The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is passionate about wildlife conservation
We are an internationally recognized leader in the science of saving endangered species. Your support of the zoo means you’re also being a conservation champion!
Details on this year's Conservation Champions are coming soon!
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo's Conservation Champions program invites young people to join us in our mission to sustain wildlife and wild places.
Incorporating aspects of field study, inquiry and service learning, this program gives young people the opportunity to explore their passion and take action for the natural world around them.
The program culminates in our Conservation Champions Festival each June.
For more information, please email [email protected] with the subject line "More info, please" and we will keep you updated.
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Conservation Champions 2021
The 2021 Conservation Champions Festival celebrated the conservation action of 635 students in 31 classes from 19 schools around Alberta! Congratulations to all of them! The festival had two parts:
Conservation Champions ZOOmFEST June 9
A dynamic online celebration with special animal guest stars from around the zoo.
Conservation Champions FilmFEST June 30 – September 30
Each class created beautiful videos to share their love for animals and give advice on how we can help them thrive in the wild.
Champions' Videos
We planted QR codes in our Gardens of Champions throughout the zoo that link to the videos. Over 1100 people have viewed the student videos!
The gardens have come down but you can still view the 2021 FilmFest here!
Additional Info/Links
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Conservation
Not Just Onlookers: Valuing Youth Voice in Conservation Action
AZA Conservation Education Committee Newsletter, Fall 2019
“It’s for the fish!”seven-year-old Cassidy exclaimed when asked why she is so passionate about decreasing the use of single-use plastics in her community. As the Calgary Zoo’s first cohort of Conservation Champions, Cassidy and 401 other young people gathered in June for our first Conservation Champions Festival. The showcase featured interactive displays, dramatic performances and a variety of activities highlighting how each student had contributed to the zoo’s mission to take and inspire action to sustain wildlife and wild places.
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Conservation
Creating Conservation Champions
AZA Connect Magazine, Jan 2020
On a lovely soggy day in June, 402 passionate young people gathered at the Calgary Zoo for the first annual Conservation Champions Festival. The zoo’s Festival Hall overflowed with a diverse spectrum of projects and the sounds of their student designers enlightening zoo visitors with expertise and enthusiasm. Projects included a dramatization about the endangered Mountain Bongo, storybooks written to inspire compassion for nature in younger students, and community awareness campaigns on pollinator protection, alternatives to single-use plastics, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
Thank You
Conservation Champions Festival was generously supported in part by the Shaw Charity Classic and the Birdies for Kids program.
Become a Champion for Conservation!
If you are interested in joining our mission to sustain wildlife and wild places, please email [email protected] for more information.