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

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.

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. 

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

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

Join us for a Tea & Talk on Vancouver Island!

RSVP at http://teaandtalk.eventbrite.com/

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 Park, Surrey

Nature Play Day

Saturday, June 15, 12 – 4pm

Prospect Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Sunday, June 16, 10am – 3pm

Family Fishing Day

Rice Lake, North Vancouver

Saturday, July 20

Illuminares Festival

Trout Lake Park, Vancouver

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 Park, Vancouver

Sunday, Sept. 8

Coho Festival

Ambleside Park, North 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.

Say Hi to Carlo!

Carlo helping at one of our stewardship projects

Introducing Carlo, Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society's newest staff member. Carlo joined our team last week to help us reach out to even more people and communities throughout the province, helping them discover passion for wildlife and desire to preserve it.

Carlo is a BCIT Science student specializing in Ecological Restoration. He also has a great range of experience working with other great organizations like CPAWS, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Fraser River Discovery Centre and SPES. NWPS is so thrilled to have him join our team and spread his wealth of knowledge and experience in wildlife conservation and education with all of you!

As our Community Outreach Coordinator, Carlo will be representing NWPS at various events throughout the summer thanks to the federal government's generous grant through the Canada Summer Jobs program. Be sure to stay in touch to see when we'll be in your community. If you see us out, please come by and say hi! We have tons of super cool biofacts to check out like mounted raptors, bear skulls and more!


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

Come join us this Saturday, May 11^th! In partnership with Metro Vancouver, we will be planting 500+ trees at Centennial Beach in Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta. If you are interested in taking part, please email execassistant@northwestwildlife.com. We still have a few spots remaining!

From our 25th Anniversary Tree Planting Event

As NWPS Communications Intern, Julie Whittet, 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 six months.

Julie (left) helping coordinate our tree planting event last October

Last October, when I first interviewed to intern with Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society, I was keen to get some hands-on experience working with an environmental non-profit.  Not only did I gain that experience, helping NWPS get their messages into the media and out to the public, but I've also come away with a new appreciation for the everyday connections we have with wildlife.

Thanks to Darren Colello - NWPS' in-house expert of all things zoological – I have learned just how much biodiversity can be found locally, in and around Metro Vancouver.  It has been a real privilege to quiz Darren's encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife when working in the office:  Is it possible that the exotic cat I spotted in the bushes of my ravine was a lynx? Or, what was that strange speckled bird watching me eat my lunch on the patio at Whole Foods? Now, whenever I'm near a waterfront, I'm on the lookout for colourfully plumed blue-winged teals and the elegant silhouette of the great blue heron - and I can now proudly identify the families of house finches, juncos, and spotted towhees vying for their turn at my bird-feeder. 

During my time with Northwest I was able to share this enthusiasm with the broader public, at many events across the lower mainland.  I spoke with the campus community at the Langara College volunteer fair, I joined other preservation groups and local residents to learn about the annual return of spawning salmon at the Hyde Creek Salmon Festival, I even had a crash course in planting a first-stage forest for NWPS' 25^th Anniversary Celebration.  At each event I was impressed to find that people of all ages and from all backgrounds share a genuine curiosity about the welfare of our regional wildlife.

As a recent communications grad, I've been able to explore new ways of using words and images to engage citizens in the stewardship of our natural environment.  Following the lead of Kristine Krynitzki - NWPS' Executive Assistant – I learned that getting a message across is all about finding creative ways of connecting with people: through press releases, e-newsletters, updates on Facebook and blog posts like this one.  I couldn't have asked for a more rewarding internship, and will miss having such a kind and talented team to work with.

Thanks to everyone at Northwest for giving me this unique opportunity to help preserve the wild places that make living in B.C. so special.

 

All the best,

 

Julie

This Valentine’s Day, celebrate happy, healthy relationships and your commitment to Canada’s wonderful wildlife by making a donation in your loved one's name to Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society.

Jacqueline Crivillo, Your Shot, National Geographic 

While they won’t celebrate Valentine’s Day with a card and flowers, beavers take this time of the year to find that special someone to call their own. Once they mate, these family-oriented creatures will make a home together. Grey wolves show their love by sticking together in packs, working as a team to defend their territory, find food and raise their pups. A pair of Canada geese will defend and raise their young together after mating, year after year. Much like with humans, the hormone oxytocin plays a role in helping prairie voles bond. Once a bond is formed, it is unbreakable for the remainder of these small mammals’ lives. 

Animals love too, just like you.

There's no better time to show your love for all things wild. Donate today.