CWF works to connect people of all ages with Canada’s wildlife. We do so in many exciting ways:

Rivers to Oceans Week
CWF developed a versatile new website to promote “stewardship” as the 2009 theme of Rivers to Oceans Week, which takes place between June 8 and 14 every year. The website’s goal was to inform Canadians about the variety and immensity of Canada’s water resources and, most importantly, the need to protect them.

A “What You Can Do” section described easy, effective ways that Canadians can protect water, while a Learning Centre catalogued formal and informal lessons plans that educators used to influence their students’ concern for water resources. Specific lesson plans encouraged students to understand water-related issues, including the role ofsurface water andground water, the importance of conserving water resources, the issues affecting the treatment and disposal of waste water and the risks ofurban run-off. Corresponding videos, available for viewing directly on the website, further enhanced Canadians’ understanding of these issues. A stunning “Water’s Worth It” poster was also available for free distribution.

CWF carried this message of stewardship to Northern Canada when the Annual General Meeting took place in Whitehorse during Rivers to Oceans Week. Each year, CWF strives to leave a lasting “footprint” in the AGM’s host city; in 2009, CWF helped to fund a walking trail along the Yukon River, adjacent to the Millennium Trail. CWF also set up interactive displays in Fred Henne Territorial Park in Yellowknife and at the Hay River Canadian Coast Guard Base in Hay River, N.W.T., showing visitors and students how to protect Canada’s water resources and the wildlife that depend on them.

Rivers to Oceans Week is a program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. It is sponsored in association with CWF’s education partnership with Atlas of Canada, Canadian Association of Principals, Canadian Heritage Rivers System, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication, Coastal Zone Canada Association, Environment Canada Biodiversity Convention Office, The Biosphère: Environment Museum, Conservation Priorities Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Government of Canada ResEau, Le Comité de valorization de la rivière Beauport, Parks Canada and Scouts Canada.

National Wildlife Week
Canada has thousands of identified native plant species. But more than a quarter of them could be lost forever if we don’t do something to conserve them. Many wildlife species depend on the presence of native vegetation for their survival, including rare and endangered species. Butterflies, songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and mammals are at risk because of disappearing habitat.

CWF showcased the value of native plants as part of 2009 National Wildlife Week celebrations, from April 5 to 11. The campaign encouraged Canadians to conserve and protect “Our Home and Native Plants.”

CWF encouraged people to take an interest in ecological and wildlife-friendly gardening by incorporating native plants into their green spaces. By creating a diverse and beautiful garden full of native plant species, anyone can attract wildlife and enhance their gardening experience. Creating cleaner soil, water and air makes for a healthier environment for both humans and wildlife.

During National Wildlife Week, CWF’s Eastern Regional Office Colloquium on Pollinators, held at the Biosphère of Montreal in April, received over 120 representatives of Environmental NGOs from all over Quebec. Conferences about pollinators, native species of plants and plant-pollinator interactions were aimed at increasing awareness about the pollinator crisis and offering potential solutions. At this event, our brand-new pollinator program (Pollinators Habitat Challenge - Défi Habitat Pollinisateurs) was launched with the participation and support of the Earth Day-Quebec and the Société de Verdissement du Montréal Metropolitain. The event was closed by a group of students of Lucien Pagé School presenting the youth view on the importance of pollinator conservation.

As part of National Wildlife Week, CWF launched its annual Learning About Wildlife educational unit celebrating the benefits of native plants. This unit supports CWF’s Wild and Blue School and Youth Projects Program, which engages young people in hands-on habitat education projects.

Proclaimed by an act of Parliament in 1947, NWW falls every year in the week of April 10, the birthday of Jack Miner, one of the founders of Canada’s conservation movement.

NWW is a program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. It is sponsored in association with its education partners: TD Friends of the Environment, provincial and territorial wildlife agencies, the Canadian Museum of Nature, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Parks Canada, Royal Botanical Gardens and Scouts Canada. NWW is an opportunity to celebrate our country’s natural heritage and play a supportive role in its conservation.

Olympics
The eyes of the world were on Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler. CWF took the opportunity to spotlight our nation’s wildlife and the environmental issues facing them.

Waterfall Art Installation
CWF’s original art installation to showcase water conservation was included in the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and installed at Whistler Canada Olympic House for the duration of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Waterfall was created by four Canadian artists: Kim Morgan, David Clark, Rachelle Viader Knowles and David Ogborn. This new piece was commissioned by CWF to address the urgent environmental issues of water use.

Passing itself off as a vending machine, Waterfall is actually an interactive video sculpture that reminds the public that water is a limited and valuable resource in our world. The usual array of candy, chips and chocolate bars is replaced by videos showing the way we use water on a daily basis. Pressing the buttons causes each of these images to fall away, revealing a thundering waterfall, a powerful reminder of the force of water in the natural environment that is threatened by easy access to available water resources.

Whistler Canada Olympic House, located in the Whistler Public Library building, served as an accredited hosting facility for the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Government of Canada, the Government of British Columbia and the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Whistler Canada Olympic House also hosted public events during the games on three Saturdays: February 13, 20 and 27.

Hinterland Who’s Who at the Olympics
CWF brought Hinterland Who’s Who hosts Jody Gienow and Louis-René Sénéchal to the Olympic area during the Winter Games for special presentations featuring Woodrow the beaver, a wildlife ambassador. Woodrow was hand raised by Gienow, who co-founded and co-directs the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. Woodrow is unable to return to the wild because at a very young age he suffered a fractured skull and his teeth had to be removed. He now helps Gienow educate the public about our national animal.

CWF hosted a children’s event at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre February 17 featuring Woodrow and the HWW hosts. CWF also brought Gienow, Sénéchal and Woodrow to a community celebration at Whistler Canada Olympic House on February 20. Several television media outlets interviewed the team, and Hinterland Who’s Who videos played in Whistler Village and at the Canada Pavilion in Vancouver during the Games. The HWW videos illustrate the threats facing Canadian wildlife and their diverse habitats and celebrate the United Nation’s declaration of 2010 as International Year of Biodiversity.

HWW is a joint program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Environment Canada and is one of Canada’s most active and reliable wildlife documentary series.

Olympic Animations

CWF developed innovative Olympic animation clips to highlight the dreams of a polar bear and a beaver bobsled team. The animation encouraged the public to reflect on the future of the polar bear, beaver and all Canadian species. The 23-second clips were viewed more than 4,000 times on CWF’s YouTube channel, demonstrating the popularity and power of this medium. The creative messages end in a call to action, encouraging viewers to donate to CWF because, with your support, anything is possible!

Wildlife Signage
By providing $7,500 for new signage on the official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, CWF is helping Whistler Blackcomb educate athletes and tourists about the conservation of coastal tailed frogs and whitebark pine as well as the relationship between climate change and forest fires. The signs will be installed in the summer of 2010 as a legacy project for the Olympic venue. More than two million tourists visit Whistler each year, so signage is very important. Awareness, education and the protection and restoration of mountain ecosystems are key goals for Whistler Blackcomb and CWF is pleased to support these efforts by funding the new wildlife signage.

TEDx Whistler Conference
Hosted by the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, TEDx Whistler featured thought-provoking presentations by leaders in tourism and sustainability. The conference engaged 100 guests and an online global audience through micro-blogging and live streaming. By contributing $5,000 to the initiative, CWF encouraged the tourism sector to positively contribute to environmental challenges such as climate change. The conference was held on February 18, during the Olympic Games, to highlight the challenges and success stories of sustainable tourism.