David Suzuki Foundation seeking bee and butterfly enthusiasts to bring nature home
TORONTO | Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — The David Suzuki Foundation is recruiting volunteers from across Canada to take part in the Butterflyway Project. This award-winning project taps into the enthusiasm and dedication of volunteers, affectionately referred to as Butterflyway Rangers, to boost wild bee and butterfly populations in neighbourhoods throughout Canada.
Butterflyway Rangers are part of a national network of pollinator advocates, educators, gardeners and land stewards. They receive support and training from David Suzuki Foundation staff and experts via monthly webinars and online resources, and connect with one another through online meetups, social media and in-person gatherings.
Rangers and their projects vary greatly but all are focused on creating a Butterflyway, which is 12 or more habitat gardens close together. Other activities include hosting and participating in events such as seed swaps, plant sales, community plantings and seasonal fairs.
To learn more about the Ranger role and how to apply, please visit the David Suzuki Foundation website. Applications will be accepted between January 30 and February 13, 2023.
“Since 2017, Butterflyway Rangers have created and cared for thousands of native plant gardens that support pollinators, beautify neighbourhoods and connect communities,” says Winnie Hwo, senior public engagement specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. “They are a powerful force for good.”
Over the past six years, Rangers in hundreds of communities from Comox, British Columbia, to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, have established more than 7,000 habitat gardens and 91 Butterflyways in their neighbourhoods. These gardens provide food and shelter for wild bees and butterflies, while also contributing to the beauty and sustainability of neighbourhoods.
“Cascades is proud to have helped the Butterflyway Project grow and blossom over the past six years,” said Hugo D’Amours, vice-president, communications, public affairs and sustainable development at Cascades. “We believe that together we can alter the landscape of our neighbourhoods and workplaces from simple-looking lawns to something great!”
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For more information about the Butterflyway Project, visit www.davidsuzuki.org/butterflyway.
For more information or to arrange media interviews, please contact:
Stefanie Carmichael, scarmichael@davidsuzuki.org, 437-221-4692
About:
The David Suzuki Foundation (DavidSuzuki.org | @DavidSuzukiFdn) is a leading Canadian environmental non-profit organization, founded in 1990. We operate in English and French, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. We collaborate with all people in Canada, including First Nations leadership and communities, governments, businesses and individuals to find solutions to create a sustainable Canada through scientific research, traditional ecological knowledge, communications and public engagement, and innovative policy and legal solutions. Our mission is to protect nature’s diversity and the well-being of all life, now and for the future.
The David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project launched in 2017 in Toronto, Markham, Richmond and Victoria, and in Montreal as l’effet papillon. More than 1,200 volunteer Butterflyway Rangers have been recruited in hundreds of communities. Rangers have planted more than 100,000 native wildflowers and grasses and approximately 2,500 trees and shrubs in 7,000 habitat gardens. As of 2022, Rangers have established 91 Butterflyways.
The Butterflyway Project won the 2020 Nature Inspiration Award from the Canadian Museum of Nature. The Butterflyway Project is proudly supported by national partner Cascades, with additional funding support by the Chamandy Foundation, Genus Capital Management and the Cavelti Family Foundation.