A Treat for Winter Birds.

Winter has arrived in Bear Creek. Most of our wildlife friends have settled in for their long winter nap or have flown off to their winter homes but some have adapted to the changing environment. It is nice to know that we still share our community with some wild creatures. There are birds still active in the park and in our neighborhood. There are ways we can help them survive the long cold winter.

You can put out bird seed for the birds who stay during winter. A fun activity is to make bird feeders from pinecones. It is easy, you just need to cover a pinecone in peanut butter and then roll it in bird seed.

 Stores sell special winter seed mixes. You can even find special packages from Scotts brand that have been formulated by the Toronto Zoo to meet the nutrition requirements of birds in Ontario.

Why not add the birds of Bear Creek to your holiday gift list. They do stick around all winter and bring a bit of color and life to the otherwise quiet and sleepy Eco park and our backyards. This is a nice way to say thanks :)

What a great way to end our second season. An award from the local conservation authority! Kristina and I could not be prouder!

We have had many opportunities to educate the local children in environmental stewardship and we hope this recognition broadens our reach and encourages more families and schools in Barrie to get connected with local conservation projects.

Our time outside with the kids and the turtles is on hold until the spring but over the winter we will be creating other ways to reach out to the students and  families in our community. This blog is part of that initiative. It is because of the continued encouragement and support of our community that we maintain our enthusiasm.  Eco Rangers would be nothing without the great families that continue to come out to events and clean ups.

While our main focus is the preservation of wetlands we encourage our young friends to find a project they feel passionate about.  Civil responsibility through environmental stewardship is a great way to encourage children to develop a sense of global citizenship.
Our children can make a difference in their communities and through projects like ours we can foster a sense of power and responsibility.

Teaching the basic principals of science through hands on activities and real life demonstrations gives children the basis for understanding how and why our planets resources need to be protected.

It should not surprise anyone that the children of today need to be more environmentally responsible than we have been.
 Our government and our personal choices do not always  reflect what we know about our diminishing resources.
Encouraging children to be environmentally responsible and involved in the civil process is in an effort to help them develop into adults who  build a more sustainable planet for everyone.

So with this blog we will share with you all that we are working on this winter. If you would like to contact us directly you can email Kristina and Robin at bearcreekecorangers@yahoo.ca or message us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bearcreekecokidz