October 21, 2005
New "Sturgeon Education Resource Kit" available in the West Kootenay
CASTLEGAR – Do you enjoy that moment when your child comes home from school raving about something new she or he has learned? You can expect such a reaction if his or her teacher accesses a brand new education resource kit on white sturgeon that is now available to West Kootenay and Revelstoke elementary school children in grades K-7.
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| A lucky Castlegar student releases her very own juvenile sturgeon into the Columbia River downsteam of the Hugh Keenleyside Dam |
The Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Education Resource Kit, sponsored by BC Hydro and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, was recently developed by Kootenay-based consultants and teachers, Nancie Dohan and Ali Daley of Ecosense Interpretive Services.
BC Hydro and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are just two partners of the over 25 partners that comprise the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (UCWSRI). The UCWSRI brings the combined interests of government, First Nations and American tribes, industry, environmental groups and others to the challenge of building a healthy future for the white sturgeon in the upper Columbia River in British Columbia and across the border in the United States.
"The sturgeon is North America's largest and longest living freshwater fish, but their stocks are dwindling. Recent estimates put the upper Columbia River basin population at between 900-1,400 wild fish in the Canadian portion of the basin and 1500 to 2000 fish from the Canada-US border to the Grand Coulee Dam in the U.S," says BC Hydro's Public Affairs coordinator, Sue Heaton. "Education is a key component of the recovery initiative and it will be the younger generations that lead the conservation effort for future generations."
One of the key aspects of the project was to make the learning as stimulating as possible for all involved and the reaction from teachers who piloted the kits this spring indicates this has been achieved. "The children loved it", says Diane Holt of Robson Community School. "With all the interactive tools in the kit the children understood the concepts on a much deeper level. Participating in the development of the kit was, for me, both educational,enjoyable and most importantly rewarding."
The kit includes everything from learning modules to games, puppets, a song, life-size posters, clay models, photographs, and quizzes.
"The reaction in the pilot phase was tremendous", added Jayson Kurtz, Hydro Impacts Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. "Even those schools who were not testing the kits, called us to find out how they could get involved. We also had interest in the kits from other parts of the province and even from the United States."
Those school children that participated in the piloting of the kit were rewarded for their involvement by getting an invitation to the 3 rd Annual Sturgeon Release Day in Castlegar held on May 4. There, each child got to release a year-old sturgeon into the Columbia River. Organizers, volunteers and educators alike agreed that the combination of classroom learning and the field trip proved to be extremely effective in increasing the childrens' knowledge of the local white sturgeon.
School districts 8,10, 19 and 20 will receive two K to 3 and two Grade 4 to 7 kits that will be available to teachers at no cost. These kits will be delivered in conjunction with BC Rivers Day.
In addition, on Friday, October 21 Nancie, Ali and other UCWSRI partners will be introducing the kits to regional teachers at this year's province-wide Professional Development Day conference being held at Selkirk College in Castlegar. Teachers will have the opportunity to go through it module, play some of the interactive games and learn about the plight of the white sturgeon.
If you would like further information on the resource kits, please contact Sue Heaton at BC Hydro at 250 365 4562 or Angus Glass at the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program 250 352 6874.
Contact:
| Sue Heaton |
| Public Affairs Coordinator |
| Phone: 250 365-4562 |
