Guests appeared to enjoy getting their feet wet and their hands dirty at the annual donor appreciation event in Calgary on September 18th!

This year we decided to do something a little different. Instead of having project representatives describe their work at a luncheon event we took our donors into the community to see firsthand some of the projects made possible by their support. "With 2003 being the International Year of Water, we chose to acquaint our loyal friends and supporters with some of the many community initiatives that raise awareness about the importance of our water resources," says Pat Letizia, executive director of Alberta Ecotrust.

Guests of the event first demonstrated their artistic expertise by teaming up to paint yellow fish on storm drains in Inglewood. Representatives from Trout Unlimited Canada, The City of Calgary Waterworks and the Girl Guides of Canada explained how children teach people in their neighbourhoods to prevent storm water pollution as part of the Yellow Fish Road program.

Donors enjoyed a sunny picnic outdoors and learned about the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery Volunteer Society's successful efforts to restore wetlands in Pearce Estates Park while viewing the interpretive trail signage partially funded by Alberta Ecotrust.

Rafting guides from the Beyond Books Institute then escorted eager participants down the river, describing the popular RiverWatch program they run for students in grades 8, 9 and 11. Rafters had the opportunity to identify aquatic invertebrates and measure water chemistry while soaking up the autumn sunshine.

Representatives from the Mountain Parks Watershed Association, Wildcanada.net, and the Bow River Basin Council also participated in the event, sharing some interesting facts about water issues in Alberta and describing their Ecotrust-funded projects.

Alberta Ecotrust grants are made possible by the collaboration and financial support of concerned corporations, individuals and the environmental NGO sector. Since 1992, Alberta Ecotrust has injected close to $3,175,000 into Alberta community organizations working to preserve our environment. Click here to see a list of our current supporters.