Earth Rangers stopped by the Juniper School on Oct. 17 for a presentation on saving wild animals. Earth Ranger Veronick Fournier says this organization is kid oriented. “Earth Rangers is a kids conservation organization. We are dedicated to teaching students and their families about the importance of biodiversity and conservation.”
During the presentation Fournier and Krystal White, another Earth Ranger, brought in some animals to show the students. White and Fournier showed off Spike the sulcata tortoise, Echo the barn owl, Blue the peregrine falcon, and Timber the pine marten.
Students had the chance to watch Blue and Echo fly overhead, Timber practise some impressive jumps, and even got to watch how Spike eats lettuce close up.
Earth Rangers gets their animals at a young age from a breeding program, says Fournier. “We get all our animals from a captive breeding program. This is similar to where zoos would get their animals. A captive breeding program is where they breed animals in captivity. All our animals we get at a fairly young age, about maybe a week old. This way they get accustom to be with their trainers.”
This year the organization is travelling across central Canada and western Canada to showcase four animals they are trying to save. “We have the Swift Fox, the Western screech owl, the bobolink, and the eastern wolf. Every year we choose four new animals, and a new year for us is in September. Around Christmas time we bring in a fifth animal, something like the woodland caribou,” says White.
This year the plan is for Earth Rangers to visit 600 schools during the 2014/2015 school year. The next stops for this team are in Nelson House, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg.
The presentations in Thompson were sponsored by Vale. In a press release, Ryan Land, manager of cooperate affairs and organizational development, says the Earth Rangers message goes along well with Vale’s. “Vale is proud to support Earth Rangers as their educational message aligns with our values, the presentations are engaging, and the call to action for children in our communities will further ensure that the future is even brighter not only for the people on our planet, but also for animals at risk.”
White says getting kids involved is simple. “They can go on our website at www.earthrangers.com and can sign up to be a free member. When they do this, they can get all those free things we were talking about today. Like wallpapers, games, and prizes like book bags and awards.”
Even if you’re not a member, but still want to help save animals and their habitats there are ways to do that too. ”It’s little things they can do at home also. Collecting batteries to recycle, making birdfeeders for songbirds, community cleanups, and using bikes instead of cars. They’re all small things, but if we all do them they have a huge impact on our environment,” says White.
