Wild Voices for Kids - $9,500

The Wild Voices for Kids program is an environmental/heritage education program, which connects students to the land, history and culture of the Columbia Basin. It was developed for the Rocky Mountain School District #6 (RMSD) in 1997. The program is run in partnership with Rocky Mountain School District #6 and provides environmental and heritage education programming to students in schools from Golden in the north to Kimberley in the south.

In 2003 the program reached 118 classes or 3,000 students supported by 31 presenters who offered 31 natural science and cultural heritage programs. Through Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival, students have heard presentations, or participated in field trips with world-renowned artist Robert Bateman; TV’s Nature Nut John Acorn; and Bill Lishman (Father Goose), Christopher Swain and this year naturalist musician Ian Tamblyn . Presentations are made throughout the four seasons of the year making it a year round program. Presenters from events such as Living with Wildlife (Sept), Wild Voices Speakers Series (Jan – March) and Golden Festival of Birds and Bears also visit classrooms through the WVFK program.

During 2003/2004 school year many local and visiting expert give presentations and field trips to students. Author, biologist and historian Jack Nesbit visited from Spokane Idaho, to delivered several presentations to high school students about earlier explorers to the area such as David Thompson. He has written two books: “Sources of the River” and “Visible Bones”. Both books highlight the Columbia Basin and give an insight into both early exploration of the area by David Thompson as well as into the native perspective of the first encounters with Europeans.

Yoho National Park borders the Columbia Valley and is home to the world famous Burgess Shale Fossils Beds. Wild Voices for Kids was lucky to have one of the Burgess Shale Foundation Interpreters deliver presentations to classes in the district about the trilobites of the Burgess Shale.

Two fascinating centres are located in the Golden area of the region: The Northern Lights Wolf Centre and the Sanctuary Retreat & Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch. Many classes visited these two centres to see live wolves and buffalo and learn about these creatures and their history in our area.

The community benefits directly from WVFK programs by inspiring stewardship actions in the youth of the area, breathing a renewed sense of responsible ownership for the environment into both the youth of the area and their families. Sustaining ecosystem function and structure within the demands of a dramatically developing human landscape represents a daunting education and conservation challenge. WVFK program is one way to provide the much needed conservation and heritage information to the important student population of our communities.

back to project list

[Home][CKFRP Priority Issues][Current Projects][Past Projects]
[Map][Ripple Effects][Programs][CKFRP & Other Funding][Contacts & Links]