Location: Calgary, AB

Introducing the Calgary Wetland Centre of Excellence: integrating nature-based learning and wetland exploration into Calgary’s urban landscape.

The Calgary WCE is composed of two schools in the southeast part of the city: Holy Cross School and Ian Bazalgette School. Both schools serve diverse communities and provide students with the opportunity to learn and explore wetlands located close by. Currently, the schools have focused on creating mentorship projects, engaging in local conservation, rearing trout for release, and have even participated in a local documentary about wetlands. In the coming years, they plan to continue growing their programs and collaborating with elementary schools to spread wetland learning.

Opened in 2025, the Calgary WCE was the first in Southern Alberta. Located on Treaty 7 territory, the WCE is situated where the prairies and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains meet. Calgary is a place defined by the Bow River Watershed and its rivers. Traditionally called ‘Mohkinstsis’ by the Blackfoot Confederacy, a name derived from the meeting of the Bow and Elbow River, it has long been a gathering place to exchange traditional knowledge. 

Facts & Highlights

Southern Alberta is a part of the Prairie Pothole Region, some of the most critical wetland habitat for waterfowl in the world. The region is composed of small and seasonal wetlands carved out by the last Ice Age. DUC has long worked with farmers and other stakeholders in the region to protect this critical habitat.

• Established in 2025 and composed of two schools
• The program uses local urban wetlands to host programming and to provide students with the opportunity to conduct research
• Raised and released trout at the Bow Habitat Station
• Participated in the Wonder Collective documentary focused on wetlands