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Wild Voices for Kids in Kootenay communities

CBEEN offers spring programs for children of all ages
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A class participating in the Metis jigging program. CBEEN file

The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) continues to offer its Wild Voices for Kids program, despite some changes to funding.

Earlier this year, the Columbia Basin Trust made the decision to focus its funding to on-the-ground action to restore ecosystems and support climate resiliency in the Basin.

This means funding environmental education for organizations such as Wildsight and CBEEN ends in 2023.

READ: Wildsight urges Basin residents to lobby for environmental education

However, CBEEN will carry on with Wild Voices for Kids, says Mia King Program Manager.

“The Wild Voices for Kids program is funded through many different regional grant sources, including CBT. With CBT’s decision to change its program funding for environmental education, this has resulted in our ability to offer less fully and heavily subsidized Wild Voices for Kids presentations this school year compared with past years,” King said. “These fully and heavily subsidized Wild Voices presentations allow for more quality, place-based environmental education programs to be accessible by all students in the Basin.”

So what will be offered this spring? All kinds of interesting programs, mainly delivered outdoors, where students learn about and explore the local environment through hands-on activities that explore things like the local watershed, the local flora and fauna and wildlife behaviour.

A few examples of our Spring programs include:

1. A Day with Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

2. A Short History of the Columbia River

3. Agriculture in the Classroom

4. Animal Survival Instincts

5. Backcountry Food Preparation

6. Endangered Mountain Caribou in the Kootenays

7. Food Forests & Ecosystem Diversity

8. Grizzlies in the Kootenays

9. Identifying Trees in your Neighbourhood

10. Introduction to Michif Language

11. Let’s Get Growing! Garden Planning for Classrooms

12. Lichen Collection for Mountain Caribou

13. Métis Jigging

14. Outdoor Careers in the Kootenays

15. Stories of the Forest: Reading the Forestscape

16. The Marsh-ians Have Landed: A Pond Study

17. The Wonders of Water

18. Turtle Truths

19. Watershed Connections: A Web of Ecological Diversity

20. What Does a Wildlife Biologist See?

You can find out more about CBEEN programs at cbeen.ca/wildvoices

READ: CBEEN announces Excellence in Environmental Education awards



carolyn.grant@kimberleybulletin.com

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Carolyn Grant

About the Author: Carolyn Grant

I have been with the Kimberley Bulletin since 2001 and have enjoyed every moment of it.
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