Get outside and stay active this winter! Join us February 1st and 2nd for World Wetlands Day at the Toronto Zoo
Sunday, February 1 and Monday, February 2, 2015 – World Wetlands Day
10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Americas Pavilion (indoor)
While polar bears are enjoying the winter weather, ever wondered where wetland creatures go when it gets cold outside? Come celebrate the amazing world of winter wetland wildlife in the warmth of the Americas Pavilion. Join in some conservation fun as the Toronto Zoo’s Adopt-A-Pond Wetland Conservation Programme provides families with winter wetland activities promoting the international celebration of World Wetlands Day!
There will be a touch-table experience, frog-tastic games, and information on how you can help wetlands in your neighbourhood by becoming a Turtle Tallyer, Frog Watcher or Wetland Guardian. Join our conservation team and make a difference for wetland species across the province and around the world!
All FREE with Zoo admission!
Why are we celebrating wetlands in winter?
Did you know that up to 70 per cent of Canada’s wetlands have disappeared in settled areas of the country? And every day we lose another 80 acres of precious habitat, which is equivalent to 45 soccer fields. Even so, it is estimated that Canada has roughly 25 per cent of the world’s remaining wetlands!
February 2nd each year is World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Check out their website HERE.
Canada has 37 Ramsar protected wetlands! With 6 in Southern Ontario and 2 in Northern Ontario, including some well-known places like the Long Point Biosphere Reserve, Point Pelee National Park and Polar Bear Provincial Park!
The second largest Ramsar site in Canada and the largest and most northerly Provincial Park in Ontario, is Polar Bear Provincial Park; located on the shores of Hudson’s Bay. This vast wetland complex, this site includes the world’s most southerly example of a tundra ecosystem and is home to numerous species of large mammals including the iconic Polar Bear! Ontario Park states that as many as 200 polar bears lumber through coastal areas throughout the year! Amazing!
You can get the details on all of Canada’s Ramsar sites HERE.
Adopt-A-Pond would like to thank Barrick Gold for sponsoring this event and for their dedication to ongoing wetland conservation! Additional support is provided by Environment Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Get outside and stay active this winter! Join us February 1st and 2nd at the Toronto Zoo!
