Friday, November 15, 2013

Seeking Volunteer Campaign Coordinator

AVAILABLE: VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP - Campaign Coordinator

Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society (NWPS) is a non-profit environmental education organization based in downtown Vancouver.  The Society is seeking campaign coordination support from of a full or part-time volunteer Campaign Coordinator. Gain experience coordinating fundraising campaigns and special events by working with NWPS’s Executive Assistant to raise awareness and revenue for local wildlife.  This position reports directly to the Executive Assistant and requires a committed, enthusiastic and resourceful individual who has an excellent background in fundraising, sales, marketing and volunteer coordination. An understanding of environmental issues is an asset.

Position Title:  Campaign Coordinator

Location: Vancouver, BC

Term: Flexible with a minimum commitment of March, April and May 2014 months (3 months)


Job Duties:
The Volunteer Campaign Coordinator is responsible for campaign coordination and revenue targets set out by the Executive Assistant.  Specific responsibilities are:

1. To coordinate the Green Ribbon Campaign - collections and partnerships
2. Coordinate fundraising events - marketing & sponsors
3. Assist with the development of  marketing and promotional materials
4. Coordinate Campaign, Event & Fundraising volunteers
5. Networking with sponsors and other non-profit organizations

Qualifications:  The ideal candidate has a strong background in sales, marketing and/or fundraising/campaigns.  Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.  Familiarity with environmental issues a definite asset.  Applicants should be skilled in the use of computers and have excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office.  Experience with desk top publishing software and web design a definite asset.


This is an unpaid volunteer position.

Application Deadline: Sunday December 8, 2013

Please submit resume and cover letter in a single document by email to execassistant (at) northwestwildlife (dot)com

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Check out our newly rehabilitated wetland!

Thanks to our generous sponsor Shell, the fantastic volunteer support we were so fortunate to have and our wonderful contractor Ken Motherwell, we were able to rehabilitate a large portion of the marsh in our Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary in Cobble Hill this past weekend. Special thanks is due to Carlo Acuna, a BSc Ecological Restoration student from BCIT who volunteered his time to help guide and oversee this project.

L-R: Carlo Acuna (BCIT student volunteer), Connel Bradwell (NWPS Vancouver Island Educator), June (volunteer), Dorothy (volunteer), Ted (volunteer), Kristine Krynitzki (NWPS Executive Assistant)

In 2010 NWPS completed the title transfer of 240 acres of property in Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island from the Estate of Mrs. C.P. Granfield.  As stewards of the property, NWPS is ensuring the farmed acreage is worked in an environmentally sustainable manner and that wild spaces are protected to the greatest extent possible to serve as a bird and wildlife sanctuary. On this land exists an 8 acre marsh that was very overgrown (black outline in photo below).


In 2012 we were chosen to participate in Shell's Fuelling Change competition. From this opportunity we were very fortunate to receive funding for this project.

Our goal is to rehabilitate the entire 8 acre marsh to provide nesting and feeding habitat for a myriad of water fowl and birds in the area. We continue to inventory the plants and animals that currently reside in and around the area, and improve the condition of the marsh to increase biodiversity in the area.


This project also includes a large component of community education and involvement to raise awareness of this sensitive area within the surrounding communities to highlight the importance of wetlands and encourage ongoing consideration for this important piece of land.

Already we have seen a lot of interest and utilization by the local wildlife in this portion of restored wetland. We look forward to increasing this availability of sanctuary for local wildlife through expanding the area of rehabilitated marshland here. If you would like to support this project please contact Kristine Krynitzki, NWPS Executive Assistant at execassistant@northwestwildlife.com, by phone at 604-568-4907 or visit http://northwestwildlife.com/donate.html

See more photos from this project here.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Seeking Volunteer Tree Planters!

Come plant some trees with us!
We're looking for 10 volunteers to come help us plant some trees in Surrey on 
Thursday October 24th, 2013 from 1-3pm. If you would like to sign up, please email execassistant (at) northwestwildlife (dot) com or call 604-568-4907.

Event details:

Meet us by the picnic tables and bathrooms at the Serpentine Fields entrance at Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey at 1pm sharp (rain or shine!) for a fun-filled day of tree planting. All material and equipment will be provided, as well as snacks. No experience is necessary. Note that there are many entrances to the park, including others with the word serpentine, so be sure to come to Serpentine FIELDS entrance. The planting field is a 10 minute walk from the park entrance so please be sure to arrive no later than 1pm as the group will be walking over together at that time. There is free parking at the park entrance. It is also transit accessible with a bit of walking. 






Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Farewell, Nicole!

As NWPS Intern, Nicole Lee, concludes her internship with us last week, she reflects on her time spent working with our society. Read on below for a glimpse into her experience over the last nine months.




My internship with Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society has been such a unique and positive experience. It began on my very first day with the perfect initiation into this group: a field trip to Boundary Bay to search for migrant snowy owls, followed by a stop at Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta to visit an extensive list of additional avian neighbours. Not only was it inspiring to see so much diversity locally, but also to learn that working with NWPS  would mean working with a group of individuals genuinely fascinated by nature.

A recent Environmental Sciences grad and looking for a direction in which to channel my knowledge and interests, I was fortunate to come across NWPS – a group whose mission I was immediately drawn to. The broad appeal of this society differs from the jargon-rich scientific articles that I was used to, but I think that the accessibility of this group’s educational resources was part of what excited me the most! Especially, I agreed (and agree) with the importance of catering environmental education to young and growing minds.

During my time with NWPS, I gained an appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes at an environmental non-profit. Partly, it was through having the opportunity to take on a variety of roles, including, but not limited to: writing species reports,  facilitating our annual Green Ribbon Campaign, coming up with ‘fun facts’ for facebook, and accompanying our educator for school programs including classroom presentations, nature walks, and stewardship events. The other part was seeing how much the few individuals at NWPS’s core bring to the society; from our Education Coordinator, Darren’s, limitless grasp of biology and issues pertaining to wildlife preservation, his rapport with the students, and that extra personal touch from photos and stories of his wildlife encounters; to our Executive Assistant, Kristine’s, ability to keep NWPS at the front of people’s minds through the use of social media, her collaboration with other groups, fundraising and event planning, and her extraordinary ability to multi-task and take care of all things administrative. I have much respect for these two!

Now, as my internship comes to a close, I have some awesome things to take with me. I have increased knowledge of BC’s wildlife and a few more bird species to add to my list of wild sightings. I have a tree planting under my belt and have seen kids who individually are not strong enough to pull out invasive Scotch Broom or remove a gigantic piece of woody debris that is crushing native vegetation, work together to accomplish these tasks. I have become the student when a kid was so excited by bears that he wanted to teach me everything he knew. And I feel thankful to know that NWPS is doing a great job reaching out to young individuals to help get them get excited about and want to preserve our living environment. Thank you so much to everyone who made this experience so rewarding!

Keep up the fantastic work, NWPS!

Nicole Lee

Tuesday, August 13, 2013


Enter our Wildlife Photography Contest for your chance to win a great prize (TBA) and worldwide recognition through promotion in all NWPS public communication channels for the remainder of 2013. 

Submit your photo(s) of either North American wildlife or a North American landscape by midnight (PDT) Sunday September 8th, 2013 by email to info@northwestwildlife.com with subject "Photo Contest Entry." Include your full name and phone number in your email, as well as a photograph title and description if you wish (optional). Please submit jpegs under 5MB.

Wildlife images must have been taken in the wild (not captive or baited).

Contestants may submit as many photos as they like under either or both of the two contest categories "North American Wildlife" or "North American Landscape." The winner from each category will be awarded the top prizes.

By submitting a photograph, the contestant retains ownership of the photograph but grants permission to NWPS to use the photograph(s) for promotional and educational purposes only.

The top 3 photos in each category as chosen by NWPS staff will be posted on our NWPS Facebook page in an album titled "Photography Contest 2013" (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.624548247575846.1073741833.129612380402771&type=3&uploaded=1) on Monday September 9, 2013. Voting will then be open to the public to select the winner of each category. The photo in each category with the most LIKES by 9am PDT September 23, 2013 will be deemed the winner. All voters/likes must also like the NWPS Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NorthwestWildlifePreservationSociety) to count as an eligible vote.

For more info call 604-568-9160 or email info@northwestwildlife.com

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Upcoming Events

Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society will be attending several community festivals over the summer to share our passion for wildlife preservation. We will have a booth featuring our exciting biofacts including skulls, furs and taxidermied birds for people to get a close up look at all these amazing animals, as well as other educational material. A generous donation from VanCity is greatly supporting these community outreach programs so we would like to say a great big THANK YOU to the 5066 Kingsway, Burnaby branch!



Be sure to come visit us at the following events:

Saturday, June 8, 9am – 2pm
Burnaby Environment Festival
Burnaby City Hall

Sunday, June 9, 10am – 3pm
World Oceans Day
Blackie Spit ParkSurrey

Nature Play Day
Saturday, June 15, 12 – 4pm
Prospect Point, Stanley ParkVancouver

Sunday, June 16, 10am – 3pm
Family Fishing Day
Rice LakeNorth Vancouver

Saturday, July 20
Illuminares Festival
Trout Lake ParkVancouver

Sunday, July 28, 1030am – 3pm
International Bog Day
Burns Bog, Delta

OWL Open House
Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, Delta

Sunday, Aug. 11
Delta Community Animal Expo,
Ladner Memorial Park, Delta

Saturday, Aug. 17
Quayside Boardwalk Festival
New Westminster Quay

Sunday, Aug. 18, 11am – 4pm
Richmond Raptor Festival
Terra Nova Rural Park, Richmond

Saturday, Aug 24 10am – 5pm
Stanley Park BioBlitz
Lumberman’s Arch, Stanley ParkVancouver

Sunday, Sept. 8
Coho Festival
Ambleside ParkNorth Vancouver

If you are hosting an event you would like us to attend, please contact Carlo at outreach (at) northwestwildlife.com or 604-568-4907.