TRAINING and community events

WildSmart offers bear spray training sessions and wildlife awareness talks for youth groups, families, outdoor educators, people employed in the recreation and tourism industries, and outdoor recreationalists. These events arm participants with the knowledge and skills to be WildSmart in the Bow Valley.

Our bear spray training sessions give participants the chance to feel comfortable carrying and deploying bear spray before they find themselves in a high-pressure situation. Typically, a cut-out black bear silhouette is used to help participants better understand the size of an animal and the effective range of the spray.

Our wildlife awareness talks teach audiences about local wildlife, what we know about them, and how we can use that information to avoid potential conflicts at home, in town, and on the trail (and how to handle those encounters if they do occur). WildSmart often delivers wildlife awareness talks and bear spray training together.

WildSmart also leads interactive, experiential bear hikes. During these hikes, participants experience various bear “encounters” on the trail (acted out by costumed volunteers), giving the hikers an opportunity to learn how to react appropriately in a more realistic field scenario.

Sessions can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours for a longer experiential bear hike, depending on the needs of your group. Contact us for information on prices for bear spray training sessions and wildlife awareness talks. Funds generated from these sessions allow us to provide discounted rates for non-profit and school groups.

youth wildlife programs

Children have an innate fascination with wildlife, thus providing an avenue for approaching conservation topics. Wildlife offer a lens for asking and answering questions about the needs of all animals, value systems, organization of space and humans’ capacity to coexist with other living things. We believe that developing a culture of environmental stewardship starts at an early age with a sense of wonder for the natural world.

WildSmart delivers dozens of children’s education programs every year in schools, at summer camps, and at youth group meetings, reaching kids from Preschool to Grade 12. Programs address basic wildlife ecology, wildlife conservation challenges, and human-wildlife safety.

Subject matter at each grade level is designed to build on students’ learning from previous years, allowing them to delve into topics in greater detail and increasing their personal engagement with issues. As students progress through the lessons, they will take a greater role in their own learning.

For teachers who are interested in incorporating WildSmart principles into their classrooms, all of our Lesson Plans are available to teachers free of charge. WildSmart also engages children through our Wildlife EduKits, which are available on loan from the Biosphere Institute for teachers and other group leaders.

sPEAKER sERIES

The WildSmart Speaker Series educates the Bow Valley community about the latest developments in local wildlife research and conservation. By bringing in specialists who provide an up-close view of wild animals, their unique ecology, and their challenges, the series fosters a sense of wonder and pride in our local wildlife. It also helps community members understand how to behave responsibly in our complex coexistence landscape.

Speakers are generally wildlife experts working in the Bow Valley or in similar locations across Alberta. Past speaker series topics have included grizzly bear responses to recreation in Kananaskis Country, the science of wildlife corridors, cougar-human conflict near Bow Valley settlements, and a screening of the film Living with Wildlife.

WildSmart is not currently running Speaker Series events. Subscribe to our bear report or WildSmart Facebook page for updates on future events.