The John Janzen Nature Centre is officially open to the public again, with a new place for kids to get a sense of what life is like for Edmonton’s wildlife, from the comfort of indoors.
The renovated facility includes the new Tegler Discovery Zone, an interpretive play space where children under the age of 11 can experience the habitats of river valley wildlife from the point of view of a squirrel, a beaver, or even a bee.
“The indoor play structures were designed to allow children inside habitats they can’t normally have safe access to in the wild – looking up through ice from below, crawling through a squirrel’s underground home, or peeking inside a beaver lodge,” said Dave McInnes, Past President of the Edmonton Nature Centre’s Foundation.
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“We must teach our young people and give all Albertans the chance to see the world through the eyes of these species with which we share that these lands,” said local MLA, George Burns.
Other additions to the centre include landscaping, upgraded heating and cooling systems, a family washroom and improvements to make the building more accessible.
Also, starting in late September, Edmontonians will also be able to climb the stairs to the top of the new expanded facility to learn about roof top planting and gardening.
The total budget for the expansion project was $2.7 million. $1.1 million of the project’s funding came from the City of Edmonton. The rest came from the Government of Canada’s Recreational Infrastructure Canada program and the Edmonton Nature Centres Foundation, as well as from a number of generous donations.
The John Janzen Nature Centre is now open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and from 11am to 5pm on weekends and holidays.
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