NordicFest Draw for Passes Now Closed
January 27th 2012It’s just gone noon on Fri. Jan. 27, so the draw for free passes to NordicFest is now closed. We’ll be contacting the winners. Josh gets the individual passes, and because we had two entrants for the family pass, the winner was decided by the flip of a coin: Christine.
Time for lunch and a walk in the snowy wonderland!
Free Passes To NordicFest 2012!
January 22nd 2012We are giving away passes to NordicFest Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe Festival to be held in Collingwood on Feb. 4, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a full day of fun in the snow at Scenic Caves Nordic Centre at the base of the Niagara Escarpment at Collingwood/Town of Blue Mountains. Latest-model skis and snowshoes will be available to try out. There will be fun contests and free apple cider and hot chocolate to warm up with by the fire in a chalet if you want a break.
Yesterday when we were there for the charity event Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer, the sky was blue, the trees glittered with ice and the snow was good. Lovely.
We have two free individual passes to give away, and one free family pass. To win, just leave a comment and tell us which passes you want. If you win the draw, we’ll get back to you. This offer closes Fri. Jan. 27 at noon.
These tickets are thanks to the generosity of our friends at Get Out There magazine.
Belfountain General Store Gift Basket Winner
April 04th 2011The winner of the draw for a gift basket by The Belfountain General Store is Mary Harvey of Brampton! This gift was provided to support the fundraiser for Wellspring Cancer Support Centre/Chinguacousy, which was detailed in our March 18 post. Thank you to The Belfountain General Store, and thanks to all who entered our draw.
Gala Fundraiser for Wellspring Cancer Support Centre/Chinguacousy
March 18th 2011Read this and WIN!
Here’s a post about a great cause – a fundraising event for Wellspring Cancer Support Centre/Chinguacousy. And as thanks for reading this and passing the info on to your friends, you could win a gift basket generously provided by The Belfountain General Store. Just post a comment and we’ll enter you in a draw for the gift. The draw closes April 2.
A Gala Evening is planned for Saturday, April 2, 2011 – In Support of Wellspring – Chinguacousy Cancer Support Centre’s Foundation – The 2011 Caledon Butterfly Gala, celebrates ‘for love of the living’. Join us and support this wonderful centre that provides a range of services that make a meaningful difference in promoting recovery of people dealing with cancer.
More information is available at http://wellspringching.ca.
Gala location Banty’s Roost Golf & Country Club, 12600 Bramalea Rd. Caledon East. Tickets $140 per person, cocktails 6 p.m./buffet dinner 7 p.m. (catering by Chef Warren Gelinas, Village Bistro, open bar, HST included). Join us for an exceptional evening of celebration and entertainment including a cirque-tacular performance by A2D2 and Alec & Steve’s duelling pianos. Special Guest Speaker, Master of the Arctic artist Mr. Cory Trepanier. For tickets email info@southfieldsvillagevoice.com or call 905-846-4852.
Now just click below to post your comment for a chance to win!
Scarpface Project to Educate About Niagara Escarpment
July 10th 2010I just learned about a craggy-faced character who might bring fun to the study of geological science, if we help…
Scarpface is the name of a new project intended to get students interested in the Niagara Escarpment. Created by the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund (NEBF), the charitable foundation that works with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the project aims to engage teachers, elementary and secondary school students in Escarpment studies, in the natural wonders of the Escarpment.
The fun part comes with the introduction of a rocky, colossal superhero character by the name of Scarpface, who embodies the magnificent Niagara Escarpment and has the motto “Don’t mess with the edge.” The first 25 classes to send to the NEBF their projects, essays, and photos on the themes of natural science, geography and culture, will receive a Scarpface character t-shirt for every class member.
“We are very pleased to share this dynamic proposal to excite a new generation of Ontarians in our awe-inspiring natural resources,” says Moreen Miller, chair of the NEBF. ”The Escarpment is vital to Ontario’s air and water quality. The more people are aware of this amazing part of our province the better we can live and work in it sustainably.”
The Scarpface project is competing for a grant of $10,000 from Pepsi Refresh, a community relations initiative to support popular good-works projects.
“All across Canada, people from every walk of life are producing powerful, creative and fun ideas that can create positive change,” says Joey Adler, Pepsi Refresh Project Canadian Advisory Board Member. “Pepsi’s Refresh Project is going to help move ideas from wishful thinking to reality, and that’s an incredibly exciting effort to support.”
In order for NEBF to win their grant and go ahead with the Scarpface Project, people have to vote for it at Pepsi’s Refresh site.
Here are the goals of the Scarpface Project:
• To encourage teachers and students to learn about the Niagara Escarpment
• To engage classes in Escarpment studies and submit their projects online
• Increase awareness of the Escarpment’s importance to our environment
• Distribute Scarpface t-shirts to 25 classes of participants
And here’s a description of the project in educational terms:
The Scarpface–Don’t Mess with the Edge project incorporates education and entertainment to engage Ontario students and teachers in Niagara Escarpment (NE) studies in science, geography and culture. Scarpface is a superhero figure representing the unique environment of the NE. Scarpface will benefit communities by increasing awareness of the significance of the NE. Improved understanding of the NE’s biodiversity (hundreds if not thousands of species of animals and plants) and impact on air and water quality, will encourage people to protect this extraordinary place. Students and teachers will be the focus of a multi-media campaign across the province. The first 25 classes to submit projects to the website receive Scarpface t-shirts for the class. The remaining shirts will be sold for fund raising.
Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund
NEBF is a unique private/public fund that will be seen as the model across Canada for its presence as a premier, regional charitable organization, dedicated for use by the people on the landscape it serves. NEBF will be used by those committed to conserving the biodiversity that is the Niagara Escarpment. It is a fund that will be used to promote sustainable communities throughout the length of the Escarpment. It is a fund that will be used to collaborate with other like-minded individuals and organizations in improving the biodiversity and heritage of the Escarpment through research, outreach, and education. The fund will provide support for academic research on the rich natural biodiversity of the Escarpment to make optimal decisions for our future sustainability, both environmentally and within our own communities.
The fund supports the pillars of the UNESCO designation: education, science, and culture, and will establish the ideals and objectives to achieve the goals of the proposed projects and initiatives needed to create healthy and vibrant communities throughout the Niagara Escarpment while expanding people’s knowledge of the uniqueness of this world-renowned biosphere.
The fund will also be used to identify and promote, where possible, land acquisition of even more significant Escarpment properties for trails, public parks, and conservation.
The Biosphere Reserve Coordination project, in conjunction with those who want to see this change for the better, for our farmers, for our communities, for our families, and for our environment, are working toward a brighter tomorrow, today.
Here’s more information about the NEBF or contact Teri Trent, 905 877 6370.
What do you think of this project? Any thoughts on the competition for grants? Do you have a problem with Pepsi running it?
For a look at the rocks of the Niagara Escarpment below the surface, see our amazing feature “Beginner Caves on the Escarpment.”
Help name Mountsberg’s American Kestrel!
May 20th 2010Conservation Halton needs your help! The Mountsberg Raptor Centre has a young male American Kestrel that needs a name, and they want your suggestions.
American Kestrels are North America’s smallest falcon – they’re active, agile predators that can snatch a sparrow right out of the air. They also feed on large insects and small rodents. American Kestrels have black “malar” stripes under their eyes to protect them from the glare of the sun, just like football players.
This little kestrel is blind in his left eye due to impact trauma sustained in an accident when young. He’s very interested in his surroundings and, despite his disability, he’s learning to fly in the Mountsberg Raptor Centre shows and is doing quite well. The Mountsberg Raptor Centre team is very proud of this little fellow, and can’t wait to have an official name for him.
How to enter
Entries are open to people of all ages and are not restricted in any way. You may submit multiple entries. Please submit your chosen name along with a short description (200 words or less) of why you’ve suggested it. Deadline is Thursday, June 3rd at midnight, EST. Winners will be announced on Friday, June 4th, and contacted to arrange their tours.
- Facebook – Click on the ‘discussion’ tab of the Mountsberg Raptor Centre Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/mountsbergraptorcentre), and add your suggestion to the ‘Name the Kestrel’ discussion thread. You can also post your suggestion directly to the Wall.
- Email – Send an email to raptorcentre@gmail.com with your suggested name and a description of why you’ve chosen it.
- In Person – Are you at the park? Drop by the Raptor Centre and give your suggestion in person. Staff will take your information, telephone number and/or an email address where they can reach you if your suggestion is chosen.
- Ballot – Guests attending the Conservation Halton Awards Night on June 3rd will be able to submit an entry by ballot that evening.
Prizes
Aside from choosing the winning name, the successful entrant will have the opportunity for a unique behind-the-scenes tour of the Mountsberg Raptor Centre, and a photo of themselves holding the newly-named American Kestrel on their gloved hand. Three runners-up will also be chosen for a Raptor Centre tour and photos with the birds.
About the Mountsberg Raptor Centre
Tucked within Mountsberg Conservation Area, the Mountsberg Raptor Centre is currently home to 14 different species of native birds of prey. Many of the Raptor Centre’s resident birds of prey have permanent injuries that have left them incapable of surviving on their own in the wild. In many cases, these injuries were caused by human activity. With the help of these feathered ambassadors, the Mountsberg Raptor Centre teaches the community about the native birds of prey that share our environment and how to reduce the negative impact we can have on them.
Mountsberg Conservation Area is located on Milburough Line, 5 km west of Campbellville, ON, between Hwy 6 south and the Guelph Line. For more information, visit www.conservationhalton.ca/mountsbergraptorcentre.
