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What is FortWhyte Alive?

Posted on January 3, 2024

Nature preserve. Park. Tourist attraction. That place I send my kids to camp.

FortWhyte Alive has been called it all, but we like to call ourselves an “environmental educator”.

What does that even mean? Did FortWhyte just make that up?

(The answer: Kinda.)

But here is some information that might help you better understand FortWhyte.

people walk towards FortWhyte Alive building in winter

We are an environmental educator.

That’s our wordy way of saying we teach people about nature. We cover almost everything in nature in any and every capacity. We educate about the now and about the impending future due to the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Simply put…

if you want to learn about anything nature-related, you can do it at FortWhyte.

You can learn how to do outdoorsy things in a safe space.
At FortWhyte Alive you can learn how to paddle a canoe, how to forage, and try out snowshoes. We want you to learn outdoor skills in a safe place where someone is always available to help if you need it.

 

You can learn about the history of our land.
From how our land evolved, how colonization affected it, and what climate change will do to it.

 

You can learn about the ecosystem.
Plants and animals are our bread and butter, they are the core of who we are, and sustain the world around us.

 

You can learn how to protect our land.
We try to lead by example so that means every choice we make has the environment in mind. That way anyone who visits can see firsthand how easy it is to be more sustainable.

5 bison stand in field in winter eating hay

So next time FortWhyte Alive comes up in conversation and you aren’t sure what to call us you can say

“They are an environmental educator. That means no matter what you want to learn about [or do] in nature you can do it there”.