BirdVancouver.com

I am writing in enthusiastic support of the Vancouver Avian Research Centre and their school presentations that educate and engage students about birds. As a teacher at Cascade Heights Elementary school, I have personally witnessed the positive impact of VARC’s presentations on our students.

VARC’s presentations are both informative and captivating. Their team of experts effectively convey scientific concepts, utilizing multimedia tools and hands-on activities to make learning enjoyable. Our
students have shown great interest and curiosity during these sessions, leading to a deeper appreciation for the natural world. After the presentations, the class did several follow up activities.

VARC’s dedication to inclusivity is commendable, tailoring their presentations to suit diverse age groups and learning abilities. I wholeheartedly recommend VARC’s school presentations to any educational
institution seeking to enrich students’ knowledge and environmental awareness.

Supporting VARC’s educational initiatives would be a valuable investment in advancing avian education and nurturing environmentally conscious citizens.

Sincerely,

Joan Ezra
Cascade Heights
My email for the summer: joan.ezra@yahoo.ca
Email at school: Joan.Ezra@burnabyschools.ca
My cell is 604 290 2760

July 30, 2023
Letter of Recommendation for Vancouver Avian Research Centre – School Programs

Greetings,

I am a Teacher in Coquitlam School District 43 and have had the privilege of experiencing a classroom visit from Vancouver Avian Research Centre’s (VARC) Education and Outreach Team. Their education program has a selection of science-based, student minded topics including Amazing Adaptations, the presentation chosen for my students. The presentation was hands-on and engaging, a must for young students, and presented by a knowledgeable, caring, and enthusiastic instructor.

My students loved learning about the unique and diverse adaptations required for birds to survive in varied habitats and were able to connect their new understanding of physical and behavioural features to birds in their own backyards. They were inquisitive and supported in their many questions by the well-informed instructor. I loved that their learning went beyond the one-time presentation as VARC supplied me with a resource package that allowed for us to continue our scientific exploration of birds.

It is evident that VARC’s education team strives to achieve three goals in each of their visits: support teachers in strengthening science education through curriculum connected topics, inspire young people to channel curiosity for nature into caring for local environments, and to inform the public about the critical challenges facing birds and how citizen science and field research can bring about positive change to help wildlife. The first was clear as the program connects explicitly to the Big Ideas of the BC Science Curriculum for primary aged students, i.e. Grade 1: “Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment” and Grade 2: “Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment.” Curricular, content, and core competencies are supported in each of their programs. Beyond this, students are encouraged to ask questions and to make observations of birds they encounter in their daily lives. They are asked to consider the many ways that humans affect the lives of birds and are provided with easy to complete, child-friendly actions that we can all take to make our environment and local habitats safer for birds.

Finally, VARC connects the fun world of birds and their many exciting features to the work that they and others do to monitor and conserve bird populations including banding migratory birds at their field station in Colony Farm, a place that I have also had the pleasure of bringing older students to. In this way and even at a young age, students can learn more about volunteerism in the science community and the methods that are used to save bird habitats. Our class was left inspired to learn more about citizen science and what people can do to support research initiatives. Our instructor shared with us many useful apps that we could use to take on our own citizen science projects including iNaturalist, eBird, FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Project), and the Great Backyard Bird Count.

As an educator with a background in wildlife biology and as an enthusiast of the natural world, I highly recommend VARC’s school programs and have seen the benefit that they have to teachers and students of all ages alike. I hope that the program receives the support it needs to continue growing and reaching schools across BC and across Canada.

Tonya Chyzowski
tchyzowski@sd43.bc.ca

We enjoyed your presentation. It gave us more identification tools to distinguish between the different birds. We also added more facts about each of the birds and can now identify each bird more quickly. The graphics were great and the flow and pace of the presentation was really good. Thanks for keeping the questions and stories for the end, this also helps with the flow of the presentation. Thanks so much Candace

Michelle, Grade K-7 Teacher

Just the right amount of information in the perfect amount of time. So thankful we can do these workshops virtually! I hope they continue! The Pace of the workshop was great and we learned so much! Thank you 🙂

Trish, Grade 2, 3 Teacher

I appreciate the amount of preparation that went into the presentation. It was very organized and age-appropriate. Candace was able to engage with the students very well- it felt like she was actually in the room. After the presentation the students continued to share what they learned and how it changed their perspective about crows. The content shared was perfect for our project. The additional resources are very much appreciated.

Lela, Grade 4 Teacher

“I watch many presentations through different nature sites, groups and work related topics but I have to say this presentation was the best I’ve ever seen. The dialogue and knowledge and oral presentation was impressive. Mind you there were moments of tears.”

Email survey from a West Vancouver Memorial Library registrant for ‘The State of the World’s Birds and What You Can Do to Help’ lecture.

Julie Backer – Librarian

“Derek: Your presentation was excellent. We very much appreciated you sharing such insightful perspective with us. Very important information, and especially timely with today being World Migratory Bird Day. I have received several comments about how much people enjoyed your talk. One consistently reoccurring point in the feedback is how much people were impressed with your spectacular photos. If I had one regret about your talk it would be I’d like to have taken more time to study each shot. Those were really impressive close-up photos. Not a common perspective in bird photography. How’s that for a complaint!?! You’re just too good!

Thank you, Derek, I really appreciated your wonderful talk to Kitsap Audubon. Thank you also for all of your extensive work to help our wild birds populations.”

Vic Ulsh – Kitsap Audubon

“On behalf of LEPS Board of Directors, I just wanted to send a big thank you for presenting The Miracle of Migration at the LEPS AGM last night. Your presentation was informative, entertaining and very well received! I made a donation to VARC this morning in recognition of your time in joining us. Best of luck in your avian adventures! Thanks again”

Nichole Marples – Executive Director, Langley Environmental Partners Society

Derek – Your Presentation was awesome last night, and I know our members enjoyed it very much and really appreciate what you are doing with VARC. Thanks again, Derek, for an enjoyable evening.

Tom Bearss – President, Delta Naturalists’ Society

“Hello, Derek – Everyone at Burke Mountain Naturalists were so delighted with your informative presentation. Fascinating, well organized, enthusiastic, were some of the words I heard – We really appreciate your taking the time to present to our club. I know we all came away with new insights into bird banding and the information you had. Thanks again”

Rozanne Thomson – Burke Mountain Naturalists

Hi Derek – I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you so much for your fabulous session yesterday. I learned a lot and I know the students did too. You do such a great job of inspiring your audience to want to do bird work!

Daniel J. Catt – Instructor of Applied Ecology & Recreational Land Management – Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Program – BCIT

Thanks again Derek for a great session. It really is great to have someone so passionate about birds sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge with the students.
Cheers, Doug.

Douglas B. Ransome, Ph.D., R.P.Bio.
Instructor: Wildlife Ecology & Management 1 & 2
Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation Program
British Columbia Institute of Technology

“Hello Derek – Just wanted to send a note of thanks to you and all your team for a great visit to the banding station! Feedback from our members was very positive and one person even suggested that we should make it an annual event. We learned a lot about the issues and causes of decreasing bird populations as well as a few suggestions for helping birds find habitat, no matter even if it’s a small backyard! We really enjoyed the visits to the nets to see how the process works and how careful everyone was in handling the birds. And, of course, we loved the close-up views of our favourite songbirds! Couldn’t ask for more to make a birder’s day! When do you take bookings for next year?

Thanks very much!”

Lori Austin – Burke Mountain Naturalists

I wanted to thank you again for attending BC SPCA Summer camps as a guest speaker. The campers really enjoyed hearing your talk! We all really appreciate your staff and volunteers taking the time to help us educate youth on the importance of wild birds and their unique role in our local ecosystem. We hope that you will be interested in attending camps again next year.

Have a wonderful rest of the summer! Warmly, BC SCPA camp staff, campers and educators (Lisa & Allison)

Allison Simpson – Regional Humane Education Coordinator, BC SPCA

“I really enjoyed tonight’s Hummingbird experience” – VBGA Member

“Learning about bird banding from Derek and seeing these small birds up close was magical!” – VBGA Member

“Thanks again for the workshop. I really enjoyed it and found it very interesting and educational.” – VBGA Member

“My husband and I REALLY liked watching the hummingbird banding” – VBGA Member

“We loved joining this session, it was a great family event” – VBGA Member

Hailey Moran, Community Outreach Coordinator – Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association