Ducks Unlimited Centre Unveiled at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park
A new interpretative centre at Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park will solidify Nova Scotia's status as one of the best places in Canada for bird-watching.
Plans for the Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Legacy Project, a 5,000-square-foot interpretative centre at the Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park in Colchester County, were announced today, Aug. 10, by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the province of Nova Scotia, and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
The centre will feature interactive displays, hands-on wetlands exhibits, and classrooms that provide a particular focus on conservation education for children. and provide a particular focus on conservation education for children It will serve as a base for existing recreational activities in the area such as birding, adventure hiking, and cross-country skiing.
Wheelchair accessible nature trails, bridges and boardwalks will lead visitors to wildlife observation areas at a series of demonstration wetlands near the centre.
"It is vital that we increase public awareness and understanding of the benefits that wetland ecosystems provide to the environment and to the health and enjoyment of people," said Jamie Fortune, director of regional operations, Ducks Unlimited Canada. " We are also very pleased with the project's emphasis on conservation education for young people. The Greenwing Legacy Project will be very much a natural heritage legacy for the conservationists of tomorrow."
The $900,000 in capital costs will be funded equally by the federal and provincial governments and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
The Office of Economic Development and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage will provide the province's $300,000 contribution.
The provincial Department of Natural Resources will provide the lease for the land as well as ongoing operational support. This will include maintenance costs of the interpretative centre, associated trails and walkways and staffing costs (about $60,000 annually for 20 years).
"This project represents an incredible opportunity to expand and enhance one of our most popular parks for the people of Nova Scotia and to further promote the importance of Nova Scotia's wetlands," said Richard Hurlburt, Minister of Natural Resources. "The centre will also help to attract more visitors to the province by extending our tourism season with such growing North American pursuits as birding."
"Nova Scotia is located on the spring and fall migration route, known as the Atlantic flyway," said Scott Brison, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, speaking on behalf of Joseph McGuire, Minister of ACOA. "The Greenwing Legacy Project will help to attract tourists to Shubenacadie during the spring and fall shoulder seasons and provide residents and visitors with a unique opportunity to increase understanding of the need for habitat conservation."
Ducks Unlimited Canada, the nation's premier wetland conservation organization, has been conserving, restoring and managing wetlands and associated habitats since 1938. The company has conserved more than 100,000 acres in Atlantic Canada and its work in designing and developing education programs and activities for youth is award winning.
The Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park attracts more than 90,000 visitors annually. It has a 50-year history with two-thirds of Nova Scotia's population having visited the park.
The new interpretive centre is expected to be compete in June 2006.