TORONTO, January 6, 2015 –The Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at York University and Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC) are partnering on a unique collaboration in the fight to save animal species at risk from extinction in Canada.
The partnership will combine academic research and teaching with experiential learning to create opportunities for students at Canada’s largest faculty for environmental studies. This will allow York U students to gain hands-on experience with WPC's species recovery programs for at risk birds, reptiles, amphibians and pollinators, such as the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee, the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike and Ord's Kangaroo Rat.
Saving the songbirds. This Eastern Loggerhead Shrike is a critically endangered songbird. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Preservation Canada
“This partnership will allow FES students the opportunity to work on the conservation and management of some of Canada's most at-risk species,” said FES Professor Sheila Colla.
WPC Executive Director Randal Heide said, "We have partnered with York on a more informal basis in the past, and are excited to be deepening our relationship. FES offers a number of unique strengths, and we believe this collaboration will lead to improved prospects for some of Canada's most critically endangered species."
Ord's Kangaroo Rat is one of Alberta's most endangered animals. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Preservation Canada
Colla was brought on by WPC as a postdoctoral researcher in 2012 and in this role developed their nationwide At-risk Native Pollinator Initiative, now one of their largest programs. With the creation of this new partnership, she will continue as the lead scientific advisor for the program.
“Wildlife Preservation Canada is a unique organization in that they are using the best available science to provide hands-on care to Canadian species at the brink of extinction,” said Colla.
York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.
About Wildlife Preservation Canada
Established in 1985, Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC) is a charitable organization devoted to saving highly endangered animal species facing imminent extinction in Canada - species whose numbers in the wild are so low that a great deal more than habitat protection is required to recover them. WPC is the only non-governmental organization in Canada running captive breeding and release programs, translocation, and other direct interventions to save multiple species across the country. Working in collaboration with other organizations and expert Species Recovery Teams, all of WPC's hands-on interventions are guided by scientific research and field data. WPC is currently working with over twenty mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird, and insect species in projects ranging from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island. For more information about WPC, please visit http://wildlifepreservation.ca.
For more information contact
Sandra McLean, Media Relations, York University, sandramc@yorku.ca, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097.
