Education

The Ruiter Valley Land Trust offers its members and the general public a range of practical educational activities. Our goal is to encourage both children and adults to take part in the protection of wildlife habitats and ecosystems for their benefit and that of future generations. Some of the tools developed in support of our activities are available under the info-nature section.

Thematic workshop on fauna and flora

Our interpretation activities are a learning tool that contributes to developing a better understanding of ecosystems, and promotes a behaviour that is respectful of the environment. We invite you to consult our calendar of activities for a list of upcoming activities.

Keeping Track Monitoring Program ®

The Keeping Track Monitoring Program ® is a training program in the identification of signs of animal presence. This innovative program, tried and tested in the United States, has been developed by Sue Morse, a well-known Vermont naturalist and founder of the organization Keeping Track. The monitoring program teaches citizens the scientific protocol to do an inventory of wildlife.
RVLT is responsible of the Quebec chapter for the program, Faune sans frontières which now counts on the participation of about 30 individual divided among eight transect teams active in the Potton, Sutton and Salmon River sectors. Our trackers, all trained in the Keeping Track Monitoring Program®, collect data four times a year on the following focal species: Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Canada Lynx, Black Bear, Moose, Martin, Mink, River Otter, Fisher and Wolf. The data collected is an invaluable tool for our conservation planning and strategy as it helps establish both local and landscape scale perspectives.
The ultimate goal of the program is to develop a tool that will enable RVLT to act concretely on the ground. It will allow us to participate in the great green corridor project which aims at connecting the conservation zones of the Appalachians in QC and VT. We believe that making scientific methods available to residents creates a source of invaluable assistance to scientists, administrators and planners concerned with wildlife preservation. Such an initiative can have a direct impact on the management of conservation resources of a whole area.
By supporting its volunteer trackers, RVLT promotes knowledge acquisition on an individual and collective basis. The participants who take part in the many classes, workshop and transects, can deepen their knowledge of various issues related to the conservation of natural areas. The training is also offered to local schools via the “Faune sans frontières pour les jeunes” program.

Environmental education in schools

Inspired by the success of the Keeping Track Program, RVLT has developed and implemented an environmental education program in local schools. Our workshops are offered to 5th and 6th grade students since 2002, thanks to the generous support of our members and partners. The workshops help the children to learn about the abundant treasures found on our territory. They instil new values and help them see their environment in a different way. The classroom sessions are followed by an outing where the children can discover the diversity and fragility of their environment. Research done by the children has been used for the production of interpretation signs installed on the North Missisquoi River Peninsula, located in the heart of Mansonville.