Press Release
November 25, 2004
CPAWS-BC honours parks elders at Government House
VANCOUVER - Yesterday, 150 pioneers of B.C.'s parks movement were brought together for the first time by the Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia (ECPBC) to celebrate almost a century of park-building and protected area establishment in B.C. and to honour nine of their peers at a reception at Government House hosted by Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo.
The Elders Council is an independent forum brought together by the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-BC). It is a gathering of individuals who have played a significant role in parks and protected area conservation throughout their lifetimes.
Most of the people honoured at Government House are in their eighties or nineties. They include individuals who were instrumental throughout the 1960s and 70s in putting in place the legislation and policies which have established a world-renowned system of B.C. protected areas. Many of them played key roles in ensuring that a number of significant wild areas were protected in their natural state for recreation, conservation and scientific purposes.
"It's also a way for younger generations to learn from and consult our pioneers of wilderness conservation," says Bob Peart, former Executive Director of CPAWS-BC and one of the organizers of the council.
The Elders' Council, in addition to providing guidance to today's parks managers, planners and personnel, and a forum to honour those who have dedicated their live to park system planning, park establishment, and education, will take on the task of documenting the history of parks in B.C. and gathering important parks memorabilia into an archival collection to be preserved in appropriate museums.
At the luncheon, the Lieutenant Governor presented the nine honourees with awards designed by artist Jason Marlow before addressing the gathering. This years honourees are: Robert Ahrens, Dr. V.C. (Bert) Brink, Lloyd Brooks, Yorke Edwards, Bristol Foster, Gordon Macnab, Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan, Tony Roberts, and John Woodworth.
The event was supported financially by B.C. Parks, Parks Canada and VanCity.
For further information, contact:
Karen Blinkhorn
Tel: 604 685 7445 or 778 772 5402
Email: kblinkhorn@cpawsbc.org
CPAWS - British Columbia Chapter