The East Kootenay-based conservation group Wildsight has won a national award, the inaugural Diane Griffin Community Conservation Award from Wildlife Habitat Canada.
The award is named after Senator Diane Griffin, a conservationist from Prince Edward Island, who was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Wildsight is being recognized for their EcoStewards program.
EcoStewards encourages students to learn about local ecosystems and undertake projects in their wild backyards. Wildsight educators guide students on an immersive learning journey through multiple in-class sessions, culminating in a community action project.
Wildsight said in a press release that they are humbled and grateful that this program was given such a prestigious honour.
“Receiving this award affirms the value programs such as EcoStewards hold not just for our students, but the community as a whole,” said Robyn Duncan, Wildsight Executive Director. “Working with partners like Wildlife Habitat Canada allows us to engage more students in this program, and it brings our communities closer to a sustainable future through action-based learning.”
According to Kylie Graham, Wildlife Habitat Canada project manager, Wildsight was selected because of the “stellar delivery” of the EcoStewards program.
“We found that Wildsight’s EcoStewards Program exceptionally connected Canadians to nature by physically bringing people outdoors and facilitating conservation participation. Not only did Wildsight impact the students, but the teachers, other school staff, and the community in general.
“You are targeting the young minds that will guide the future of conservation, making this very meaningful work. This conservation programming was very specific in the sense that it addressed real issues, but also very broad as there were so many individual projects and field trips offered.”
Wildsight says feedback from teachers is that students develop a connection to the places they visit, like a local wetland, which will help protect these spaces in the future.
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