Friday, October 3
Today we went on a helicopter tour. All morning we looked forward to the helicopter tour and afterwards we talked about the helicopter tour. The End. Not really, but it certainly was a highlight! After a hearty breakfast, Simon Ham from Banff did an excellent presentation on the wildlife corridor studies and the work in progress there.
Next we got an industry viewpoint when Shad Watts from Devon Canada explained what they are doing and who they are working with to implement an ILM (integrated landscape management) plan . Again, he was very informed, and encouraged us to contact him for any further needs or information.
Steve Donelon of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation gave an overview of the parks in our province with a focus on Kananaskis Country. He briefed us on how this landscape is divided by all the stakeholders, new and old.
Peter Snow of the Stoney Tribe explained to us the relationship they have with the other agencies of their beautiful area, and especially how their culture fits into modern requirements of society while preserving their culture. It was really insightful to be able to interact closely with Peter in this session with a lively Q and A that followed.
The helicopter excursion was so unique and awesome. It is hard to describe. We literally got a physical overview and close-up of the mountains, streams, lakes of this area as well as a bird’s eye view of the human footprint.
After, Kathryn, from Inside Education, led us through some lively curriculum-based activities. We were given a generous allowance to go to dinner where we wanted. Canmore seems to have a great abundance of fine eating establishments. Friday was day enjoyed by all!
We will wrap things up tomorrow with a debrief session and more ways to bring what we’ve learned and experienced into the classroom.
Bill Van Der Weide,
Senior High Science Teacher
Coalhurst, Alberta
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Foothills Education Tour October 2-4, 2008
Thursday, October 2
Teachers began their day with a hot breakfast. Gail and Kathryn explained to us what Inside Education is all about; what we could expect to learn in our time together, the services offered to teachers, and who our sponsors were.
We were introduced to Mary Reid from the University of Calgary; Mary led us through some very interesting slides. We learned about foothills trees and shrubs. It was explained that fires and insects were the major disturbances. She concluded with a fascinating explaination of the Mountain Pine Beetle and what we could expect in the future.
We packed our goods, grabbed a bagged lunch, and headed to the Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest. Mary took us on a short hike where we learned about tree features that are designed to contend with temperature and moisture requirements of the tree. We enjoyed a lovely, quiet lunch in the forest, and then met Rick Blackwood with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. On our visits to several forestry sites, we learned about the importance of sustainable forest management and what could potential come of the forest without sound practices.
After spending the day in the forest we traveled to Canmore and enjoyed a truly awesome meal and ambiance of the Grizzly Paw restaurant!
Once again it was a great learning experience with great company, and the treatment was royal.
Bill Van Der Weide, Coalhurst
Teachers began their day with a hot breakfast. Gail and Kathryn explained to us what Inside Education is all about; what we could expect to learn in our time together, the services offered to teachers, and who our sponsors were.
We were introduced to Mary Reid from the University of Calgary; Mary led us through some very interesting slides. We learned about foothills trees and shrubs. It was explained that fires and insects were the major disturbances. She concluded with a fascinating explaination of the Mountain Pine Beetle and what we could expect in the future.
We packed our goods, grabbed a bagged lunch, and headed to the Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest. Mary took us on a short hike where we learned about tree features that are designed to contend with temperature and moisture requirements of the tree. We enjoyed a lovely, quiet lunch in the forest, and then met Rick Blackwood with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. On our visits to several forestry sites, we learned about the importance of sustainable forest management and what could potential come of the forest without sound practices.
After spending the day in the forest we traveled to Canmore and enjoyed a truly awesome meal and ambiance of the Grizzly Paw restaurant!
Once again it was a great learning experience with great company, and the treatment was royal.
Bill Van Der Weide, Coalhurst
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