Manitoba

Riparian Repair

2012 Virden, Manitoba, Canada

Chelsi Malach is a passionate student who wanted to improve a local wetland called Eternal Springs, located east of the town of Virden. Along with local community members enjoying the site, this area is also used to teach younger students about the importance of watersheds and wetland conservation.

repair2-2
While volunteering at the site as an educator, she observed severe bank erosion following the spring flood. There is also an increase in invasive species such as Purple loosestrife.

Her proposal was twofold: to create a buffer zone along the bank by planting a diversity of vegetation, and to assess the invasive species on the site. This would be followed up by manual removal and monitoring.

Chelsi partnered with the Upper Assiniboine Conservation district for their expertise and assistance. As well, the grade 12 biology class participated both in the removal of the invasive species and planting of local vegetation to stabilize the stream back. Her passion enthusiasm for this project has now been shared with the school and community.

The Caring for our Watersheds contest provided Chelsi with over $3,500 to make this ambitious project a reality.

Bottled Water – No More

2012 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Transcona Collegiate student, Lloyd Flores, conducted research and came up with a solution to a problem he observed in his school. There were a large number of plastic water bottles used by the students on a daily basis and he wondered why. He therefore conducted a student survey and discovered it was the state of the water fountains (rusty, broken) that was deterring students from using them.

Lloyd proposed that by updating the fountains in his school and adding a spout to encourage the use of reusable bottles, this would significantly reduce the waste generated by the bottles. As an International student, Lloyd was extremely nervous about presenting his project in front of an audience, particularly because they included judges. He felt his English was not strong enough. With some encouragement and practice, Lloyd felt more comfortable and earned and 8th position in the contest along with generous support from Nutrien ($4220) to upgrade the fountains in his school.

Lloyd also told us learned a lesson in patience as it took over a year for the project to be implemented due to logistical problems at the school. He is excited about the fact he was able to initiate a plan for his peers. Feedback from the students at Transcona Collegiate has been extremely positive!

Advertising the Proper Disposal of Mercury Lamps

2012 Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada

Lord Selkirk Regional High School student, Kayla Weselowski wanted to create an awareness campaign for the Selkirk, Lockport and St. Andrews area regarding the proper disposal of mercury-containing lights. She felt there was an inadequate amount of information available to the public regarding the safe disposal of these lights as well as the harm that would be caused by simply discarding this hazardous material.

She proposed a simple solution, to produce signs that she would put up in stores directing people to places where these bulbs can be recycled.

The Caring for our Watersheds contest provided Kayla with the funding requested to produce some of these signs.

“I really enjoyed overcoming the challenges that this project presented me with. These included everything from meeting deadlines, to improving my presentation skills. The actual advertising was quite a challenge for me as well, because I had very little experience with that form of art. Another obstacle was avoiding copy protected images; as a result, everything on the posters was self produced. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the independence I had during the entire process. The business aspect of it was also very interesting, and because of this experience I will be pursuing business courses in a post secondary education.”

Ban the Bottle Campaign

2011 Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
ban-bottle
Holly Linklater and Callie McLaughlin from Gimli High School had a simple and very achievable goal to ban water bottles at their school:
Continue reading…

Lake Winnipeg Watershed Model Project

2011 Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
MB-model2
Gimli High School students Cole Wear, Christine Durocher and Erik Isliefson are concerned about the health and sustainability of Lake Winnipeg. They believe an understanding of watersheds is very important for stewardship and sustainability. As a class project, they constructed a model of the Lake Winnipeg Watershed. The project was created by Enviro Club members with support from a local Conservation District.
Continue reading…

Riffle Crossings

2011 Cromer, Manitoba, Canada

Growing up on a cattle farm, situated in a valley with a creek meandering through it, Kendra Elliott is familiar with the idea of livestock crossing through the water. With this, also comes the knowledge of the controversy surrounding the concept of farm animals being allowed in waterways. She proposed a structure called a Riffle crossing that is “positive for the environment, the farmers, and the animals”.

A student at Virden Collegiate, Kendra won first place at the Caring for Watersheds Competition. Her extensive knowledge on the topic and excellent presentation skills made the difference. Working with the West Souris River Conservation District, a plan was established to install a riffle crossing near Cromer, Manitoba. The Conservation District provided the work in kind and the materials and equipment needed was provided through a generous grant of $8000 made possible by Nutrien.

Kendra had a lot to say about her implementation process and experience:

“Actually having the riffle crossing installed almost seems surreal – most school assignments are just hypothetical, but this one came to fruition in a big way. I’m very thankful that Mr. Cochrane got us involved with the CFW program because none of this would have happened without that first step. Messages of how important it is to look after the environment surround us, but something like this makes it all that more real.

This riffle crossing will help improve the health of the Pipestone Creek, downstream to Oak Lake. This beautiful valley and creek is where I’ve grown up – it is home. Hopefully projects like these will help maintain that natural appeal for many future generations to come. Even the riffle crossing adds aesthetic value. The easiest way to explain it is that it’s a happy place – watching and listening as the water tumbles over the rocks.

It makes me proud to know that I was involved in making this happen.”