Wolf Conf Leaflet2b Lo

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

Ivor Elrifi's wolf in Rye, New York.

After 49 superb Spirit Way concrete wolf statues were painted and placed across Manitoba, the 50th wolf will soon roam at Paint Lake Provincial Park this summer. Announcements about the artist and art will be made soon.

The 51st Spirit Way wolf was transported on a low deck truck by Gardewine North. It traveled all the way to Rye, New York, to live at the home of Ivor Elrifi. Along the long route, the howling wolf attracted much attention as many passer-by people took photos and waved at the driver.

Ivor lived in Thompson in the 1970s as a teenager. His family later moved and eventually Ivor made his way to the USA where he now works as a patent lawyer. Ivor has a fondness for his young days living in a small city in the wilderness. Wolf packs roamed the boreal forest around Thompson then as they do now. Having a colourful howling wolf statue on his residential property will be a great reminder of those early years. And probably a great conversation piece in the neighbourhood!

We will have a photo of Ivor’s finished statue later this summer.

The first 49 wolves are part of a Manitoba wide GPS Wolf Hunt. Did you buy your GPS Passport in Winnipeg, Thompson or Churchill to participate in this geocache travel adventure? See the retail outlets listed here…

http://www.thompsonspiritway.ca/take-the-walk/wolves-along-the-way/

Click on “A GPS Hunt”.

Now the wolves are going international! As time goes on, there may be others in Minneapolis and Mexico… we are working on it. It would truly become a Wolves Without Borders campaign throughout North America.

If you would like the next Spirit Way wolf, please contact us through the website. See more details here…

http://www.thompsonspiritway.ca/take-the-walk/wolves-along-the-way/

Click on “A GPS Hunt” and Contact Us.

Recently the access road has been paved, which has made the site that much more clean and attractive. No more washboard and gravel! The paving component cost $41,000 and was paid for by the Lions Club and the City of Thompson ($10,000). It is remarkable that volunteers are raising money to pave public access roads for the benefit of the community. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held soon.

If you haven’t visited the Tribute to Northern Aviation site and Thompson Lions Club Park lately, please do so and enjoy the view and area. You may even catch a floatplane taking off or landing on the Burntwood River which is always cool!

AND please, help us keep the area clean. Most people use the litter bins, but unfortunately not all. Pick up any garbage and if you see someone litter, give them a polite scolding!

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.thompsonspiritway.ca

www.wolf.org

www.naturalia.org.mx

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

SWI began this initiative 2 years ago with the blessing of Mayor Tim Johnston and Oswald Sawh, Councillor and City rep on the Zoo Society. During the past 18 months over a dozen grant applications and funding presentations were made to different agencies. Six different zoo experts and wolf biologists from Canada and the USA were invited to Thompson with Calm Air’s assistance to look at the Thompson Zoo and the current wolf enclosure that was constructed by the Thompson Rotary Club 27 years ago. It no longer meets the animal care standards of today.

Over 20 meetings were held with interested parties including the Zoo Director and University College of the North who are very interested in becoming a Centre of Wolf Excellence. UCN students could utilize the Zoo and Wolf Park which will be located adjacent to the pending new campus announced by the Province of Manitoba. Science studies and research projects could be undertaken at the Zoo. Students could do internships and work experiences at the Wolf Park. Elderhostel learning vacations are a definite possibility. The UCN carpentry class was prepared to do framing and roofing for a 1600 sq ft viewing building that would allow class room study of the wolves during winter months when their fur coats are at their finest.

Doug Ross, retired Director from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, was contracted by SWI to assist in designing the habitat space. A wolf pack requires unique features to keep the animals content and stress free. Without that, wolves will pace and can become aggressive to each other and to zoo handlers. Many details were considered. Laurie Lamb, landscape architect, was hired to design a one acre space that would house 3-4 wolves of the same genetic pool and a retirement area for the two current wolves that would be 6 times larger than what they have now. Other wolf parks in Canada and the USA were visited including the wolf enclosure at the Denver Zoo and input sought to achieve a first class facility for Thompson. It was felt that the Thompson Wolf Park would be the finest in Canada.

The total project costs were estimated to be $253,000 and over $200,000 has been raised to date including support and funds by Thompson Rotary Club, Community Places, Manitoba Community Services Council, Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation and private donations. A business plan would be required to operate a viable Wolf Park that would focus on science, conservation and tourism interests. A new governance model would need to be developed that would ensure opportunities for success and allow the Wolf Park to become an integral component of a much broader plan for Thompson to become the Wolf Capital of Canada and link with Churchill as Polar Bear Capital of the World.

Thompson is situated in the middle of wilderness boreal forest. Manitoba has some estimated 6000 wolves that have had very limited study. The opportunities for scientific research and eco-tourism initiatives are significant. Research projects, wolf conferences, learning vacations, wolf tours and study, etc are a few areas of development that could be undertaken. Manitoba could become a world leader in wolf management and attract interest from around the world. Canada’s foremost wolf biologist, Dr. Paul Paquet, from the University of Calgary and Saskatchewan has visited Thompson and expressed interest to work with UCN on wolf related research.

Thompson has all the raw ingrediants to develop a wolf “economy”. No other place in the world has developed such amazing wolf art such as a 86 ft high Robert Bateman wolf mural, 49 painted wolf statues, the start of Canada’s largest rock sculpture, and a GPS wolf statue hunt. There are many irons in the fire. More than a dozen organizations in Canada, USA and Mexico have expressed interest in working with Thompson on wolf initiatives that involve tourism or science. Yet, all of this is contingent on a new, enlarged and enhanced wolf park. We hope to resolves these issues soon. Stay tuned!

Are  you interested in helping us in some capacity… construction? fundraising? research? art or cultural initiatives? promotion?  Please contact us through this website wherever you are.

In the Spirit!

As summer arrives in the North, residents and visitors look forward to the long warm days. Thompson is a summer and winter playground and there are a zillion things to do in the surrounding pristine wilderness.

Friends of Spirit Way have met to discuss more landscaping and other beautification and maintenance tasks to be undertaken this summer. A recent presentation was made to City Council this May that outlined the plans for the new Wolf Park at the Thompson Zoo. This would be Canada’s finest. More funds need to be raised and more volunteers are needed to complete the project by 2011. Stay tuned for details here.

The goal is to invite 100 people to become official FRIENDS. These are people who are proud of their community and can be Thompson Ambassadors. You can do as little or as much as  you like. Contact us for information. We will reward you with a very special pin.

Monthly public guided walking tours of Spirit Way will be offered so anyone can learn and enjoy the many unique features and points of interest along the pathway.

Our Facebook group is growing and we’d like to make invite more people to join with their ideas how to improve on Spirit Way.

The Firefighter Tribute statue will be completed this summer – lighting, landscaping, trees, a pathway to the Bailey Bridge are all planned for this year. If you can help, let us know.

Have a great summer, and visit us here again!