FortWhyte Alive

FortWhyte Alive is an environmental, education and recreation center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The large park and recreation facility is located in southwest Winnipeg along the migratory path of Canada geese.

Highlights of FortWhyte’s 640 acres of prairie, lakes, forest and wetlands include a 70-acre bison Prairie and related heritage exhibits; more than 9 km of interpretive nature trails; a family treehouse, floating boardwalks, and songbirds, deer and waterfowl in their natural habitat. Year-round fishing is available or visitors can enjoy more contemplative pursuits such as canoeing, hiking or bird-watching. Winter offers unique opportunities to enjoy ice fishing, snowshoeing, skating or tobogganing. FortWhyte’s lakes, forest and marsh are well travelled, with over 100,000 visitors benefiting from our many programs and exhibits annually.

The award-winning 6,700 sq. ft. Alloway Reception Centre offers a broad range of visitor services including The Nature Shop and the outstanding Buffalo Stone Café. The striking 10,000 sq. ft. Interpretive Centre features fascinating exhibits including the Aquarium of the Prairies (Manitoba’s largest indoor aquarium), the Prairie Partners Room, the Touch Museum, the Climate Change Greenhouse and Prairie Soils dioramas among other exhibits relating to the environment and sustainable development. The secluded Siobhan Richardson Field Station and its three overnight cabins offer an ideal setting for longer term studies, camp programs and workshops.

Situated on a reclaimed clay mine and cement factory, FortWhyte Alive is a dynamic example of sustainable development. FortWhyte is well respected for offering objective, balanced programs that recognize the interdependency between a healthy economy and a healthy environment, while on the leading edge of environmental education, outdoor recreation and social enterprise programming. It is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of the natural world and actions that lead to sustainable living. This includes exploring the historical, current and future interaction between humans and the environment. It offers curriculum-based educational programs in both French and English to close to 30,000 school children each year; introducing students to the natural world and raising an awareness of their role in sustaining our planet. The FortWhyte Farms initiative allows disadvantaged youth to engage in urban agriculture-based, social and vocational skills training in FortWhyte’s beautiful natural setting.

Public programs at FortWhyte Alive are designed to inspire visitors of all ages with an appreciation for the natural world, with seminars, hands-on workshops and recreational activities offered in every season. Volunteers are a critical underpinning of the operation of FortWhyte and more than 300 volunteers are involved in every aspect of our work, from policy development at the Board level to the delivery of more than 40 school and public programs.