Archive for the 'Media Releases' Category
Wolf & Carnivore Conference
In April 2011, Thompson City Council directed the Thompson Zoo Society to formulate a new plan for the current zoo that was established in the 1960s. After many months of surveys, polling, and analysis, the concept of a Boreal Discovery Centre emerged and was presented to Council for approval. The Boreal Discovery Centre builds on Thompson’s strategic direction as the “Hub of the North” by developing the theme of the Centre as a place where people meet, learn and celebrate the communities of the boreal wetlands, skies, and the forest.
Development of this Centre addresses areas in the Master Parks Plan concerned with developed recreational space, infill development, local biodiversity and Type C accessibility.
In the development of all exhibits of the Centre, input from Nisichawayasihk Cree will be pursued, as well, the significant aspects in local traditional culture relating to the exhibits will only be developed with permissions and guidance from First Nations themselves.
The heart of the Boreal DISCOVERY Centre is a unique one story, 3,000 sq ftinterpretative centre located over the existing man-made wetlands. This structure alone will be worth a visit in itself; the result of state of the art sustainable building technology.
The interior or the facility will house exhibits showcasing, in an experiential fashion, the unique adaptations found in the Boreal wetlands, skies (focus on birds of prey), forest (Predator Zone focusing on Timber Wolves and the Prey Arena focusing on Moose/Caribou) and human communities. Exterior habitat exhibits will complement and abut those in the interpretative centre. The largest exterior exhibit area will be Human Connections – What is Possible. Here human adaptations including traditional and emergent green technologies, living lightly and sustainably will be showcased. All exhibits will be accessible year-round to encourage continued attendance.
This vision has the support and endorsement of Spirit Way Inc., and consensus has been reached in an agreement in principle. The Spirit Way wolf enclosure is the Boreal Forest Community – Predator exhibit. Fund-raising efforts for, and development of, this exhibit by Spirit Way Inc. are intact and on track. Subject to the approval of the new Board, the wolf enclosure would be Phase 1 of a multi-year development. A top notch wolf enclosure is essential for Thompson to continue to promote itself as the “Wolf Capital of Canada”.
The financial basis for the Boreal Discovery Centre is a balance of government and corporate funding with self earned revenue through memberships, programming, workshops, admissions, and guest services. The cost to the City and taxpayers is actually reduced with this new model of operations.
The current Thompson Zoological Society will dissolve and a new corporate entity will be created; the Boreal Discovery Centre, Inc. A foundation will also be created to support the operations and capital expenses of the Centre.
When fully operational, twelve positions consisting of full-time, part time and summer student will form the staffing complement of the Centre.
Fort Whyte Alive in Winnipeg, Manitoba has indicated their support in the development of the centre, as well as a willingness to work together in developing programming and the possibility of evolving into a “sister centre” in the north. Other strategic partnerships include the City of Thompson, TNRC, Thompson Unlimited, UCN, Food Matters Manitoba and other educational institutions.,
The Boreal Discovery Centre, a community legacy project, will be an important asset to the City of Thompson. It will provide the opportunity and the facilities for residents to experience and foster connection to the communities of the magnificent boreal region in which we live. It will provide meaningful, safe and family-oriented programming creating awareness and respect for the non-human communities we share the land with. And it will showcase ways in which we can live sustainably, creatively and lightly now and in the future.
For more information and a visual representation, visit the Boreal Discovery Centre at http://borealdiscoverycentre.blogspot.com. For further news on Wolf Capital initiatives, visit www.thompsonspiritway.ca
SEPTEMBER BLOG
June 15, 2011
MANITOBA WOLVES – Canada’s newest NHL team?
TOP 10 REASONS TO NAME THE TEAM – MANITOBA WOLVES:
1. A wolf-named hockey team in a “wolf economy” in Manitoba is mutually beneficial and will have a strong synergy as both Brands and Product Positioning move forward.
2. A well designed wolf logo will generate much stronger Brand Equity and more recognizable Brand Imagery than any other name for Manitoba’s hockey team. The graphic image of a wolf has universal recognition and can achieve world class appeal to sell more souvenirs, jerseys, crests, etc.
3. Wolves are top predators like sharks in the ocean and lions in Africa.
4. Aboriginal people have always revered the wolf and focus on their qualities of loyalty, humility, perseverance, and a strong sense of family.
5. A wolf pack is a team unit with a leader, and each has a role to play for its survival.
6. The howling wolf’s imagery is romantic, haunting, mythical, charismatic, and world wide.
7. There are millions of people and dozens of organizations in North America and Europe that are supporters of wolves, wildlife, and conservation causes. The wolf name will create wider attention and recognition in the marketplace and will broaden the fan base.
8. Manitoba has one of the highest wolf populations in the world, and wolves roam across all rural and northern biomes.
9. Wolves are biologically essential to ensure a balanced ecosystem.
10. A Wolf Development Strategy and Discussion Paper is currently being prepared to position Manitoba as the Wolf Capital of the World in the fields of tourism, research, science, conservation, and events. Manitoba embraces wild wolves, in different biomes, captive wolves, wolf research, amazing public wolf art, the Manitoba GPS Wolf Hunt, schools in 3 countries collaborating on wolf projects, a proposed Wolf Centre of Excellence.
And wolves DO NOT attack or kill people like in Little Red Riding Hood!
CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATION:
Wolves are an ecological and economic asset to Manitoba. Calling the new NHL team – MANITOBA WOLVES – has huge advantages for the team and the province. It has broader value than just any name. By aligning the team’s name with current and future Wolf Development in Manitoba, the name highlights a top predator species that Manitoba has in abundance. It will help drive a new WOLF ECONOMY in the tourism, science, conservation, education, events sectors. MANITOBA WOLVES will generate an awareness and interest in the hockey team by millions of non-hockey people in North America who will get to know that Manitoba exists.
THE WOLF IS THE RIGHT IMAGE AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR MANITOBA!
June 6, 2011.
Prepared for True North Sports and Entertainment Limited by Spirit Way Inc.
Wolves—we may love or fear them—but some young people just want to understand them. Children at three schools in the United States, Mexico and Canada will work together on a “Wolves without Borders” project to learn about wolves in all three regions starting in March, 2011. One of the groups includes elementary students in École Riverside School in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada.
“The wolf is a species essential in all three countries, but misunderstood and threatened in many regions worldwide,” according to Linda Markus, School District of Mystery Lake, Thompson. “This collaborative project will support the participation of North American youth in the conservation of their regions and allow them to understand the global aspect and influence of their actions.”
The “Wolves without Borders” idea began to percolate at a Carnivore Conference in Denver, Colorado in November 2009 when 3 people met to share their ideas and interest in wolves in their own countries. Mary Ortiz, Executive Director of IWC, USA, Volker Beckmann of Spirit Way Inc., Canada, and Juan Carlos Bravo of Naturalia, Mexico realized good ideas have no boundaries and neither should wolves. Bringing students together in a virtual project across North America offered fascinating benefits for all.
The young students in three countries live in the temperate pine-oak forests of the Sky Islands Complex surrounded by the hot, northern state of Sonora, Mexico, in the deciduous and conifer forests of Minnesota, and in Manitoba with its cold winters, boreal forests and 100,000 lakes. Although the students are separated by thousands of miles, different languages and cultures, they are excited about the opportunity to learn to work together on a common theme of wolves.
“The International Wolf Center’s staff is excited to participate in the Wolves without Borders project. This cross-cultural learning opportunity aligns perfectly with the organization’s mission,” stated Jerritt Johnston, Director of Education. “Having the chance to collaborate with organizations in both Canada and Mexico will offer students in the Babbitt-Embarrass, Minnesota schools a tremendous experience. They will have the chance to learn about wolves, but just as importantly, they will interact with students with wonderfully diverse life experiences.
“In Minnesota, USA, wolf populations are growing and making a remarkable comeback. With that growth, comes increasing wolf-human interactions and the need for education about this controversial and charismatic animal. The International Wolf Center, a non-profit educational organization established in 1985, advances the survival of wolf populations around the world by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.”
The students will work in conjunction with Naturalia A.C., a civil association in Mexico that creates, develops initiatives to help conserve and restore endangered wildlife, flora and ecosystems. The Wolves without Borders project recognizes that biodiversity, and ecological processes know no political boundaries.
The Mexican students are from Agua Prieta Sonora, a border city near Douglas, Arizona. At their school, Colegio MartiniE, they study with teacher Claudia Caballero and with Naturalia´s Environmental Educator, Francisco J Garcia Durazo. The school, a privately owned bilingual education institute, will bring 25 students ages 11 and 12 to the project. Agua Prieta, is one of the closest populations to the release area for the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Program of the Mexican Federal Government. Naturalia works to educate residents of the northern region of Sonora on wolves and their importance in interactions with other elements of the ecosystem.
In Mexico, wolves have been exterminated from the natural landscape. Only a few hundred remain in captivity. Soon a few wolves of the Mexican wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, will be released back into the hot, northern state of Sonora, where temperatures can reach 120˚ F in the summer. Some area residents want them returned to their natural environment, while others do not. The cultural and educational programming of Wolves without Borders will help staff meet the long term goals of helping the public to understand and coexist with predators.
The project will involve students in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada, a small wilderness city that honors the wolf. Thompson is surrounded by boreal forest, lakes, rivers, and thousands of wolves, making it the Wolf Capital of Canada. Residents experience little human-wolf conflict, since the area does not support ranching or farming. The local Cree aboriginal people have lived with and trapped wolves for hundreds of years and respect this predator and its family.
Yet, other influences are at work as new roads, mines and huge hydro-power dams with transmission lines come into play. How will wolves continue to fit into this pristine environment? How will wolves acclimate with human intrusion in decades to come? How will moose population, caribou herds and even polar bears be affected as they interact with gray wolves? In Northern Manitoba, students have much to learn, and possibly much to teach the world in sustainable wolf management.
So, what is real versus fiction about wolves? This is a question many people have wondered for generations. During the Wolves Without Borders project, the three groups of students will address this question. They will explore two distinct perspectives about wolves within each country - the mythological and factual. The findings will then be compared with fellow learners across the continent.
Native storytelling from each country will give a historical and cultural perspective on how wolves have been viewed by people in the past. Students will then embark throughout their local community to interview people about their current thoughts on wolves. Partnering with the International Wolf Center, students will learn basic wolf ecology through videoconferencing programs. With the help from local research biologists who have shared data, students will plot the locations from wild wolves tracked by radio telemetry in their area. Learners will apply their new knowledge from the wolf ecology programs by analyzing and interpreting the locations to learn factual information about wolves for yet another view on the species.
As each student learns, they will also be communicating their ideas with a buddy from each of the different countries on a web-based program - www.wolveswithoutborders.posterous.com. Here any viewer can see how they are getting to meet each other, sharing their day to day experiences, posting pictures and videos, and engaging in discussions about their wolf findings. Over the next few months, after comparing and contrasting both the factual and mythological views on wolves from their own perspective, students will then share their information in a presentation viewed through Skype technology with each of the different countries to see what is truly real about wolves in other locations. This exercise will provide the students a wonderful exchange of friendships, cultural experiences and honest discussion about wolves and their place in the world.
A final media release will be issued when project is complete in early June, 2011. It is anticipated that another three country project at the high school level will occur next year as these schools, separated by thousands of miles, develop closer and stronger relationships.
• CONTACT INFORMATION:
THOMPSON, MANITOBA, CANADA:
Volker Beckmann, Project Coordinator, Spirit Way Inc.
Ph. (204) 778 7434
vbeckmann@mts.net
www.thompsonspiritway.ca
Linda Markus, Literacy Support, School District of Mystery Lake
Ph. (204) 677 6147
lmarkus@mysterynet.mb.ca
Principal Rob Fisher, École Riverside School, School District of Mystery Lake
Ph 204-677-6115
rfisher@mysterynet.mb.ca
BABBITT-EMBARRASS & ELY, MINNESOTA, USA:
Tara Johnson, Program Specialist, International Wolf Center
Ph. (218) 365 – 4695 ext. 33
www.wolf.org
AGUA PRIETA, SONORA, MEXICO:
Francisco J Garcia Durazo, Educación Ambiental, Naturalia A.C.
Ph. 52 (633) 338 6380, Cel: (633) 112 0233
www.naturalia.org.mx
• RELATED WEBSITE LINKS:
www.wolf.org
www.naturalia.org.mx
December 1, 2010
The Wolves without Borders initiative is an exciting opportunity for our Ecole Riverside school Grade 6 students to study wolves in a local and international context. Representatives from Spirit Way Inc. and the School District of Mystery Lake met to discuss how this project will be carried out at Riverside School.
A Wolves Without Borders International 3-way conference call has taken place with us in Thompson, Helga Caballero Quiroz of Naturalia Mexico, and Jerritt Johnston of International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota to discuss the parameters. We hope to launch the project in January, 2011. The project will be outlined on this website in the next few weeks.
I have contacted the province of Manitoba Department of Education “Instructional Resources Unit” and acquired a collection of wolf themed books and audio supports. I have located additional resources through the MFNERC’s (Manitoba First Nations Educational Resource Centre) library. A novel study using the book “Julie of the Wolves” , written by Jean Craighead George, is scheduled to begin soon in one grade 6 class.
I am preparing to share the details of this initiative with Heather Hunter, consultant with MERN (Manitoba Education Research Network). I have also contacted members of the science department and administration at R D Parker Collegiate in order to create another Wolf project at the high school level. At the regular meeting of the high school science department, faculty welcomed the powerpoint presentation by Spirit Way representative, Volker Beckmann. Components of the grade 10 program align perfectly with this initiative.
The possibilities of student collaboration and interaction across three countries are very exciting!
Linda Markus
Literacy Support
School District of Mystery Lake
Thompson, Manitoba
MARCH 27, 2010
The Spirit Way group was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Spirit Way attraction was a finalist in the Manitoba Tourism Award for MARKETING EXCELLENCE. The gala Awards ceremonies are hosted by Travel Manitoba and held in Winnipeg each year. The Awards date is May 26, 2010.
Spirit Way has primarly been developed by many volunteer groups in Thompson, Manitoba. This attraction did not exist five years ago! Being recognized in the same category as two of Manitoba’s major tourism attractions and initiatives who have access to huge budgets ( by comparison) and professional marketers and full time staff, is an accomplishment in itself. Whether Spirit Way could win the award is doubtful, but to our credit much thought and unique positioning has been undertaken in Thompson to get to this point.
The original nomination recognized these factors for Spirit Way:
MARKETING ACTIVITIES:
- From Wolves to Whales campaign was launched at The Forks in summer of 2008 by displaying 10 large decorated concrete wolf statues
- The Spirit Way GPS Wolf Hunt was launched for geocachers to find 49 wolf statues in Winnipeg (11), Thompson (35), and Churchill (3)
- Launch of new website – www.thompsonspiritway.ca -
- Thompson public was solicited to report live wolf sightings in the area.
METHODS:
- Magazine articles and writers’ tour were sponsored.
- Wolves to Whales contest was hosted and promoted by Calm Air in Canadian “Beaver” magazine.
- With Travel Manitoba’s assistance, a German tour photographer visited Spirit Way in 2009, as well as writers from Society of American Travel Writers in 2008.
- Partnered with Destination Churchill on joint ad campaigns – Wolves to Whales.
- Advertising was done in Travel Manitoba and Manitoba publications.
- Spirit Way posters, souvenirs, silver dollar wolf coins, etc. are sold.
- Media conference held at The Forks in Winnipeg at Wolves to Whales campaign.
- Facebook group Friends of Spirit Way was started.
- A major new website was launched.
- GPS Wolf Hunt Passports are sold in 3 cities. Geocachers must get their passport stamped in each city to be valid.
- Partnered with Manitoba Geocaching Association to promote GPS Wolf Hunt
VALUE OF CAMPAIGN:
- Wolves to Whales campaign began at The Forks in Winnipeg in 2008 and expanded into Churchill with Thompson being the core. The campaign is planned to move into Minneapolis and Mexico and involve three countries in a “Wolves Without Borders” theme.
- Campaign has changed Thompson’s image of a “tough northern mining town” image in many quarters outside of the mining and industrial sectors.
- Campaign has created a large amount of community pride
- Spirit Way has fostered a greater appreciation for Aboriginal art and culture
- The Spirit Way GPS Wolf Hunt requires participants to travel the complete province to complete their geocache experience
RESULTS ACHIEVED:
- Increased tourist visits and inquiries at Heritage North Museum Visitor Info Centre
- Website hits have been growing monthly. November, 2009 stats showed 950 hits and 10,300 visits for the month. 53% of hits are coming from outside of Canada.
- Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C. invited Spirit Way Inc. to attend the biannual Carnivore Conference in Denver, Colorado in November, 2009 to tell Thompson’s story how Spirit Way has become an economic development success story.
- Defenders highlighted the Thompson story in an online newsletter to 450,000 members…
http://action.defenders.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=45161.0&printer_friendly=1
- Geocachers participated by purchasing 224 GPS Wolf Hunt booklets
- High praise comments from geocachers who completed the GPS Wolf Hunt
- Media articles, interviews, or photos on Spirit Way were covered in: Roots North, Voyageur, West, Currents, Great Manitoba Getaways, World Mural Book, Manitoba Business, Brandon Sun, Canwest Weekly, Travel Bug, Retired Teachers, Defenders eNews, CJOB, CBC, Destination Manitoba.
- National Research Council, MDS, Rolls Royce, and Province of Manitoba held a ceremony in April, 2009 to announce the development of a $30 million jet engine test facility. They requested to hold the ceremony at the Spirit Way Aviation Tribute site.
- Vandalism on Spirit Way statues or points of interest have been minimal. When the odd graffiti happens, Thompsonites have phoned their City Hall the same day to report it so the graffiti can be removed. This is evidence of community pride.
- It has been reported that there are people/tourists taking photos of themselves in front of the Bateman wolf mural almost every day in the summer.
- Numerous outside agencies have expressed interest and support to work with Spirit Way and Thompson on tourism initiatives.
- Spirit Way chosen as one of 6 Manitoba FAM visits by international travel buyers during Rendezvous Canada travel show in May, 2010
Dateline: August 1, 2009
Your mission, if you accept it, is to find 49 Spirit Way Wolves across Manitoba. You must record them in your GPS Wolf Hunt Passport to be recognized as a GPS Master Wolf Tracker!
No, this is not a hunting trip! It’s a geocache adventure that stretches from Winnipeg to Thompson to Churchill. It requires someone, who owns a handheld GPS unit and loves to geocache, to track down 49 wolf statues by using GPS coordinates. The statues are 5500 lbs. of concrete and are 7.5 feet tall. Each one has been sponsored by by a business, agency ,or individual and painted by a Manitoba artist.
All this began in Thompson, Manitoba in 2004 when a volunteer committee started the Spirit Way project. Spirit Way is a 2 km walking path from the south end of Thompson to the north end. Along the route are unique 16 points of interest that have won awards for Spirit Way and made it one of the Top 20 Places to Visit in Manitoba by Travel Manitoba. A few of the fascinating and interesting points of interest that showcase Thompson and Northern Manitoba are the world’s largest lighted mural and the only mural of a Robert Bateman painting, a restored Norseman bush plane being held in mid-air, and the start of Canada’s largest rockface sculpture. The attractions make for great memories and even greater photographs for visitors and residents alike.
The wolf statues were born in 2006 when 24 were sponsored and painted by Northern artists. Each is a stunning example of public art and each is different from to reflect the tastes of the sponsor and the style of the artist. Many tell a wonderful story. In 2007, more statues were poured, painted, and moved. Some stayed at the Forks in Winnipeg for a few months before coming to a howling rest at their final home. Today, there are 49 wolves spread across a 1000 miles in Manitoba making them one common element binding our province from the south to the north.
What is needed to play (or hunt) is a GPS unit and a Spirit Way GPS Wolf Hunt Passport. Then each wolf is found by using the coordinates listed in the passport. The geocacher writes down the proper title of each wolf. Once the person finds them all in each city, they must get their passport rubber stamped by an official. After all 3 stamps are obtained, the final step is to register online and wait to receive a special GPS Master Wolf Tracker Certificate. The person’s name will also be listed on the website as a Master Wolf Tracker.
The result is a fun, travel adventure across Manitoba starting in the prairie and flood plain of the south, heading to the rugged boreal forest, lakes and rivers of the North, and ending at the tundra and Hudson Bay. You will receive tremendous satisfaction when you have find all the Spirit Way wolves, and you will be recognized for it in a special way.
More details, Passport locations, Master Wolf Tracker registrations, and listings of Master Trackers are all shown on the Spirit Way website – www.thompsonspiritway.ca.
Give it a try. Enjoy yourself. Have a howling great adventure across our big, beautiful province. And come back soon.
From TravelLady.com
By Irene Butler
A distant lone howl pierced the night sky. It set off a chorus of howling that wolves engage in to solidify the pack’s social structure and to signal their presence to neighbouring packs. A platter-sized moon cast a silver glow on the flowing water; the scent of pine wafted from the forest nearby. A shadowy raven flew overhead; this one appeared to have reached the four-foot maximum wingspan for these heavy-billed corvids. My husband Rick and I were sitting on the rocks beside the Burntwood River at the outer edge of Thompson – where the city ends and the wilderness begins. Although we were reluctant to leave this tranquil fusion with nature, it was time to head back into town.