This year, we’ve had to cut the number of education programs we offer, meaning we’ll only be able to support about half as many kids. Our education coordinator, Jill Jennings, reflects on the importance of environmental education for facing the climate crisis to come.
One of our favourite education programs here at Wildsight is Beyond Recycling, a year-long learning journey that equips kids with the tools and knowledge to achieve positive environmental change in their own lives and their broader communities. Beyond Recycling brings action-oriented learning to students in grades 5–7. In collaboration with the classroom teacher, a professional … Continued
In early September, community leaders and young people came together in Burton on the banks of the West Kootenay’s Arrow Lakes Reservoir for a long weekend of intergenerational knowledge sharing and learning about the Columbia River and its management.
By Graeme Lee Rowlands and Monica Nissen Like many in the Columbia Basin, we recently received an invitation to comment on the Columbia Basin Trust’s Draft Management Plan. Once finalized, it will guide activities of this nearly $100M per year entity for the next decade. As residents who have dedicated our lives to educating youth about … Continued
“This experience meant so much to me. I enjoyed so much learning from the land, guest speakers, and leaders and being able to make my own connections. I will remember how much I learned, all the new places I saw, the amazing people I met, and how much my understanding of the area developed.” CRFS … Continued
Students squint at turkey basters and squirt water samples into ice cube trays. Others raise handheld microscopes to eye level, peering at tiny life within. Separate teams shake vials, held up to the light to see transforming colours from chemical investigations. It is a whir of activity, with worksheets clutched in hands or scattered on … Continued
“I looked up from the ground and realized what an incredible place I was in. From a young age, I’d always thought the alpine was the coolest thing ever, and being so fully immersed in it … felt amazing.”2023 Go Wild! Participant Will We yearn for these moments — these pauses in time where you … Continued
At Hume Elementary School in Nelson, Wildsight Educator Genna Lazier explored the world of salmon with Nashira Birch’s K/1 class through a Wildsight EcoStewards program this year. The program included a series of in-class visits, field trips, and learning opportunities throughout the school year. Students got to visit the Kokanee Creek Spawning Channel to talk … Continued
Students in Cranbrook’s Kootenay Orchards Elementary learned about the beauty and intricacy of trees, and connected with the landscape around them in deep and meaningful ways this school year. Through Wildsight’s EcoStewards program, Educator Patty Kolesnichenko joined Anneli Schadeli’s Grade 4-5 class to study forest biology and ecology. The class explored their small forest right … Continued
Turtles in Creston might be the luckiest turtles around. The Western Painted Turtle is a blue-listed species, meaning its habitats are at risk. But the Creston community has taken it upon themselves to restore habitat, seek protections and encourage the resurgence of this threatened species. Wildsight’s EcoStewards program invites students to explore subjects of interest … Continued
