Reptiles at Risk: On the Road is an outreach education project which will to spread important messages of reptile conservation in places where species at risk reptiles are actually found. We target specific locations and deliver exciting, hands-on programs featuring live animals. These programs have proven effective in increasing knowledge and positive attitudes about these creatures and their conservation.
This project is a partnership between Laurentian University, the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network, and Sciensational Sssnakes!!
It is hard to put into words how critical to the success of this project Heather's presence has been. I could not have asked for a better person to have on the road out west last summer. Heather's knowledge, skill, and resourcefullness were fabulous to have around. Travelling with people for months on end in a van and trailer can be stressful, and people understandably get a bit of cabin fever at times. That never seemed to be an issue for Heather. She always wore a smile, and was quick with a hug for anyone who needed one. And we did, what with the various trials and tribulations along the way!
Besides keeping me sane and functional, Heather did a fabulous job co-ordinating many programs, entering evaluation data, designing curriculum linked activities about reptiles (which we hope to upload to the website soon), and anything else that was asked of her.
It has been my intent for some time to step back from this project in the spring of 2009, to concentrate on opening our public nature centre in Orillia. Heather impressed me so much, I offered her my job if the funding came through to keep the project going. Unfortunately, the NSERC Promoscience funding we applied for was turned down. We still had high hopes for some other funding but announcements about it were delayed for so long that Heather had to move on to a great job in Guelph. I've still been hoping she'd return for the fall and winter, but after years of bouncing between outdoor ed contracts, she has decided to investigate the potential of a more stable life- she has enrolled in teacher's college for the fall!
So, congratulations, Heather, on your acceptance! We hope you'll come back and visit often! Good luck with whatever career path the future holds!
Best regards to all,
Jeff Hathaway
Project Co-ordinator
Kyle is a U of Guelph grad who worked with the project through the winter. If more of our funding had come through, he would have been here last summer as well. Instead, he got some great experience nearby, working at Georgian Bay Islands National Park, and still volunteered with Sciensational Sssnakes!! on his days off! Last summer would have been much more trying for the home teams without Kyle's enthusiastic help!
Kyle's dry wit and low-key presentation style are a hit with kids and adults alike. Of course, he has many other useful skills! Kyle is back for the summer after a short stint in Arizona doing bird research. Yes, birds... How silly is that! However, Kyle is working directly with Sciensational Snakes!! for the summer, not this project. I look forward to telling you about his
replacement!
Jeff
Up and running for 2009!
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on May 29, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Wow, the passage of time is so quick. We had a tremendously active winter and covered lots of ground in southern Ontario. Many happy school kids! We also improved our success rate with our evaluation surveys, and ended up with data from over 2600 students in our database!
For various reasons, this was also a very hard winter for me, personally, which has contributed to the lack of postings to this blog. It was a tremendous challenge to keep this project, and everything else, moving forward, but we have managed it and life is working itself out in its myriad of ways.
I'll try to get a few more details about the winter activities posted, but the most important thing to broadcast is that we have funding again! We will be active just in Ontario this year, and have funding from both Environment Canada's Habitat Stewardship Program and the Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk Stewardship Fund.
Robin Manley, who co-ordinated our Trent-Severn Waterway Wildlife special project for the last two summers, will be managing most of the Reptiles at Risk on the Road project for this summer. If you have an event or organization that you think would work well for a program this summer, please feel free to let her know!
Cheers,
Jeff
The ROM Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario
