Meet the Giant’s Rib Escarpment Education Network!

We would like to introduce you to our new name, our new look, our new logo and all things new at the Giant’s Rib!

Why have we changed our name?

Well, late in the last century the idea came about to build a “Discovery Centre” where people could come from all over and learn about the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. They could wander the facility and see magnificent displays, see a movie, have lunch then head out on the trails of the Escarpment. In 2006 a much scaled-down version of the concept was established in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area’s Trail Centre. (For more info see our History page.)

Now, over the last 18 years much has changed. Most everything is at our fingertips through mobile devices, and attention spans have seriously decreased. Our demands for knowledge are also more immediate. The process of discovery and exploration when faced with a mysterious phrase  or name – like the “Giant’s Rib” – is all but gone.

The simple fact is, many people look at the name “Giant’s Rib Discovery Centre” and think it’s a chicken and rib joint! (Side of slaw with that?)

So, in an effort to more clearly connect the meaning of the “Giant’s Rib” to the Escarpment, and to more accurately reflect what we are doing and where we are going, The Giant’s Rib Escarpment Education Network (GREEN… nice eh?) was born. Our logo has changed to make it pretty clear we represent the Niagara Escarpment and its wonders.

You see, we are not just one little Discovery Centre. We are a network of volunteers each with specific skill sets, a network of programs including speakers and artists and photographers, and very soon we will be a network of Discovery Centres along the Escarpment. Our website, as we develop more and more educational materials, will be accessible world-wide; a place where anyone can access information about our world Biosphere Reserve.

Thanks to donors over the years and recent grants from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, our Discovery Centre is getting a face-lift. We’re updating our displays, getting new equipment which will help reduce the workload on our volunteers and arranging for more display material to be “out” on a permanent basis, allowing visitors to experience the Niagara Escarpment even when we’re not open. Once all the work is done, we’ll celebrate with a grand re-opening of the Centre in Dundas.

Our fingers are crossed that by then we’ll  have established at least one new Centre elsewhere along the Escarpment. In the meantime our centre(s) will still be called “Giant’s Rib Discovery Centres“, and our legal and charitable registration name remains the same.

As always we still need the support of those who love the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. You can contribute your time by volunteering, or simply volunteer your dollars through the Canada Helps button over there on the left. Thank you for all your support… and, no, we don’t serve ribs!