Bow Valley SPCA

I gave an evening presentation this past week at the Canmore Library in partnership with Gareth Thomson, the Executive Director of the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley. We talked about challenges birbs face in developed areas, little steps we can take at home as both renters and homeowners to help birbs, and what makes effective window markers. We then went on a 1.5hr birdwatching walk along Policeman Creek nearby, and I saw a bird in a straw nest! I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was likely a mamma sitting on some eggs.

I hadn’t presented much since leaving architecture, and I was reminded of how much I enjoy it when I’m well prepared. Gareth was so supportive and enthusiastic, and the 30 participants were clearly eager to learn how to help wildlife. It was a lovely evening where I felt the care and kindness of community.

The downside of all that is my neck got all f*cked up. Carrying around a laptop in a backpack with no waist belt for 1.5hrs broke my weak neck muscles. If you are under 30 and can’t relate, just wait for the fun times. They’re coming.

The nest I spotted among low brush (how was it held up??) right along the creek

In the spirit of birbs, here’s a sneak peek at the bird-friendly glazing project I’m working on for the Bow Valley SPCA!

The project is an effort to help refresh the Bow Valley SPCA’s branding, create a backdrop for adoption photos, and of course, help prevent bird collisions. We started off with three concepts:

A. Mountains: Three Sisters, valley, Bow River, dog+cat frolics

A location-specific concept that celebrates the centre’s stunning location

B. Playroom: Forever home+play scenes, toys galore

A big fun playroom scene with past and present SPCA babes and their toys

C. Featuring: Notable past and present SPCA residents

Spotlight on long-term or otherwise notable residents

The SPCA chose to proceed with option A, with some adjustments that include bringing in elements from option B. Once the design is finalized in Procreate, I’ll bring it into my vector program, vectorize all the linework, and send it off to Feather Friendly for approval and printing.

There was elk/ dog poop on the soccer field, and I got very distracted trying to avoid it while simultaneously trying to not die running full-field

I recently joined women’s soccer on Wednesday evenings, and we played full field this week, and I didn’t die! My foot made contact with the ball maybe five times throughout our two 30-minute halves, and it went in the general direction I meant it to go each time. Success.

Babe <3

Until next time,

Ann