Earth Rangers coming to Kamloops and area schools with live animal presentations

KAMLOOPS — Students across School District 73 are in for a treat in the new year.

The Earth Rangers, a non-profit organization that aims to educate children and their families about conservation and the environment, will be visiting a number of schools with live animals shows.

The Earth Rangers will be in the Thompson-Nicola region from Feb. 14-27, making stops at schools in Kamloops, Merritt, Ashcroft, Logan Lake and other Interior centres.

Students can expect a variety of animals, as the organization teaches kids how to make positive change on the environment.

“One of the main ways that we reach kids is through a school assembly program, which is basically a really fun and inspiring and educational live animal show about biodiversity and conservation in Canada,” Earth Rangers President Tovah Barocas told CFJC Today over Zoom. “Basically, it’s two presenters. We usually bring about four live animals. It’s got a full set and AV [audio-visual]. The birds fly over the kids’ heads in the gym. We highlight young scientists working in the field and a lot of the different work that’s happening across the country.”

There are 300-thousand earth rangers, both members and alumni, across Canada. The presentations have been made possible through a $500,000 donation from Teck Resources, allowing the Earth Rangers to come.

“We’ll probably visit about two schools a day. I think we’ve got the schedule all firmed up, but we’ve got a waiting list also, so when we’re in the area we try to hit as many schools as possible and see as many students,” noted Barocas. “At the end, once we deliver all the shows, we also provide a lot of additional material and cirriculum activities for teachers to get the momentum going in their schools. We’ve got an Eco Club program schools can engage with.”