Scarpface Project to Educate About Niagara Escarpment

I just learned about a craggy-faced character who might bring fun to the study of geological science, if we help…

Scarpface is the name of a new project intended to get students interested in the Niagara Escarpment. Created by the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund (NEBF), the charitable foundation that works with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the project aims to engage teachers, elementary and secondary school students in Escarpment studies, in the natural wonders of the Escarpment. 

The fun part comes with the introduction of a rocky, colossal superhero character by the name of Scarpface, who embodies the magnificent Niagara Escarpment and has the motto “Don’t mess with the edge.” The first 25 classes to send to the NEBF their projects, essays, and photos on the themes of natural science, geography and culture, will receive a Scarpface character t-shirt for every class member.

“We are very pleased to share this dynamic proposal to excite a new generation of Ontarians in our awe-inspiring natural resources,” says Moreen Miller, chair of the NEBF. ”The Escarpment is vital to Ontario’s air and water quality. The more people are aware of this amazing part of our province the better we can live and work in it sustainably.”

            The Scarpface project is competing for a grant of $10,000 from Pepsi Refresh, a community relations initiative to support popular good-works projects. 

            “All across Canada, people from every walk of life are producing powerful, creative and fun ideas that can create positive change,” says Joey Adler, Pepsi Refresh Project Canadian Advisory Board Member. “Pepsi’s Refresh Project is going to help move ideas from wishful thinking to reality, and that’s an incredibly exciting effort to support.”

            In order for NEBF to win their grant and go ahead with the Scarpface Project, people have to vote for it at Pepsi’s Refresh site.

            Here are the goals of the Scarpface Project:

 • To encourage teachers and students to learn about the Niagara Escarpment

 • To engage classes in Escarpment studies and submit their projects online

 • Increase awareness of the Escarpment’s importance to our environment

 • Distribute Scarpface t-shirts to 25 classes of participants

     And here’s a description of the project in educational terms:

The Scarpface–Don’t Mess with the Edge project incorporates education and entertainment to engage Ontario students and teachers in Niagara Escarpment (NE) studies in science, geography and culture. Scarpface is a superhero figure representing the unique environment of the NE. Scarpface will benefit communities by increasing awareness of the significance of the NE. Improved understanding of the NE’s biodiversity (hundreds if not thousands of species of animals and plants) and impact on air and water quality, will encourage people to protect this extraordinary place. Students and teachers will be the focus of a multi-media campaign across the province. The first 25 classes to submit projects to the website receive Scarpface t-shirts for the class. The remaining shirts will be sold for fund raising.

Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Fund

     NEBF is a unique private/public fund that will be seen as the model across Canada for its presence as a premier, regional charitable organization, dedicated for use by the people on the landscape it serves. NEBF will be used by those committed to conserving the biodiversity that is the Niagara Escarpment. It is a fund that will be used to promote sustainable communities throughout the length of the Escarpment. It is a fund that will be used to collaborate with other like-minded individuals and organizations in improving the biodiversity and heritage of the Escarpment through research, outreach, and education. The fund will provide support for academic research on the rich natural biodiversity of the Escarpment to make optimal decisions for our future sustainability, both environmentally and within our own communities.

The fund supports the pillars of the UNESCO designation: education, science, and culture, and will establish the ideals and objectives to achieve the goals of the proposed projects and initiatives needed to create healthy and vibrant communities throughout the Niagara Escarpment while expanding people’s knowledge of the uniqueness of this world-renowned biosphere.

The fund will also be used to identify and promote, where possible, land acquisition of even more significant Escarpment properties for trails, public parks, and conservation.

The Biosphere Reserve Coordination project, in conjunction with those who want to see this change for the better, for our farmers, for our communities, for our families, and for our environment, are working toward a brighter tomorrow, today.

Here’s more information about the NEBF or contact Teri Trent, 905 877 6370.

What do you think of this project? Any thoughts on the competition for grants? Do you have a problem with Pepsi running it?

For a look at the rocks of the Niagara Escarpment below the surface, see our amazing feature “Beginner Caves on the Escarpment.”