TD FEF Featured Project

Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney, BC Makes a Big Splash!

Unearthing and protecting the treasures of the Coast Salish Sea — otherwise known as the Strait of Georgia — is the goal of the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, an aquarium and marine education facility perched on Vancouver Island’s southeast coast in beautiful Sidney, B.C.

With 17 habitat tanks teeming with marine life and themed shows that change every two weeks, it’s not hard to understand why the Discovery Centre has welcomed more than 80,000 visitors from across North America since opening in June 2009. That’s double the attendance figures anticipated by the Discovery Centre’s volunteer governing board.

New Gallery of Drifters exhibit
Thanks in part to support from its local TD FEF Chapter, the Discovery Centre is now home to the Gallery of Drifters — a hands-on installation aimed at helping visitors of all ages understand the importance of the ocean food web.

"The Gallery of Drifters introduces visitors to the foundation of our local marine ecosystem, including the algae, plankton and our amazing jellies — without which we humans wouldn’t exist,” explains Joan Eaglesham, Development and Special Events Director for the Discovery Centre. “Visitors can now examine these essential life forms closer than they’ve ever been seen before thanks to the use of a video microscope and our interactive learning tools.”

TD FEF support
“As a longtime Vancouver Island resident and parent of three young kids, I believe strongly in supporting a local understanding of the region’s unique coastal ecosystem,” says Andrew Heaman, Coordinator of TD FEF’s Victoria/Sidney Chapter and TD Canada Trust Branch Manager. “Our board was impressed with how the New Marine Centre Society engaged with both local members of the community as well as the scientific community — creating a truly volunteer-driven, state-of-the art facility right here in our own backyard.”

Find out more about the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

See Other TD FEF Projects:
	Carolinian Forest Festival, St. Thomas, ON LEARN MORE >>   Valhalla Provincial Park LEARN MORE >>

Carolinian Forest Festival, London, ON

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) is proud to support the Carolinian Forest Festival. The festival, which took place in October at the Springwater Conservation Area and Jaffa Environmental Education Centre near Aylmer, Ontario, offered students the opportunity to connect with their natural environment, and become stewards of their land. An amazing 1,500 grade six and seven students from Elgin, Oxford and Middlesex counties participated in more than 30 hands-on, interactive and curriculum-based activities on topics such as species at risk, forest ecosystems, climate change, and conservation.

“The goal of the Carolinian Forest Festival is to help students discover the value and importance of the Carolinian zone and our local forests,” explains Festival Coordinator, Betsy McClure. “We hope that the lessons they learn at the festival will motivate long-lasting behavioural changes, and encourage students to become good stewards of the land.”

“We are very pleased to support initiatives that creatively inspire young people to become active participants in their environment,” comments Yvette Scrivener, Regional Manager, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. “The Carolinian Forest Festival is an ideal fit for us.”

Students examine the reptiles and amphibians of the Carolinian Life Zone. Students look at the characteristics of these two separate classes and learn how they differ from one another.

Students learn about the wide range of foods available in the forests of the Carolinian Life Zone and how the Native people and early explorers used these resources.

See Other TD FEF Projects:
	Valhalla Provincial Park LEARN MORE >>   The Medicine River Wildlife Centre LEARN MORE >>

Into the wild: The Medicine River Wildlife Centre spreads its wings

Founded in 1984, the Medicine River Wildlife Centre (MRWC) rehabilitates about 1,000 injured and orphaned wild animals each year before returning them to their natural habitat. The centre operates a wildlife hospital and environmental education centre on a 300-acre land conservancy just west of Innisfail, in central Alberta.

"In addition to caring for animals in need, promoting an understanding and respect of wildlife within the community is a key part of our mandate," explains Carol Kelly, Executive Director of the MRWC. "Each year we welcome about 12,000 visitors to our centre, helping them explore and understand Alberta’s unique wildlife."

Thanks in part to support from the Calgary, Central Alberta and Red Deer TD FEF Chapters, the MRWC plans to add 150 more acres of wild bush to its current area.

"Supporting the Medicine River Wildlife Centre’s efforts is a natural fit for us, as we're committed to helping our community learn more about how they can preserve and protect the environment and wildlife in their own backyard," adds Andrew Gartner, TD FEF Chapter Coordinator.

An adult great grey owl undergoes preparation for wing surgery.

A juvenile hawk owl is treated for a fractured left wing.

An MRWC volunteer rescues a bald eagle.

See Other TD FEF Projects:
	Carolinian Forest Festival, St. Thomas, ON LEARN MORE >>   Valhalla Provincial Park LEARN MORE >>

B.C.'s Valhalla Provincial Park acquires 'Golden Mile'

Valhalla Provincial Park is now 155 acres larger, thanks in part to a $10,000 donation from the local southeastern B.C. TD FEF Chapter.

In April, the 155-acre Valhalla Mile property – often dubbed the "Golden Mile" because of its one-mile expanse of undeveloped shoreline – was purchased and transferred to B.C. Parks. In addition to the TD FEF donation, a dedicated group of volunteers and donors from across Canada and internationally helped make the purchase possible.

Located alongside Slocan Lake in southeastern B.C., "the property is a vital movement corridor for grizzly and black bears. Wolverines, cougars and mule deer are among the many species that frequent the land and its shoreline habitat," explains Lorna Visser, Valhalla Mile Campaign Co-ordinator. "From a cultural perspective, ancient First Nations’ pictographs are located just north of the property and the shoreline was likely a Sinixt fishing and gathering site."

The Land Conservancy of B.C. and The Valhalla Foundation for Ecology and Social Justice teamed up in a campaign to purchase the land, previously owned by a private land owner, all within the boundaries of Valhalla Provincial Park. This property is a key addition to the park, which encompasses almost 50,000 hectares and protects an entire mountain ecosystem from lakeshore to high alpine.

"Our local TD FEF advisory board is made up of nature enthusiasts from across southeastern B.C., and we all agreed that helping preserve Valhalla Park was something that would be of significant benefit to our entire region," says Laura Decker, TD Bank Branch Manager and Chapter Coordinator for Southeast B.C. "This project is a great example of what can be accomplished when we come together as a community, and we’re honoured to be a part of it."

"Valhalla Mile" volunteers take a break from an afternoon kayaking session to accept a cheque from a local TD FEF Chapter volunteer. From left: Blake Veerman, Pippa Dean-Veerman, Laura Decker and Keith Veerman.

See Other TD FEF Projects:
	The Medicine River Wildlife Centre LEARN MORE >>   Carolinian Forest Festival, St. Thomas, ON LEARN MORE >>