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The John E. Poole Wetland Interpretive Site is scheduled to open in the fall of 2011 and will include a new boardwalk, viewing platforms and discovery stations.
Help Ducks build a wetland education legacy with the click of a mouse 
Vote in the Pepsi Refresh Project and give kids a natural place to get their feet wet
Edmonton, Alta., November 18, 2010 — It’s easy to conserve wetlands – log onto the Pepsi Refresh Project website, sign in, vote for the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) wetland interpretive site at Big Lake. That’s all it takes to help build the John E. Poole Wetland Interpretive Site, which will be enjoyed by thousands of school children and local residents for years to come. DUC needs you to vote, and to vote often. The project with the most votes will have a chance to win $100,000.
“It feels a little bit like being on Canadian Idol or Dancing with the Stars, we’re asking you to cast your vote for us,” said Rick Shewchuk, Development Manager for DUC. “Voting for this project only costs you time, but it will mean a lot to DUC and elementary school students in the capital region and central Alberta. We encourage everyone who values wetland and natural spaces to vote everyday and share this information with everyone on their email list.”
The wetland site is located within the Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park and next to Big Lake, a globally significant wetland and Important Bird Area providing critical habitat for thousands of nesting and migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. In addition to being a natural eco-tourist location for residents in the Greater Edmonton area, the site will also serve as a field trip destination for DUC's Project Webfoot youth education program, attracting more than 5,000 Grade 4 and 5 students annually. Project Webfoot is an award winning program that incorporates in-class teaching and hands-on learning in a natural wetland to help students understand the value of wetlands. Presently, few natural wetland interpretive sites exist in the Greater Edmonton area. Wetland education is part of the Alberta Grade 5 science curriculum.
The Pepsi Refresh Project accepts new ideas for positive change and will reward over $1 million in grants to the ideas that are voted the best by Canadians. For more information about the John E. Poole Wetland Interpretive Site or to vote for the Pepsi Refresh Project go to ducks.ca/poolefund or call 1-866-479-3825. Canadians can vote every day until December 31, 2010.
Since 1938, Ducks Unlimited Canada has conserved, restored and managed millions of acres of wetlands and associated habitats for the benefit of waterfowl, wildlife and people.
For more information, contact:
Anh Hoang,
a_hoang@ducks.ca
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: (403) 476-1879
