The Tantramar Wetlands Centre (TWC) helped Ducks Unlimited Canada celebrate an impressive milestone this spring! In May 2014, we hosted the 100,000th New Brunswick student to participate in Project Webfoot since the program began in 1996.

The TWC is one of several partners that delivers the Project Webfoot program, a co-curricular program developed to compliment New Brunswick’s Grade 4 curriculum on habitat. The TWC on its own has delivered wetland education programs to just under 60,000 visitors since opening our doors in 1998 from our location in Sackville, NB.

The Wetlands Centre’s critter dipping dock and our own Max Farella were on Global News (click here to watch the video).  Max and Sarah Stewart have been representing the TWC for this project Webfoot program since they participated when in grade 4 and are now deliver the program as high school students.  Check out the pictures below to see the celebration and Project Webfoot in action!

Our dedicated helpers, Mark and Ryan, made the front page of the Sackville Tribune Post!

Complimentary cake to celebrate 100,000 NB students… and counting!

Ducks Unlimited Canada (temporary) tattoos were sported by many during the celebration!

Beginner Birder: many students have the opportunity to use binoculars for the first time!

Wetland Benefits: a fun relay race that teaches students about what makes wetlands so valuable!

Critter Dipping: searching for aquatic macroinvertebrates (aka insects in the water) with a net and bucket.

Migration Headache: an exciting game in which students can be active while learning about duck migration and habitat.

  You can view more pictures in our Photo Gallery or on Flickr.

Spring is an exciting time at the Tantramar Wetlands Centre. As the ice melts and animals return and reappear, we start to measure time by which birds we see and how fast the ice is melting.

Tree swallow on a nesting box. Tree swallows let us know that spring has arrived.

Spring is also a very busy time in the marsh. In preparation for our Spring Program, we trained dedicated Wetheads during their enrichment period, helping them become experts leaders for all of our activities. We also hosted the Ducks Unlimited Training Day to help prepare participants from other wetlands sites for the Project Webfoot spring program.

Wetheads learning about cattails in spring training during enrichment.

Ducks Unlimited Project Webfoot Training Day at TWC this spring.

During May and June, over 60 Grade 4 classes visited the TWC  from around New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, mostly sponsored by Ducks Unlimited through Project Webfoot. Over 60 Wetheads lead these students through various fun activities and games that teach about the importance and biodiversity of wetlands, invertebrate and bird identification, and our relationship to our natural environment.

Students on the critter dipping dock searching for invertebrates and other critters in the marsh.

Students learning about what they found in the marsh while critter dipping, such as snails, leeches and dragonfly nymphs.

Students participate in a relay race while learning about the benefits of wetlands.

Students learning about biodiversity by playing touchboxes.

Students learning about duck populations, conservation and migration after playing Migration Headache.

Wetheads assist students in using binoculars to see and identify various birds in the marsh.

We always enjoy the annual visit from MASSIE students (Japanese university students participating in an exchange program at Mount Allison University). Even though it was too windy to canoe, we went bird watching and critter dipping.

MASSIE students critter dipping in the marsh.

Japanese univeristy exchange students searching for insects in the water.

You can view more pictures in our Photo Gallery or on Flickr.