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This year we have started creating a series of simple video clips for Craigdarroch Castle. They’re nothing fancy but we now have 20 and 30 second spots appearing in four airports and two ferry terminals and we have set the system up in such a way that we can upload new videos according to the promotional activities going on at Craigdarroch Castle… which I think is neat.
Johns Island is a beautiful gem of nature located in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, one of more than fifty sea islands along the South Carolina and Georgia coast. Johns Island has been inhabited for thousands of years by Native Americans and, even before that, by numerous species of wildlife. Europeans first began to settle the sea islands in the late sixteenth century. By the eighteenth century thousands of Europeans had settled on the islands drawn here by their beauty and productivity.
Johns Island is located southwest of Charleston, SC on the way to the resort communities of Seabrook and Kiawah Islands. Charleston has been recognized by Fodor’s as the TOP mainland American tourist destination for 2012. Kiawah and Seabrook are beautiful, mostly private, resort islands with a large population of part time residents and seasonal visitors. Travelers to these two islands must drive 15 miles thru John’s Island to get to their destinations.
Johns Island is the fourth largest island on the US East Coast (after Long Island NY, Mt Desert Island ME and Martha’s Vineyard MA). Johns Island is 84 square mile in size with a population of 14,000 people and scores of wildlife species including deer, alligators, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, otters and wild hogs. The rivers and marshes that make this an island abound with fish and shellfish, esp. oysters, and the ever popular local dolphins. The numbers of bird species are in the hundreds. They include bald eagles, osprey, wild turkeys, owls, hawks, herons, egrets and ducks. The flora is also abundant with many native and importance species as well as agricultural crops.
Because of our natural assets and proximity to Charleston and the resort communities, Johns Island has been, and will continue to be, developed for residential, recreational and commercial purposes. A dedicated conservancy effort is needed to ensure that development on Johns Island is both ecologically responsible as well as economically sensible.
A couple of years back we were asked to re-design the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary website. Above we have provided a snapshot of what the original site looked like and our re-design.
We are very pleased with the results of the new design.
Here’s some of the stats regarding the new design and what it means to the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.
Visitation over the first year of the new design increased by 78% and a full 65% of those are New Visitors.
For a non-profit organization, reaching new markets is critically important as anyone who has received a direct mail package from most non-profits knows… you cannot keep going back to your membership for more funds to support the organization time and again… non-profits MUST find new members and offer them something which they find compelling enough to support.
The re-design of the website positions Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary for the future… integrating a variety of social media options including Facebook. Considering the increase in visitation and our 216 Facebook Friends, we’re pretty pleased with the results as well.
The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary consists of two distinct areas;
Swan Lake
The marsh around Swan Lake provides good habitat for many birds and small animals, including muskrat, river otter and mink. They make their homes in the rock walls, marsh grasses and cattails beside the lake. Swan Lake’s water comes from a large watershed to the north and the east, which includes Blenkinsop Lake. The water drains west from the lake into the Colquitz River and drains into the Pacific Ocean at Portage Inlet.
Christmas Hill
The highland environment of Christmas Hill is in marked contrast to the lowlands of Swan Lake. The glacially moulded rock faces, the vernal (seasonal) pond and the majestic view from the hilltop are of special interest to visitors. The meadows surrounding Christmas Hill bloom with a sea of wildflowers in the spring. The Swan Lake and Christmas Hill sections are connected by a trail corridor. A 2.5-kilometre loop trail, that includes two wharves and a floating walkway, provide access to the lake area.
Swan Lake History
The lake was formed 12,000 years ago when the last glacier receded. Swan Lake was rescued from oblivion just a few decades ago. During most of its recent history it was a dumping ground for raw sewage, dairy farms and a winery. Cleanup began in the 1970′s and today the lake is a rich habitat for a variety of wildlife.
The Nature Sanctuary Society
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a nature education centre. It is a registered charitable organization run by the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society. The lands and facilities are owned by the Corporation of the District of Saanich, and the Nature Sanctuary Society operates through a land management agreement with Saanich since June, 1975.
A place to explore. A world to discover.
Founders’ Wharf is a construction project to build a wharf which, while recognizing the visionaries who sought to protect this land and build a centre where learning on the landcould take place, will also serve as our outdoor classroom. The project will cost $35,000 to complete with an anticipated opening to take place in conjunction with our 35th anniversary in June of 2010.
The Purpose of Founders’ Wharf:
From the wharf, children and adults will be encouraged through our classes to informally explore what the Lake has to offer. Whether it is feeding the ducks, water sampling, dipping for various forms of animal life found in the shallow waters, bird watching, spotting the local beavers, otters and muskrats that call the lake home or just taking in the view, the wharf will provide untold learning opportunities.
Who Will Benefit:
Over 65,000 people per year visit the Sanctuary with about 6,500 of these being school age children. The school programs provide a unique opportunity for children to interact with the environment. From something as simple as feeding the ducks flatted oats, children can appreciate what nature has to offer. From this simple act, children can develop an appreciation of the importance of feeding birds the “right stuff” and from that can spring several lessons. This is just a simple example from which the understanding of the complexities of the natural environment will grow.
Because it is surrounded by urban development, Swan Lake offers a unique opportunity to bring the natural environment and people of all ages together. Founders’ Wharf will allow visitors to the Sanctuary to get closer to the Lake and allow our various programs to take advantage of the lakeside setting to further the learning experience.
Help us raise $35,000.00 to build Founders Wharf. Donate today.
For a little over one year now, I have been sitting on the Board of Directors for the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
During that time, it has been my pleasure to re-design and launch this all new web site for them to assist in promoting the activities of the sanctuary.
Swan Lake was formed 12,000 years ago when the last glacier receded. The underlying bedrock, exaggerated by the scouring action of the glacier, provided the basin which defines the lake boundary.
Today, the lake is shallow, warm and flourishing with life despite the pollution created by urbanization of the surrounding area. The lake is fed by a large watershed to the north and east which includes Blenkinsop Lake.
The SLCHNS provides a diverse and enriching experience with a focus on natural history, education and ecological restoration to inspire personal action in stewardship activities. The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Sanctuary is managed with a strong focus towards fostering an understanding and appreciation of nature through direct experiences that will develop personal responsibility for the care and protection of the natural environment.
This week we began storyboarding a video for a DVD to be retailed in the Craigdarroch Castle store… We’ll keep you posted.
Over the past year, I have been appointed to the Board of Directors to the Ogden Point Enhancement Society.
I am pleased to feature on this post the new web site just completed for them at www.ogdenpoint.org
This annual Seasonal campaign specifically created for MSF to create that emotional link between donors and volunteers was our best package of the year, returning $640,000 in revenue on a small budget and generated a spectacular response rate of 19%.
Now that’s something to be proud of.
This campaign that I conceived for Doctor’s Without Borders focused on the fact that medicine in Africa should not be a luxury and was based on the idea that the large pharmaceutical companies were blocking the right for generic drugs to be produced, thereby making medicine completely out of reach for virtually the entire population.
Our Objectives with this campaign;
• To maximize renewal and commitment of current Regular Donors
• To convert Regular donors to the monthly program Partners Without Borders
• Increase the average gift of Donors
• To reactivate lapsed Donors
• To make a link between Donors and volunteers in the field
• To make Donors aware of public health situation in developing countries hit by civil wars or natural disasters.
Our Results.
Our fundraising direct mail packages raised in excess of $2,500,000.00 in 2004.
Pretty proud of my part…
This piece addresses issues affecting our oceans in Thailand but brings the idea home to our shores by introducing the oceanic global conveyor belt to constituents and allowing them to understand how what affects the oceans on the other side of the world will soon affect us here at home.
Since the ocean is one of my true interests in life, I wrote and conceptualized this piece with considerable interest.
CUSO finds outstanding organizations working in the global South who are making real and lasting changes in their own communities… and partners with them. CUSO’s aim is to bring the expertise of those in the global South and Canada together—through volunteer placements, mutual collaboration, training, programming, exchanges, and resource sharing—so both can continue to enhance and grow vital social justice programs for the long-term.
For more information on CUSO, visit www.cuso.org
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