Every day at FortWhyte Alive means an opportunity to make connections with nature.
But on Earth Day you have even more opportunities so you can do more than understand, you can grow.
On April 22 you could feel the buzz of excitement in the air.
It was a day filled with presenters, activities, and displays designed to spark your inspiration to spend more time in nature and take more sustainable actions to protect our planet. It was also a reminder to take a closer look at some of the beautiful little parts of nature that we often forget to appreciate.
Stepping inside the Alloway Reception Centre you’d quickly find signs of the Earth Day celebrations. The Manitoba Geocaching Association ready to greet you and show you how easy and fun geocaching can be and show you some of the creative places you might find your geocache. A little farther over the FortWhyte Alive team ready to sign you up for a membership with a special Earth Day bonus.
Outside the doors and on the trails you could find many more displays and FortWhyte classics. The Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association with a variety of electric vehicles for you to explore, the Forestry and Peatlands department of the Manitoba Government ready to teach you about our forests and provide a seedling for your yard, and FortWhyte volunteers ready to take you for nature hikes, roast marshmallows, make crafts and so much more throughout the day.
But Earth Day is important.
We couldn’t stop at just one day, we had to celebrate all week long with the return of a very special edition of Alive in the Woods, FortWhyte’s signature self-guided activity series designed to help you explore nature in a new way. From April 22 until April 30 FortWhyte visitors could grab a map and explore the trials scanning QR codes to learn about the environment alongside CBC Manitoba’s very own John Sauder.
”CBC Manitoba is proud to partner with FortWhyte Alive to bring the Alive in the Woods experience to Manitobans. Alive in the Woods allows people to explore nature and learn about the richness of wildlife and plants on the prairies. CBC believes in strengthening community connections through local programs. Alive in the Woods provides an opportunity to engage with biodiversity and opens the discussion for audiences to understand society’s role and contribution to sustainability.”
– Gabriela Klimes, Regional Manager, Communications & Marketing, CBC
Earth Day brought more than a day of learning, it also offered exciting sales at the Nature Shop so you could get sustainable goods and rain barrels and bring some sustainable practices to your own slice of nature.
At the end of the day we’re proud to say Earth Day was a success becuase it gave every visitor an opportunity to learn something new. And through opportunities like this, help create the climate champions of tomorrow.
Thank you to the Manitoba Geocaching Association, Spruce Catering, Dani Nowosad, the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, Return to the Earth, the Manitoba Conservation Officers Association, Manitoba Fly Fishers Association, Forestry and Peatlands from the Manitoba Government, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Jenny Kidder, Kayleigh Norquay, Beez Please, the amazing volunteers of FortWhyte Alive for making Earth Day possible.
And a big thank you to our generous media sponsor CBC Manitoba for producing the special edition of Alive in the Woods and for getting the word out about this amazing educational opportunity.