BIOPOLIS PROJECTS

Organized by Cœur des Sciences, science-themed walking tours of urban ecology are guided by biology students at UQAM for groups of high school students.

The two-hour walking tour covers downtown Montreal and introduces high schoolers to the science of ecology. Fauna to flora, they discover ecosystems, ecological niches, native and introduced species, invasive or opportunistic. A great way to get moving and see the city in a different light!

Branché is an app geared towards the betterment and enhancement of urban forests. Connected to the City of Montreal’s database, the app allows users to identify more than 200,000 trees, helping them recognize and get to know trees growing around the city.

It registers the position of the user’s smartphone and automatically displays the species and other info whenever they walk past a tree in Montreal. The app also lets users leave messages on particular trees, report ash trees that are infected by the Emerald Ash Borer, identify other app users, and georeference unlisted trees by using the species identification key.

A registered charitable organization founded in 1986, Les amis de la montagne’s network includes citizens from a variety of associations allied with the heads of philanthropic foundations and company presidents. Les amis de la montagne exists to protect and enhance Mount Royal through community involvement and environmental education. Through its advocacy initiatives, education and awareness-raising activities, as well as enhancement and improvement projects, Les amis de la montagne provides the community with the opportunity to exchange ideas and become involved in the preservation of Mount Royal.

They established an environmental stewardship program (PIE) in 2007 to build a more thorough understanding of the ecosystem of Mount Royal using their 25-year experience in leadership and volunteer involvement with the community, as well as longstanding partnerships with the City of Montreal and large institutional property owners on the mountain. But first and foremost, the PIE responds to the request for Montrealers to get involved in protecting their environment, providing meaningful gestures to safeguard the future of the planet.

Environmental activities include planting trees and shrubs of native species, monitoring the growth and survival of planted trees, cutting and removing buckthorn, and maintaining young trees in their educational nursery. All proposed activities are supervised by professionals and are approached scientifically to document important research, improving knowledge and understanding of methods of intervention in the natural environment.

Mon fleuve et moi is the first educational project that brings young people closer to the St. Lawrence River, to inform them and raise awareness of the issues surrounding its protection, enhancement and development. The project includes an educational kit and a drawing contest for students in primary, secondary, college and professional training from all regions of Quebec. Once they have learned more about the St. Lawrence River through the detailed educational kit, students are invited to express their artistic visions for the river through their drawings.

The project includes an educational kit and a drawing contest for students in primary, secondary, college and professional training from all regions of Quebec. Once they have learned more about the St. Lawrence River through the detailed educational kit, students are invited to express their artistic visions for the river through their drawings.

The primary purpose of scientific fishing is to show citizens the multitude of fish species living in the waters surrounding parc des Rapides in LaSalle. Wildlife experts from Heritage Laurentien then take inventory to determine the richness of local biodiversity.

The public is invited to participate in activities, in order to promote citizen science. Since the beginning of this initiative more than 50 fish species have been recorded, including lake sturgeon and American shad, two species at risk in Quebec. The data gathered from these studies confirms that Des Rapides Park enjoys great levels of fish biodiversity that should be protected and showcased.

Adopt a River aims to raise awareness among children (the decision-makers of tomorrow), as well as educate and engage them about protecting the environment through sustainable development and watershed management.

Using simple scientific equipment and educational materials, the project helps students aged 10-15 years old participate actively in protecting water. As a bonus, the project connects diverse learnings in a tangible and inspiring way.

The Groupe uni des éducateurs-naturalistes et professionnels en environnement (GUEPE) is a non-profit organization offering young people, and the greater public, educational and professional services in natural and environmental sciences.

By promoting close contact with nature, GUEPE increases knowledge and helps their clients develop greater respect for biodiversity. Adventurers by Nature is the program that brings together their entire offering of workshops and field trips in natural science available for students in both preschool and elementary school.

Fleurs sauvages du Quebec is an educational website created to provide easy and instant access to the flora of Quebec. The objectives are to show the public the richness, diversity and beauty of Quebec flora, build awareness of the importance of conservation for natural environments, pool and share information on flora and the environment, and facilitate the collection of information on plants in Quebec from various sources.

The beautifully illustrated and accessible content is queried via a search engine that works with simple and intuitive criteria for rapid identification of observed flowers. Each flower has its description reviewed by botanists, to ensure both comprehensive understanding and total accuracy.

Pêche en herbe (young sport fishers) is an introduction to sport fishing for Montrealers aged 9 – 12. The program consists of a full training followed by a supervised fishing lesson, where kids are offered the tools they need so they are ready to go fishing again on their own starting from the very next day.