In partnership with TD Park People, the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre provided free nature resources and activity booklets to the public for an event at Andrew Hayden Park. From July 4-5th people were encouraged to participate in our Explore Nature Near You Event. Participants explored the park and captured their best nature moment for a chance to win binoculars and a field guide!
The event was a great success with activities for all ages. From bingo, to nature riddles, to a Bio Blitz, there were lots of opportunities to learn about urban wildlife. 
Need some nature inspiration? Check out some of our favourite nature moments below including a submission from Anita, the winner of our draw! 

Anita picking up her binoculars and field guide, she "just loves her regular walks through that park with its variety of wildlife & beautiful scenery!"

​​Thanks to a generous $8000 grant from the TD Friends of the Environment (TD FEF), the OCWC was able to purchase snowshoes, binoculars, and field materials to allow community groups and families to enjoy safe and sustainable exercise in nature. By connecting with their local environment, participants can become stewards for protecting Ontario’s beautiful Greenbelt and meet many local species like White-Tailed Deer, Black-Capped Chickadees, Red Cardinals, and North American Porcupines. This new lending library will be used for years to come by visiting families, individuals, and community groups like the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. Thank you, TD FEF!

A beautiful card featuring the acrylic on canvas painting “Fortunate to Have You Here” by Nicole Parent was just one of many in the Artists of Stonebridge 2019 Wildlife & Habitat Painting Collection that was gifted to the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre (OCWC). Kate MacNeil, the OCWC’s Executive Director, accepted the cards along with a donation to the OCWC at the Artists of Stonebridge’s 10th Anniversary Art Show in December 2019. The focus of the show was to promote the wildlife and habitat in our communities, a perfect fit for the OCWC that has been operating in the Ottawa community since 1987.

The sentiment behind the Collection, according to organizers, is to recognize, “it is essential that humans live in harmony with the natural world. We know, although we often forget, that proximity to nature is an immense benefit to our mental and physical well-being”.