Become a Wings of Change Facilitator!

Dear change-makers,

I’m writing you this letter because what I do right now is climate education. I’ve watched Wings of Change grow from an idea on a conference call to a few pilot classrooms to extend across the country. This spring we’ll reach 10 000 young Canadians with a youth led popular education program unlike any other and that’s something I am passionate about, excited about and insanely proud of. So passionate, excited and proud, in fact, that I just ended a sentence with a preposition.

Delivering these workshops has been, without a doubt, the most inspiring and the most exciting work I’ve ever been a part of. The concepts of climate justice and social movements may seem difficult to define to a room of academics and they certainly appear to be indecipherable to more than a few prominent politicians, yet I’ve walked into classrooms where students are discussing the intersections between climate change and social justice for the first time and it’s absolutely intuitive. It’s the kind of experience that, when faced with the dizzying scope of the climate crisis, keeps me hopeful, inspired, energized and genuinely excited to be a part of this movement. Have I mentioned how excited I am about this?

Please read the information package, listen to the podcast, check out the Wings of Change blogs or email me to find out more, and — read close now, this is the important part– fill out that application form. We are looking for engaged, enthusiastic facilitators in Atlantic Canadian communities to deliver the Wings of Change climate education workshop to Canadian youth this spring. Yeah, you can be a part of this!

Let’s put 2012 in the history books, not as the end of an era but as the time we spent building a just, liveable future for our generation and those to come.

Cheers,

Emilie Novaczek
Wings of Change, East Coast Coordinator
emilie@ourclimate.ca

Please send complete applications to emilie@ourclimate.ca by January 24, 2012. All applications will be reviewed by a panel and selections will be made as soon as possible. Interested in receiving a Wings of Change workshop in your group or classroom? Please email meghanemilymccarthy@gmail.com. For more information, visit here.

Editor of The Osprey, Nature Newfoundland and Labrador

Nature Newfoundland and Labrador (http://naturenl.ca) is hoping to find one or two dynamic and committed individuals, awed by the rugged natural beauty of our province, to take on the role of Editor or Co-Editors of The Osprey, the nature journal of Newfoundland and Labrador. These unpaid positions allow both literary expression and interaction with leading naturalists from our province. The Osprey is a published four times per year. It is distributed both electronically and in hard copy to a readership that spans Canada, the US, and Europe. The journal publishes articles ranging from seasonal bird reports and discussions of important undertakings in the province with the potential to impact the environment, to nature photography and poetry. Editing, word processing, and excellent communication skills are required. Experience in basic graphic design and desktop publishing would be an asset! If you’d like to see the latest volume of The Osprey, or if you have further questions, please contact Carolyn at: cwalsh@play.psych.mun.ca

St. John’s Clean and Beautiful, a non-profit, volunteer organization, is seeking individuals who are interested in becoming a member of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors sets policy, recommends specific programs for committees and actively participates in the implementation of various programs and projects to achieve the mission of St. John’s Clean and Beautiful.

Our mission as a volunteer organization is dedicated to reducing litter, increasing environmental awareness and encouraging beautification projects by involving the community.

If you are interested in becoming a member of our board please call Karen Hickman, Executive Director at 570-0350 or email sjcab@cleanandbeautiful.nf.ca or send your resume to:

St. John’s Clean and Beautiful, P.O Box 908, St. John’s, NL A1B 5M2

Deadline for submissions is Friday, October 14, 2011.

For those interested in becoming members of Food Education Action – St. John’s there will be an activities meeting on July 19, 2011 from 6-7 pm at Coffee & Co. located  at 204 Water Street.



Saturday, May 14^th, 2011 (Rain day is scheduled for Sunday, May 15^th, 2011) 

We hope to cover the areas around the road through the community as well as 2 local beaches. We are also encouraging residents to take part by cleaning up their own properties. In addition to helping the environment by cleaning up waste and garbage we are enhancing the aesthetic of our community which contributes to the overall economy of the community and the Southern Shore.  We want to leave visitors and tourists with a positive image so that they will want to return again.

Thank you for supporting our local efforts to make a difference! If you have any questions, please contact Erin Blackler at eblackler@hotmail.com.

Project Webfoot Volunteer Training Session (Ducks Unlimited Canada)

April 26^th, 2011 (12:30-3:30pm) – Meet at the Sobeys Community Room, Valley Mall, Corner Brook, NL

Want to Enhance your Skills as an Environmental Educator?

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is currently looking for volunteers to help deliver wetland field trips to grade four students during the week of June 7^th in Corner Brook. Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to attend a training session being held on April 26^th. This session will be facilitated by Erin Heeney, DUC Education and Interpretation Specialist for the Atlantic region. Training will include an introduction to Project Webfoot followed by a run-through of field trip activities at the Glynmil Marsh in the afternoon. A light lunch will be provided.

Please RSVP for the Training Session by April 22^nd.

For more information or to RSVP please contact:

Danielle Fequet

NL Conservation Programs Specialist

Ducks Unlimited Canada

(709) 637-3131

d_fequet@ducks.ca

Please note that all DUC volunteers are rigorously screened and must adhere to DUC policy when working with children.

1. Historical documentation assistant
Volunteer type position: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium opened in 1990 as the Freshwater Resource Centre. The centre is an ongoing project of the Quidi Vidi Rennies River Development Foundation (QVRRDF) that started in the 1980s with the goal of cleaning up our watersheds and promoting stewardship of our wetlands. We are looking for volunteers with good writing and organizational skills to compile historical documents of the QVRRDF and the Suncor Energy Fluvarium. Volunteer duties may include:
* Creating digital scans of the Ripples Newsletter and historical documents.
* Researching and collecting newspaper articles regarding the foundation and the centre.
* Creating website content regarding the history of the foundation and the centre.

2. Update education program kit materials
Volunteer position type: Ongoing/Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium offers school programming aimed at students from pre-school to high school. Under the guidance of education staff, we are looking for volunteers to help update educational program materials. If you are a creative and or artistic individual this position will suit you! Volunteer duties may include:
* Working with education staff to identifying programs that require updated materials.
* Contacting vendors to determine cost of items.
* Creating props in-house for programs.
* Designing new props and materials to update in-house and travelling education kits.

3. Long Pond trail activity station
Volunteer position type: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium is looking for volunteers to design activity stations along the Long Pond trail and Riparian Zone walk. An activity book for children would be designed with a set of self-guided environmental education activities. The volunteers would preferably be senior level university students with an education background and would be responsible for:
* Researching and designing environmental education activities for children.
* Identifying appropriate areas of the Long Pond trail or Riparian Zone walk for activities.
* Creating and implementing activities.

4. Seasonal exhibit collection, design and maintenance
Volunteer position type: Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium has a variety of exhibits relating to the properties of water, wetland habitats and monitoring wetland systems. To promote seasonal visitation, we are looking to add a seasonal theme to our exhibits and create a seasonal exhibit. Working closely with Education and Exhibit staff, the volunteer would be responsible for:
* Researching seasonal exhibits that could be implemented at the Fluvarium. (ie. Discovery centre station, Nature exchange, etc.)
* Creating a cost estimate and budget for implementing a seasonal exhibit.
*  Collecting materials and adding a seasonal theme for exhibits (ie. updated materials for the Microeye exhibit, insect collection exhibit).

5. Aquarium and terrarium maintenance
Volunteer position type: Bi-weekly/monthly
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium houses a variety of local amphibian and fish species in terrariums and aquariums. Each of these tanks requires maintenance to ensure healthy conditions for each species. This volunteer position requires a bi-weekly or monthly commitment to maintain and clean tanks. Duties for this position include: 
* Cleaning windows of the aquariums and terrariums.
* Cleaning the inside and outside stream windows of the fluvarium.
* Siphoning the bottoms of aquariums.
* Performing water quality tests.
* Replacing/renewing water in terrariums.
*  Arrangement of plants and decorations in terrariums

6. Research animals and naturalize terrariums/aquaria
Volunteer position type:Project
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium is interested in naturalizing the aquariums and terrariums that house our fish and amphibians. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, naturalized tanks provide a healthy habitat for the animals and helps create a better visitor experience. A volunteer working on this project would be responsible for:
* Researching amphibian of fish species and local plants.
* Making recommendations on how to sustainably naturalize the tanks based on our current aquarium setup (lighting and water conditions) and local ecology.
* Creating a cost estimate and budget for naturalizing each tank.
* Implementing the recommendations and naturalizing the terrariums and aquaria.
* Updating animal care sheets based on research.

For further information on the volunteer positions contact:
Justin So
info@fluvarium.ca

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Position: Organic market garden helpers needed
Organization: Eastport Organics http://www.eastportorganics.ca
Location: Eastport, Newfoundland

Organic market garden needs volunteers to share in the work. Lots of great
opportunities to learn and participate at all levels of the activities
taking place on and around the farm.

You could find yourself logging with ponies in the nearby national park,
running the CSA, planting seedlings in the spring, hauling compost anytime
of the year, sailing, kayaking, horse-back riding, beach fires, ocean
fishing trips etc.

Send an email to eastportorganics@gmail.com if you’re interested in coming
by.