1. Investing in Nature program in Canada comes to a close
In 2002 HSBC Holdings Plc made the biggest single corporate donation to protect
the environment with the creation of a five-year eco-partnership known as Investing
in Nature. Through this partnership, HSBC made major contributions to three
international conservation organisations: WWF, Earthwatch and Botanic Gardens
Conservation International. As a result, BGCI greatly expanded its international
conservation, education, and public awareness programs in an effort to secure
the future of plant diversity for people and the planet. The “Partnership
for Plants in Canada” program is a product of the Investing in Nature
partnership.
The current Investing in Nature program came to close at the end 2006.
BGCI is committed to maintaining and developing its regional and in-country
programs wherever possible and will continue to work very closely with the Canadian
Botanical Conservation Network. Thanks to funding secured by Montreal Botanical
Gardens (see below), BGCI and CBCN will collaborate with them on publishing
a quarterly e-newsletter in 2007. Stay tuned for more information.
2. Funding for a National Outreach Resource Guide to Plant Conservation and Biodiversity Education
Montreal Botanical Garden, in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation
International, has secured funding for 2007 from the Department of Canadian
Heritage’s Museums Assistance Programme to produce a National Outreach
Resource Guide to Plant Conservation and Biodiversity Education.
This guide will focus on strengthening and promoting Canada-wide efforts by
botanical gardens to protect our native plant heritage, including delivering
messages to the public about plant conservation and how they can be involved.
We will draw on all of the experiences and products developed during the Partnership
for Plants in Canada programme. New outreach materials will be developed and
be presented for use by professionals engaged in communicating plant conservation
messages through botanical gardens, arboreta and museums.
The planned guide will be a binder of resource materials organised in self-contained,
modular publications that can be removed and used for specific purposes. It
will relate specifically to Canadian curriculum and provide Canadian perspectives
on regional and national plant conservation, biodiversity and sustainable development
issues.
In consultation with institutions across the country, we would like to establish
a project team of 5-7 botanical professionals. If you are interested in participating
or would like more information, please contact
laurel.mcivor@bgci.org or
michel.labrecque@umontreal.ca.
3. Nature awareness for new Canadians,
Barb McKean, Royal Botanical Gardens
Hamilton is Canada's third largest immigrant intake centre, and over one-quarter
of the city's residents were born elsewhere. With close to 4,000 newcomers arriving
each year, the face of the area is changing rapidly. For most newly arrived
immigrants, nature experience is low on their priority list for reasons that
include cost, transportation, time, fear and cultural inclination, yet forging
connections is important so that the future electorate understands the value
of environmental conservation. With the help of several partners, Royal Botanical
Gardens is reaching out to these new Canadians with a program that helps children
to feel at home in their new bioregion.
This year, the new Junior Ecology Leaders pilot program involved a total of
close to 60 children in an outdoor 'immersion' experience. For four days, each
child visited RBG and took part in activities like nature walks, habitat studies
and canoeing, as well as leadership and team-building activities. A wide variety
of partners and volunteers participated, and we hope the program will grow and
spread in 2007. For a full article, visit:
www.rbg.ca/newsletter/Archives/0304/0304newcanadians.html
4. Christmas tree decorating the natural way!
Melanie Priesnitz, Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
This fall the Friends of Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens worked on collecting
plant material and creating natural ornaments for the Christmas tree at the
KC Irving Environmental Science Centre. They were, of course, careful not to
over harvest or gather any rare species while collecting materials. They even
managed to find some great uses for some of our invasive plants including multi-flora
rose and common milkweed.
Hanging proudly on the tree in the main lobby these past holidays were: a Christmas slug
with a milkweed body, rosehip eyes and an acorn hat, stars made out of milkweed
pods, wreaths of red osier dogwood and Virginia creeper, strings of rosehips,
milkweed pod birds sitting in nests of moss, critters made of pinecones and
sensitive fern fronds adorned with glitter.
The experience was a great one for the volunteers and has provided the public
with some new ideas on how to make their holiday season more natural. It is
encouraging to observe people carefully checking out the ornaments and reading
the interpretive sign listing all of the species who “donated” material.
5. The Bear River Medicine Trail,
Bear River First Nation Heritage and Cultural Centre
Bear River First Nation Heritage and Cultural Centre interprets and celebrates
the heritage, culture and traditions that endure and flouish among the Mi’kmaq
of Bear River and surrounding areas of the western end of Nova Scotia’s
Annapolis Valley. The Centre enhances awareness and understanding of Mi’kmaq
heritage and culture among youth, community members, neighbouring communities
and visitors, through interactive and interpretive programs, services, exhibits
and experiences.
One of the most popular exhibits at the centre is Npisuneyawti’j, the
Medicine Trail. The trail was established by several community volunteers in
order to conserve and communicate traditional Mi’kmaq respect for, and
use of, gifts from the Creator: the Earth and its plants and trees. Along the
trail, interpretive exhibits highlights traditional understanding and importance
of local medicinal, edible and utility plants. In the summer, guided walks lead
by Bear River community members are often offered twice a day. By sharing their
personal stories and history, these walks offer a very authentic and unique
experience.
For more information and a list of medicinal plants featured:
www.bearriverculturalcenter.com/medicinetrail.aspx
6. RBG Reaches Out to Ontario, Canada, and the World,
Barb McKean, Royal Botanical Gardens
Technology is about to take Royal Botanical Gardens far beyond its boundaries.
Our new Outreach program will use interactive videoconferencing technology to
bring students from anywhere to the Gardens through virtual field trips. This
technology will allow our staff to connect with interested groups, schools and
collaborative partners all around Ontario, and beyond..
Virtual field tripping has been used to enhance and extend curriculum in the
United States for several years. Many museums and cultural organizations there
offer a range of experiences to students world-wide. While Canada has been slower
to act, some provinces are moving in the same direction, especially Alberta.
RBG’s new Outreach Education Coordinator started this fall. Karin Davidson-Taylor
is very enthusiastic. “Not only does this let us reach schools around
the globe, but we can also share our amazing public programme with other partners.
Science and Conservation staff will be able to collaborate with scientists from
other countries and we can also bring in outside experts for programmes here
at the Gardens. We have observed videoconferencing with amazing levels of interactivity,
from programs being delivered underwater by a scuba diver, to students in Alberta
driving a remote-controlled camera through a shark tank in a Florida Aquarium.
The possibilities are mind-boggling.”
Ontario's Trillium Foundation is funding this three-year program, which will
launch its first field trips in mid-March. Watch www.rbg.ca/pages/evirtualfieldtrips
for details.
Note from the editor: The latest issue of Public Garden (Volume 21, #2, 2006)
focuses on "The ChangingVisitor Experience" and includes an article
on virtual field trips.
7. Educators Call for Worldwide Action on Plant-Based Education,
BGCI
An international group of botanic garden educators have called for governments
to step up and provide increased support for training, resources and information
exchange. At Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s 6th International
Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, delegates from Brazil, China, Indonesia,
Russia, USA and UK presented the findings of six national meetings convened
to examine the status of plant-based education in their respective countries.
The meetings in 2006 looked at strategies to heighten public
awareness about plant diversity and conservation under Target 14 (promoting
education and awareness about plant diversity) of the UN’s Global Strategy
on Plant Conservation (GSPC). Significantly, every meeting highlighted the lack
of governmental support for such initiatives. This shows that there is a growing
convergence of opinion from a broad spectrum of countries with differing biodiversity
challenges, that education is key to addressing conservation needs and support
for this at government and international level is urgently required.
The findings were presented in Dublin in November at an Expert Group meeting
organised by the UN-backed Convention on Biological Diversity. This meeting
reviewed the implementation of the GSPC and also examined proposals for a ‘toolkit’
to assist with the integration of GSPC targets into national strategies and
programmes. For more information:
www.bgci.org/education/news/0281
8. Plants for Life Discovery Cart Brian Johnson, BGCI-US
Discovery carts are a common education vehicle at botanic gardens and other
environmental education sites. A standard cart can be moved throughout a garden,
and different supplies are used with the cart depending on the lesson being
taught. BGCI-US has developed a plant conservation discovery cart module for
distribution to botanic gardens, arboreta and other sites.
The discovery cart includes a series of activities that communicate the importance
of plants and showcase endangered plant species. The activities also convey
the important message of how individuals can help save threatened plants.
For more information and to download the lesson plan for this discovery cart,
visit: www.bgci.org/usa/Discovery_Cart
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