/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory-Interview and Photo Opportunity - Meet the young sustainability leaders of tomorrow/
Local school helps restore conservation reserve
KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON, June 4, 2019 /CNW/ - On June 12, 2019, students in Grades 5 and 8 will be doing their part to help preserve an important part of southern Ontario's ecologically fragile Carolinian zone. The young naturalists are participating in the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada's Roots & Shoots program, which supports young people across Canada in leading projects that make their communities more sustainable.
With the release of the UN Global Assessment Report on the threat of climate change and world-wide loss of biodiversity, it's never been more important to teach the youngest generations how to care for the environment through curriculum-tied, hands-on learning.
More than 60 students from nearby St John Catholic Elementary School will be hard at work at the Laurel Creek Nature Centre. The 47-hectare property includes mature woods, wetlands and open fields. The nature centre's creek, pond and swamp supports habitat for Painted, Blanding's and Snapping turtles, all classified as species-at-risk.
Students have already completed extensive mapping of the Nature Centre's lands under the guidance of staff with the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI Canada) and experts at the Grand River Conservation Authority.
The mapping exercise was just step one in JGI Canada's Friends of the Watershed initiative, generously funded by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC). Youngsters will be removing invasive species that are a significant threat to the nature centre's biodiversity. They will also be planting native species of trees and wildflowers alongside TMMC team members.
The JGI Canada project is an integral component of Toyota's 2050 Environmental Challenge, a multi-part global commitment to reduce the company's overall emissions and work in tandem with leading environmental organizations.
There will be interview opportunities to speak with students, TMMC senior management, JGI Canada staff and staff with GRCA.
WHAT: |
Removing invasive species and planting native species of wildflowers and trees to improve biodiversity in the Grand River Watershed. |
WHEN: |
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 |
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WHERE: |
Laurel Creek Nature Centre (525 Beaver Creek Rd., Waterloo) |
WHO: |
Students and teachers from St John Catholic Elementary School |
Lauren Saville, Manager JGI Canada Roots & Shoots |
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Mary-Anne Cain, GRCA Environmental Education Specialist |
About the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada
The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada was founded in 1994 and is part of a network of Jane Goodall Institutes around the world. JGI supports habitat conservation and chimpanzee protection programs in Africa and runs Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots– a global program that inspires youth to take action to create local change.
About Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
TMMC has manufactured vehicles in Canada for more than 30 years and currently employs more than 8,500 team members at its facilities in Cambridge and Woodstock, Ontario. Committed to producing vehicles in Canada, Toyota has invested more than CDN $8.5B in its Canadian operations since 1985, and has built more than eight million vehicles over that period of time.
About the Grand River Conservation Authority
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) manages water and natural resources on behalf of 39 municipalities and close to one million residents of the Grand River watershed. The GRCA works with local communities to reduce flood damage, provide access to outdoor spaces, share information about the natural environment, and make the watershed more resilient to climate change.
SOURCE Jane Goodall Institute of Canada
Media contacts: Victoria Foote, Director, Communications and Marketing, JGI Canada, [email protected], 416.978.3706 (o), 647.290.9384 (m); Toyota: David Shum, Communications, Toyota Canada, [email protected], 416.254.5343 (m); GRCA: Cam Linwood, Communications Coordinator: [email protected], 519-621-2763, ext. 2251; Lisa Stocco, Manager of Communications: [email protected], 519-621-2763, ext. 2316
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