Education News
RPBO has been doing nest surveys
Under the auspices of Aqua-Tex Scientific Consulting, RPBO has been doing nest surveys and providing bird information during the construction of the new HandyDART Depot on Burnside Rd. It’s been a multi-year project that is coming to completion. In its final stages, along with many other community groups, RPBO joined the students of Eagle View Elementary to prepare bird houses which will be installed around the area. Invasive species that covered the old parking area and empty lot have been replaced by hundreds of native plants to provide valuable habitat for resident and migrant birds. In December 2024, RPBO’s lead educator, Ashlea Veldhoen led a walk for the grade 4 students, teachers, parents, builders, representatives from BC Transit, New Roads, Bird Construction (yes, really!), Tavola Strategy Group, and others which culminated in a nest box painting party back at the school.
Growing RPBO's Education & Outreach Programs
The three pillars of Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s (RPBO) mission statement are Monitoring, Research and Public Education, and all of these go hand-in-hand with the success of conservation efforts. The Education programs that RPBO operates and participates in are important in communicating the work that it does, the state of birds, and how the general public can help.
RPBO started expanding its work in Education and Outreach when they hired its first Lead Educator in 2015. This helped grow the organization’s public recognition by networking at events, delivering programs to school groups, and running its own events such as the Christmas Bird Count for Kids. This was an important first step in establishing an education department and growing the organization’s reputation as a go-to for all things birds on southern Vancouver Island.
The COVID-19 Pandemic put on hold and significantly altered the scope of our education programs, essentially eliminating all in-person and group activities. But by the end of 2022, after national restrictions were removed, RPBO once again re-established the Education & Outreach programs, creating new connections in the community of greater Victoria and beyond, as well as rekindling old ones.
The Education program runs events and workshops, brings educational tables and activities to various external community events, books private educational programs for youth such as classroom visits and banding station field trips, and runs free online presentations on a variety of topics.
RPBO participates in an average of 25 community events a year, reaching approximately 2000-3000 people annually, through both in-person events and online presentations. All events are free and open to the public of all ages, and cover a variety of bird topics.
One example of the types of collaborations, partnerships, and initiatives that RPBO has been able to achieve include ongoing program delivery to participants at Power To Be, an organization that helps people overcome physical or social barriers to nature and adventure. Another success is RPBO’s annual Victoria Bird Week, which hosts a World Migratory Bird Day celebration, a keynote speaker, and public bird walks.
Every person who attends an event or presentation gives RPBO the potential to educate people about bird banding and conservation, to make new connections, and potentially welcome new members and volunteers, on whom it relies heavily to operate.
With grants and funding received for education, the program now maintains a significant inventory of supplies, equipment, and demonstration materials, providing a valuable resource for all of RPBO's events
People of diverse ages, backgrounds, and abilities deserve the opportunity to connect with nature, learn in a safe and fun environment, and feel empowered to be stewards of the earth that we all share. RPBO aims to provide this to people through its education programs - whether it’s looking at feathers under a microscope, feeling the sharpness of a real hawk talon, seeing beautiful birds up close at the banding station, spotting their first Wood Duck through binoculars, or having conversations with passionate staff and volunteers.
Maintaining this level of engagement and relevance requires much planning, material development, and promotion, as well as the staff time needed to run the programs. The more connections RPBO makes, the more funding opportunities become available through grants, donations, and revenue from programs.
“Caitlin did a great job leading us through a 2-hour banding station tour! The youth in our group were quite engaged with the information Caitlin was sharing and really enjoyed our visit all around. Caitlin offered a great blend of information and activities while keeping our youth engaged in a casual yet meaningful way." - Program Leader, Canadian Wildlife Federation
“Each kid loved different parts of the entire experience” - Youth Community Mentor, SC'IA'NEW First Nation
“Thank you for a fascinating presentation; interesting, and informative with stunning visuals! An inspiration to travel and visit more areas in BC.” - Feedback from one of RPBO’s free, public Zoom presentations