuff

7) APPLY FOR A WILD GIFT GRANT

$15,000 Grant for Environmental Advocates, aged 21 to 30 worldwide
http://www.wildgift.org

Applications are now open for the Wild Gift, a program
that grants up to $15,000 to youth-led year-long projects
that benefit people and nature.

The Wild Gift provides grants ranging from $10,000 to
$15,000 to leaders who wish to embark on a self-designed
year long project to protect nature or promote sustainability.
The program is open to young leaders aged 21 to 30
worldwide and is provided at no cost to the recipient.

"Do you want to serve your fellow human beings and
protect the earth? Do you have a great idea you wish to
realize? And are you ready to make that dream a reality
today? If so, then Wild Gift wants to honor your
commitment to make a difference," said Wild Gift founder,
Bob Jonas.

Past leader-designed projects that the Wild Gift has
supported include a documentary film on community
farms, a nature writing program for urban youth in southern
California, and the founding of a solar construction
company that provides green technology to development
projects in Ladakh, India.

The Wild Gift program consists of four parts: mentoring to
help refine leader-designed projects, a 20-day wilderness
trek, a year's support to ensure the project's success, and a
seven-day trek after one year to share project results and
strategize for continued achievement.

Please visit Wild Gift on the web at
http://www.wildgift.org for more information and to
download an application. Applications are due on
April 1, 2007.

Wild Gift is a five-year-old nonprofit organization based
out of Sun Valley, Idaho.

8)Executive Director Position at BEST

Brief backgrounder:

BEST (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation) is the leading voice for sustainable transportation in Western Canada and is seeking a visionary to lead this non-profit organization to the next level of success. Founded in 1991, BEST has become the Greater Vancouver voice on sustainable transportation. Our vision to create healthy, liveable communities built around cycling, walking and public transit.

The preferred candidate will have a postgraduate degree in a related field or equivalent combination of experience and be a team player who can build consensus. The candidate should also have a proven track record of attracting funding, creating tactical positions on political issues and networking with stakeholders. The ideal person will be dynamic, innovative, media savvy and committed to the environment and sustainable transportation.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for:

- Building relationships across a broad stakeholders including Board, staff, donors, media, government and collaborating organizations.
- Effectively managing the finances and administration of the organization;
- Being the public face and spokesperson for BEST
- Reviewing all communication materials significant to the organization including press releases, position papers and fundraising materials;
- Providing leadership and mentorship to a core of dedicated staff.

While experience in transportation issues and planning would be an asset, experience in forwarding and raising support for non-profit initiatives is more essential.

This is a full time position based in Vancouver, BC. Compensation will be at competitive NGO rate, commensurate with experience. Attractive benefits package. Please forward your application by e-mail to: edhiring@best.bc.ca, and additional information on BEST can be viewed at www.best.bc.ca . No phone calls please.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Deadline for application is March 19, 2007.
9) Seal Hunt Protest - MEDIA EVENT
Date: Thursday, March 15
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson & Hornby)
Time: 11:45 am

Please get the day off work/school!! As Canadians it is very important that we stand up against our own government for subsidizing the world's biggest wildlife slaughter. The entire world is shaking its head at us because of this extremely shameful ritual.

Activists must dress in all black for this protest. We will meet at 11:45a.m. right outside the Art Gallery (on the Robson St side). We will depart the Art Gallery in a funeral procession. Activists will each pick up a coffin and walk in single file. We will cross much of downtown during lunch hour so it is important that we have a lot of people to make a long procession. We will eventually end up in front of the DFO (department of fisheries and oceans) and deliver the coffins to their door. If you have children who will not be at school that day, please bring them along too. We need children dressed in black to lay flowers on the coffins in front of the DFO. It will draw a lot of media attention if we can get the children. Please let me know if you are able to attend.

For more info about the seal hunt, please visit www.protectseals.org

Becky Phillips
Education & Communications Coordinator
Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society
e: bphillips@northwestwildlife.com
p: 604-713-6686