Robert Bateman Get To Know
Interactive CD

Several years in the making, the Get to Know CD contains hundreds of videos, virtual hikes, field guides, PowerPoint presentations, links, and reference materials for both teachers and  students. Both Calgary and Edmonton are featured, with interactive hikes which contain a wealth of information about local flora and fauna. These “virtual hikes” are set in local Albertan green spaces like Edwards Park, Fish Creek Provincial Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, John Janzen Nature Centre, and Weaselhead Natural Area. Already, the CD has been distributed to public school districts in Calgary and Edmonton, and plans are in the works to expand the distribution to more areas in Alberta. Interactive CD connects children to the outdoors. Both Calgary and Edmonton are featured, with interactive hikes which contain a wealth of information about local flora and fauna.

ACA and Get To Know
All these achievements in fostering environmental literacy among Canadian youth was made possible with Get to Know’s crucial partnership with the Alberta Conservation Association. ACA played a critical role in championing the Alberta component by applying for funding through the Alberta Community Initiatives Program, helping launch the initiative to create and distribute the interactive CD. Additional funds for CD production were raised through Robert Bateman special edition prints, which were distributed through a partnership between Alberta Parks and ACA. After the CD was produced, ACA also helped supply expertise and staff member time for marketing the CD, in addition to managing logistics and coordinating launch events to promote the completion and distribution of the CD to schools across Canada.

The benefits for Alberta’s wildlife are countless, but it is not just future Albertans who will profit from an increased understanding of nature and concern for the province’s valuable wildlife. Children today also stand to gain from “getting to know” their wild neighbours. Contact with nature and outside play have always been regarded as vital components. By reconnecting Albertan children with the outside world, the Alberta Conservation Association and Get to Know are helping to raise a generation of healthier, happier children. After all, what could be more natural?

Purchase a copy of the Get to Know Interactive CD and learn the names of your wild neighbours! For more information, visit www.gettoknow.ca.