Maritime Awards Society of Canada

B.C. STUDENTS EXPERIENCE AQUATIC EDUCATION ON THE MOVE

VICTORIA – Students across the province can experience the wonder of the Pacific Northwest’s intertidal marine zone firsthand with the BCTC AquaVan, an innovative aquatic education program from the Vancouver Aquarium that tours B.C. schools, announced Environment Minister Barry Penner at the Legislature where the BCTC AquaVan was on display today.

“Learning about marine wildlife helps increase our understanding of how important it is to maintain healthy water systems,” said Penner. “The AquaVan marine program highlights the diversity of our coastal habitats and will help teach young people to keep the seashore safe for the animals that live there.”

The British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) is a key supporter of the Vancouver Aquarium’s innovative mobile aquatic education program. It is the only mobile marine biology-based education program in North America. The BCTC AquaVan travels to schools and communities throughout B.C. and Alberta, giving students and community members the opportunity to handle live aquatic animals, participate in interactive activities and learn about marine environments and the importance of aquatic conservation.

“The AquaVan is a model of environmental responsibility because it is 100 per cent carbon neutral, joining the B.C. public sector in becoming carbon neutral by 2010,” said Minister of State for Climate Action John Yap. “Having a carbon-neutral AquaVan offers an opportunity to teach children that sustainability is about everything we do – how we take care of our oceans as well as how we travel and live our daily lives.”

In keeping with AquaVan’s program theme of stewardship and sustainability, the Vancouver Aquarium will purchase offsets from Pacific Carbon Trust for all AquaVan tour emissions.

Students and community members can touch real aquatic artifacts, such as a killer whale’s jaw, an urchin’s teeth and an otter’s pelt. Students use microscopes, props and videos to explore aquatic ecology, and the display includes Pacific Coast intertidal zone marine animals, such as anemones, sea urchins and starfish. Each BCTC AquaVan program is designed to encourage the discovery of connections between animals, environments and humans.

“We look forward to continuing our work with the Ministry of Education and other partners like the Virtual School Society by using cutting-edge technologies to extend this program virtually,” said Dr. John Nightingale, president of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. “The program is helping our youth discover and interact with marine wildlife, which will further both their interest in science and their commitment to conservation.”

BCTC AquaVan educators also provide work-experience opportunities for science-career prep students across British Columbia. The insight into animal and ecosystems maintenance, as well as training in aquatic education, provides secondary students with new technical skills and hands-on educational experience in the fields of marine ecology, research and education.

“BCTC is proud to be able to help bring this unique experience to students and communities across British Columbia,” said Julius Pataky, BCTC vice-president of system planning and asset management. “We hope that our partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium will encourage greater awareness of the importance of caring for our marine habitat.”

The Vancouver Aquarium is a global leader in connecting people to our natural world, and a self-supporting, non-profit association dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, conservation practices, education, research, and direct action. Learn more at www.vanaqua.org.

Government has committed $75 million over three years to help public sector organizations with energy retrofits to become carbon neutral and every school district has signed on to the Climate Action Charter, also committing to making themselves carbon neutral by 2010.