| OFAH FILE: 842 | For Immediate Release |
New centre will share heritage of conservation
O.F.A.H. Mario Cortellucci Hunting and Fishing Heritage Centre construction underway
Picture a class trip that includes a huge aquarium filled with Ontario fish, dozens of wildlife dioramas, and a state-of-the-art amphitheatre featuring stunning High Definition documentaries. That is the kind of interactive educational experience that will soon be available to school children and others, thanks to the generosity of long time O.F.A.H. member, developer and philanthropist, Mr. Mario Cortellucci.
Mr. Cortellucci has donated $2 million to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters to build an interpretive centre that showcases the proud heritage of hunting and fishing from a wildlife conservation perspective.
“Since the beginning of time mankind has hunted and fished for sustenance,” said Mario Cortellucci. “Through the heritage centre, school children and others will have the opportunity to see how hunting, fishing and trapping helped indigenous people and European settlers survive and prosper. When we teach children to appreciate what Mother Nature provides us, we pass on important traditions and teachings, aimed not at the destruction of life, but at the conservation and management of the resources that sustain life.”
“Through Mr. Cortellucci’s incredible generosity, we are building a place where people can experience first-hand the many contributions that hunters and anglers have made, and continue to make, to fish and wildlife conservation,” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director, Mike Reader.
Many other individuals and organizations are also making financial contributions to the project, including O.F.A.H. life member Don McVittie, who is donating many wildlife displays.
The O.F.A.H. Mario Cortellucci Hunting and Fishing Heritage Centre is being constructed on the site of the O.F.A.H. Ontario Conservation Centre in Peterborough, which is built on property donated by the late David Wilson, a lifetime O.F.A.H. member and Peterborough businessman. The new 10,000 square foot facility is slated to open in the spring of 2009.
With 83,000 members and 655 member clubs, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is the leading nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and wildlife conservation organization in Ontario.
For photos of the construction phase and layout designs for the centre, please visit www.hfhc.ca.
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