NEWS & UPDATES - April 2022 |
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Welcome Back Spring, Welcome Back... |
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Spring is here. The wetlands are coming alive with the sights and sounds of spring - flush of green growth, chatter of birds...
We are gearing up to open the Centre in early May. Seasonal staff have been hired, programs are booking, people are planning their summer trips...all of this is exciting for us as we look forward to hosting all of our visitors.
We hope that we will see you out in the wetland, whether it be for a walk, a look inside at the Centre displays, a school program, a summer camp, a canoe tour...we are here for you!
Check out our website for up to date information on programs and events throughout the season.
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Creston Valley Bird Festival
Registration Now Open
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The Creston Valley Bird Fest offers a variety of birdwatching activities guided by field experts as well as photography and art displays and bird-oriented workshops. Promotional tours to local businesses and art studios have been incorporated into the festival providing economic stimulus in a low impact way.
Some of the highlight include:
- Guided birding tours for all levels (beginner to expert)
- Guided canoe tours (with KCDCS)
- Various valley events and tours
- Friday night social, Saturday evening dinner and much more!
Keep an eye open for the Saturday events (May 14th) that take place with KCDCS:
- 10:00am to 3pm - Bird Kite Building Workshop, Family Bird-a-thon and Bird BINGO
- 10:30am to 3:30pm - One hour long Guided Canoe Tours (leaving every hour starting at 10:30am)
For a list of events, info on tour leaders, registration information and more, visit their website.
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April Events with WildSight Creston Valley |
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WildSight Creston Valley
Turtle Fence Work Bee
Sunday April 3rd - THANK YOU
Volunteers came together to repair and maintain a turtle fence at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. This fence was installed to keep turtles from getting killed on the West Creston Road when they are trying to find a spot to lay their eggs. Western Painted Turtles generally lay their eggs within 150 m upland of a pond in dry, light soils.
The work involved straightening fencing that has fallen over, pruning vegetation from around the fence, removing grass from the fence and relocating some fencing.
Thank you to all who attended and offered their muscles and time!
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WildSight Creston Valley
Bird Walk
Sunday April 24th @ 9am
On the lead up to the 10th Anniversary of the Creston Valley Bird Festival, we are having spring bird walks. These walks are family friendly and will explore various trails and habitats in the Creston Valley. Come out to learn about the ecology of the Creston Valley and have fun!
Please sign up in advance for this free event.
This walk will take place in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area from 9:00–11:00 am on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Ulrike Silworsky, the Creston Valley Bird Festival Coordinator, will help us on bird ID.
The walk will take place at Duck Lake or at the Corn Creek wetlands near the Discovery Centre. Location to be decided by the birds! We will email in the week before the event to tell you where to meet. Both areas are flat and suitable for younger children.
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The Outdoor Learning Virtual Workshop Seasonal Series |
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This series of FREE workshops related to outdoor learning takes place in April and May and has a wide variety of topics and learning objectives and appeals to many levels and interests of learning, The series is a partnership with Take Me Outside and our the Outdoor Learning Store!
- Registration is FREE and there will be plenty of draw prizes for attendees!
- All registrants will receive a discount code to access outdoor learning resources when they register
- Workshops are 60 minutes and will take place at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern.
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For those who can’t attend live these will each be recorded and posted on our Recordings Page
- Following the workshop, participants will receive a link through which they can access a certificate of attendance.
For more information and to register, go here!
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Book Your 2022 Wetland Excursion! |
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Spring is just around the corner and we are excited to be offering onsite wetland excursions starting May 16th! We are taking bookings, so get in touch! Last year we were fully booked, so book early to reserve a spot.
We have some great programs lined up for 2022!
The following programs are ON SITE at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area and will include exploration and educational activities and games related to the following themes:
K-1: Nature Explorers, Using our Senses
Grade 2-3: Water, Water, Everywhere!
Grade 4-5: Adaptations to Life in a Wetland
Grade 6-7: All About Birds
Programs will be 2 hours long. Cost is $4 per student
($60 minimum charge to run a program)
Canoe Tours (Grades 4 and Up)
These are one hour long and cost $5 per student. We provide the life jackets and paddles. Add this onto our other program for a fun filled day.
Programs and Canoe Tours run from May 16 till the end of June
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2022 Summer Camp
Registration Open!
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If you're interested in signing your child up for our summer camps, we have set the dates in July and August and are taking registrations!
Check out this link for more details. Programs are available for kids ages 4 to 13.
The camps are weeklong and kids spend their days exploring the wetland. Activities such as hiking, canoeing, group games and challenges, experiments, crafts, journalling and more engage the kids in nature and science themed fun!
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Here's what one parent had to say about the camp last year...
“Our child had an amazing time!!! He was full of stories about the things he learned about nature and he was way more engaged than he normally is at school. Thank you so much for everything you did to make it a great week!! We cannot wait until next summer!!”
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KCDCS will be participating in this initiative and will work with BIMBY’s team of UBC scientists and volunteer consultants to learn about the state of B.C. butterflies and what BIMBY can help achieve with the data collected in 2022.
From May to September, we will work to collect data in the Creston Valley, specifically on the trails of the CVWMA, to document species that we see.
If this is something you are interested in being a part of let us know and we will add you to the volunteer list!
A final report will be shared with BIMBY citizen science volunteers between October and November in a Zoom webinar.
If you are a teacher interested in participating they also want School-based BIMBY volunteers that will be invited to join the BIMBY School Bioblitz during the first week of June. Let us know if this is of interest to you! You can also sign up on their website.
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Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area |
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To access advisories and up to date information related to the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area and to purchase hunting or fishing permits, please visit the CVWMA website or Facebook page.
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Memberships to KCDCS are FREE!
To increase support and awareness for KCDCS' mission, we are offering free Memberships! Join the 1,000 Members and show support for environmental education in our region! This helps us to obtain grants and sponsorships to move us forward!
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If you are interested in supporting KCDCS' mission to deliver environmental education and awareness programs, please click the link above. You can earmark your donation for ongoing program delivery or the development of a new Discovery Centre. KCDCS is a registered federal charity and can issue you a tax receipt.
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Thank you for subscribing to our eNewsletter updates!
Our aim is to keep you informed on the happenings of the Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre - from program delivery to the development of a new Centre and everything in between.
We appreciate your support and interest!
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Join us on social media for fun and interesting information on the wetland, wildlife, programs and progress at KCDCS! |
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