CWF Hosts Community Forum in Grande Prairie

March 18, 2010 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation is hosting a community forum in Grande Prairie to encourage informal discussion about challenges and opportunities related to the economy, ecology and sustainable communities in Alberta and Canada.
 
There is no admission fee to attend the forum, to be held Mar. 25 from 4:30  - 7 pm at the Stonebridge Hotel in the Richmond C meeting room.  CWF is providing complimentary snacks and refreshments for guests who R.S.V.P. by calling 1-800-563-9453 or e-mailing melanied@cwf-fcf.org . A silent auction will follow a facilitated discussion titled "Can We Change the Climate?" This conversation will be led by Dr. Richard Mrazek, a professor with the Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge, and a Founding Fellow of the Canadian Wildlife Federation's Learning Institute.

"Where there are challenges, there are opportunities," Dr. Mrazek says. "Amid an explosion of emerging technologies and claims of a young North American population suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder, there is still much room for optimism."
 
Dr. Mrazek was inspired by a conference he attended last December in Copenhagen, Denmark called "Can Education Change the Climate?" As a volunteer with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, he hopes to engage more people in environmental change discussions.
 
Mrazek is also speaking at the Mighty Peace Teachers Association Conference in Grande Prairie Mar. 27 at a professional development workshop for educators who use the CWF Education programs Project WILD and Below Zero. Both these activity guides support the curriculum in in all subject areas, including language arts, math, science, social studies, arts education, health and physical education. The activities have a co-operative learning base, suit classrooms with multi-level learners and are suited for learning in the out of doors.

Dr. Mrazek has been working with teachers in the Grande Prairie and Mighty Peace area since 1984 and looks forward to meeting members of the general public at the forum March 25th.
 

About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national non-profit charitable organization dedicated to ensuring an appreciation of our natural world and a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and habitat. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, developing and delivering educational programs, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending policy changes and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.

The Learning Institute, a new component of CWF's well established education program, is conducting strategic and scholarly research, creating, piloting and studying educational innovation and technology-based learning, improving and advancing professional practice and promoting innovative learning about wildlife issues.

Contact:
Heather Robison
Media Relations Officer
(306) 550-4155
heatherr@cwf-fcf.org