News from the Friends of Fish Creek – June 2023

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June in Fish Creek

WestJet Gift of Flight

From May to July, the Friends of Fish Creek are offering you The Gift of Flight from WestJet. Win a round trip flight for two to anywhere WestJet flies! Pick up your tickets today and enjoy this amazing opportunity to see a new part of the world or return to a favourite place. All funds raised will support the Friends and our conservation efforts here in Fish Creek. Fish Creek Provincial Park enhances the quality of life for countless community members each day, and we are committed to protecting and preserving its sensitive ecosystems and biodiversity so that future generations can enjoy this park long into the future. Enter to win one round trip flight for two guests to any regularly scheduled and marketed WestJet destination! No cash value. Fees, taxes, and surcharges are not included. Blackout dates and restrictions apply. Tickets are one for $10, five for $20, 50 for $25, or go all in and get 100 tickets for $100! Contest closes July 3, 2023. All tickets are sold electronically. All bookings and travel must be completed within one year from the date of the event. For more information, visit https://friendsoffishcreek.org/programs/flight.

Calgary Connect: Maintaining Ecological Connectivity

Thursday, June 8, 7:00 to 8:30pm

Presented by Nicole Kahal, Conservation Analyst with the Miistakis Institute

What is ecological connectivity and why is it important? What are the challenges to maintaining ecological connectivity in our region? The City of Calgary, in partnership with Miistakis Institute, launched Calgary Captured in 2017, and through this program, Friends volunteers help with wildlife camera monitoring here in Fish Creek Provincial Park. This multi-year wildlife monitoring and citizen science-based program is intended to study urban wildlife populations, their movement and behaviour, and enable informed conservation and management decisions that support healthy wildlife populations in our city. Join Nicole Kahal, Conservation Analyst with the Miistakis Institute, to learn how Miistakis and partners are using wildlife camera-traps, spatial modeling, and municipal planning to understand how we can protect what’s left of the natural connections in the Calgary metropolitan region. To register, visit https://friendsoffishcreek.org/event/connect.

Capture Nature Photo Contest 2023

Each year, the Friends of Fish Creek offers our Capture Nature photo contest as a fun and creative opportunity for park users to engage with their natural surroundings as they search and explore for the best images of the year. From beginning photographers to amateur professionals and youth, we invite you to submit your best park images for consideration. As a contest participant, you may see your images used on our website, program posters, and other media publications as they become part of our ever-growing library of beautiful, high-quality park images. The sale of photo submissions may also support our organizational fundraising efforts down the road. The themes for 2023 are Winter Wonderland, The Elements, and As Above So Below. All submissions must be images taken in Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Registration runs from May 1 to July 31, 2023. You can register at any point throughout the contest. The public will be able to vote for their favourite photos through our online gallery. Voting will be open until August 15 at midnight, and we will announce the contest winners on September 1.

To register and for more information, please visit https://friendsoffishcreek.org/programs/capturenature.

Stop into the Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre

If you have been down to the Bow Valley Ranch in the past year or so, you may have noticed that the Visitor Information Centre is now open six days a week. The exhibit area here features cultural artifacts and a wealth of information about the history of the city and the park. Since the beginning of the Friends’ Enhanced Partnership Project with Alberta Parks in 2020, we have trained over thirty volunteers in the new role of Fish Creek Ambassador to work in the centre. We invite you to stop into the Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre to pick up a park map or outreach material, learn about some of the unique history of this area, and chat with our friendly and knowledgeable Fish Creek ambassadors.