Untitled Document

National Capital Region Wildlife Festival
Event Highlights 2000 "Migration...An Incredible Journey"

The 15th National Capital Region Wildlife Festival 2000 was one of the most successful to date. There was wide participation from government, non-government, private organizations as well as the public and the media. Significant events this year included the opening ceremonies, school Poster Contest, Awards for Excellence in Environmental Conservation, Wildlife Awareness Weekend at Carlingwood Shopping Centrel, wildlife talks, workshops and outdoor experiences with local experts. A major accomplishment this year was the completion of a web page and the regional map "On the Trail of Mother Nature" displaying over 30 outdoor areas the public may visit for hiking and learning about habitat and wildlife.

Sponsorship and contribution by national and local organizations increased this year and was instrumental in the production of the map "On the Trail of Mother Nature" and the Wildlife Awareness Event. Shell Canada provided $5000 for the map and Canada Trust $2000 for the Carlingwood Awareness Event. Local organizations provided much of the funding and prizes and Canadian Wildlife Services of Environment Canada supplied $4900 for much needed Festival Coordination. The provision of facilities and support by the Festival Partners ensured a more than adequate level of service and professionalism to the events.


J.J. Petrie of Shell Canada presents a cheque for $5000 to Madeline Kallio, Festival Coordinator.	Cathy MacDonald, Manager of the Pretoria St. Branch of Canada Trust. Canada Trust donated $2000 to the Festival

The opening ceremonies, student poster contest and awards for excellence in environmental conservation were held April 5th at the Canadian Museum of Nature and were attended by over 400 school children and 80 adults. Poster contest prizes were awarded to each elementary grade. The winning posters were judged on the basis of originality, visual impact and overall design.


Joe Dafoe of Our Natural World with Gr1 winner	Barbara Campbell Canadian Wildlife Service(left) Catherine Dumouchell Canadian Museum of Nature (3rd from left), Jo-Ellen Cushing and Casper the barn owl present awards and congratulate grade 7/8 winners.

Awards for Excellence in environmental conservation were given to an individual, group and a youth award. Winners respectively this year were, Al Tweddle, The Ottawa Duck Club and The Macoun Club and each was presented the coveted carved chickadee. John Lacharity of CBO Morning was the master of ceremonies.

The Wildlife Awareness Event April 7, 8 and 9th at Carlingwood Shopping Centre drew a heavy crowd each of the three days to see and interact with over 30 environmental organizations represented. Media presence at the mall resulted in several TV interviews and spin-offs for some of the organizations. Organizations participating as well as the Mall administration were extremely positive about the public participation and reaction to the event and are excited about next year already.

An evening speaking event entitled "Wild in the City" on April 12that the Canadian Museum of Nature drew 150 people. Speakers captivated the audience, gave an excellent overview of urban wildlife and the many issues such as managing conflict, racoon rabies, bird injuries and the peregrine falcon situation. The public had an opportunity to view displays by 10 organizations involved in the evening as well as pose questions. Media presence was obvious with CBC TV, CTV, and radio. The media material was aired several times over the next 24 hours.


A Burmese python and handler	Learning about endangered species

Other events attended by the public included presentations by local birding experts and naturalists Tony Beck, Monty Brigham, Martha Webber and an open house at Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Enthusiastic participation and positive feedback provided the incentive to continue this type of activity in the future.

A bird banding day was held at Innes Point Bird Observatory hosted by Chris Harris and Bill Petrie. There was a tour of the banding hut and all the locations of the mist nets where birds were measured, examined and banded. Birds banded included: Eastern Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Dark-eyed Junco.
Other bird sightings at Innis Point that day included: Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Merganser, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Tree Swallow and Pine Warbler. Real highlights were watching the Purple Martins at the bird houses right on the site, a Merlin which perched on a nearby tree for a telescope viewing, a lumbering Porcupine moving along the ground into a tree, several Leopard Frogs and one Bullfrog.

An open house at Wolf Grove Woods attracted a good crowd who found wild leeks, hepaticas and much more wild edibles. Martha Webbers nature walk was successful with both adults and children learning about the wild plants of the area.

Five students from Colonel By Secondary School, Gloucester won the Ottawa-Carleton Envirothon competition held April 26-28 at the Y Outdoor Camp in Dunrobin. It was the second time in a row that the school won the competition. A record eleven teams came together to test their knowledge in this mini-Olympics style, environmental competition.
The Envirothon trophy was presented in brilliant sunshine to the five person Colonel By team of: Jamie Barr, Heather Kharouba, Nigel Lord, Krista Michol, Toufic Zayoun and Jason Smith - the Colonel By teacher/coach with extensive experience in outdoor education. The runners-up were A.Y. Jackson Secondary School from Kanata and third place was awarded to Cairine Wilson Secondary School from Gloucester.
Students were field tested at five different "EcoStations": forestry, aquatics, soils, wildlife and wetland management. Biologists, foresters and wetland specialists from various agencies provided the technical expertise to train the students before the test. An oral presentation was also an integral part of the competition.

Preparations are presently underway for the 2001 National Capital Region Wildlife Week Festival. Silent Auction and Awards Presentation will be on March 29th, Wildlife Awareness Event at Carlingwood Shopping Centre April 6, 7, 8. If you or your organization is interested in participating in the 2001 events please click here for contact information. Nominations for the Awards for Excellence in Environmental Conservation in the Region are open so please consider nominating your favourite green hero.

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